Energy in Alaska. Here we are, sitting on some of the Earth's richest conventional energy sources: oil; natural gas; coal. In recent years, biomass and solar energy have been explored, both of which Alaska has ample stores. But energy is a double-edged sword, it seems. Development of oil, coal, and natural gas seems inherently plagued with the potential for catastrophic disasters: think of the Valdez oil spill, the debates about ANWR, and the recent oil train wreck in Canada for examples. The other side of that sword is money: there are riches to be had, massive untold wealth. Global oil corporation earn massive profits from energy exploitation in Alaska, while ordinary Alaskans pay some of the highest fuel costs in America. Cynics claim that the PFD--the share of the oil money the state gets that is shared with Alaskans every year--is nothing more than hush money, bribing
Alaskans not to closely examine the environmental degradation that accompanies oil development. Others note that without oil corporations, there would be no economy in Alaska: no university system, no roads, no electricity, no stores, no jobs, nothing but remote subsistence communities barely eeking out a living from the land. A normal personal would ask: where is reality?? The students in Rural Sociology (SOC 301 Summer 2013 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks) will research and analyze energy issues in rural Alaska. Key questions that we will address include:
- how are people and their communities affected by the extraction of oil, natural gas, and coal?
- what are the social mechanisms that shape how energy is produced in Alaska?
- how are rural communities affected by the costs and availability of energy?
- what are the policy implications of energy?
- are some segments of society differentially affected by energy production and costs, e.g. what are the impacts of race/ethnicity, gender, social class, spatiality, age, and other markers of difference?
- are there different, perhaps better ways of providing for Alaska's rural energy needs?
http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org/webmapper/maps/28/Alaska-Coal-Mine-Power-Map/
ReplyDeleteHere is an interactive map of Alaska and the coal reserves and resources around the state. This map shows the different level of development of these different resources.
Alaska is abundance in coal resources. According to varying sources, Alaska's coal resources is estimated up to 1/4 of the total coal (243 billion tons) on Earth and about 1/2 of the total amount in the United States. Coal extraction accounts for about 20% of the entire mining industry in Alaska. In 2004 356.5 thousand metric tons of coal was consumed to produce 9% of Alaska's electrical power.
While hypothetical resources of coal nears 4.5-5 trillion tons, a very small percentage of this coal is classified as recoverable coal due to lack of infrastructure, lack of transportation, and difficulties associated with the climate. In addition, the environmental impacts of coal mining prevent further development of coal resources. Alaska is unique in that is has many natural resources, from the natural gas to coal to wild salmon runs. However developing or sustaining these natural resources requires a careful hand.
http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Rural-Alaska-Shows-us-the-Way-for-Wind-Energy-Installations.html
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses the recent efforts to harness wind power in the rural Alaskan village of Tuntutuliak to bring down the excessive traditional energy costs inherent to the region. The project's been successful; and Kongiganak and Kwigillingok have followed suit. All in all, a delightfully ambitious solution to rural Alaska's longstanding dependency on less sustainable and far more expensive energy.
http://www.uaf.edu/ces/pubs/catalog/detail/index.xml?id=12
ReplyDeleteThe UAF Cooperative Extension has many publications regarding sustainable energy geared specifically toward the Alaskan environment. The link above is to a description of the Alaska Solar Design Manual, which is a tool for people around the state who are interested in harnessing solar power in their homes. Other publications offered by the Cooperative Extension Service guide readers in how to conserve energy, lower their utility costs, and how to make any home more energy efficient in general. While the Solar Design Manual costs $15, most of these other publications are free to the public and can be downloaded online or ordered through the mail from the Cooperative Extension Service Communications office in Fairbanks.
http://laborstats.alaska.gov/col/col.pdf
ReplyDeleteThere is an interesting table in this PDF published by the State of Alaska Division of Labor. It outlines the cost index of most household expenditures in several cities in Alaska and compares them to several other US cities. The average cost of a category is given a value of 100, then the costs in each city are marginalized to reflect how much more or less than the average they are. Fairbanks, for instance, has a utility cost of 221, which means residents here pay more than twice the national average in utilities. There is also a table with heating fuel price comparisons within the state. Prices range from $1.40 per gallon in Atqasuk (where heating fuel is subsidized by the North Slop Borough), to $3.97 per gallon in Homer, to $10.00 per gallon in Arctic Village.
From this, we can conclude that the high cost of available energy in Alaska is a huge burden to rural areas. The high costs are be directly related to the cost of transporting the resources for energy; in Arctic Village, for example, heating fuel must be flown in by cargo plane.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/dancing-the-world-into-being-a-conversation-with-idle-no-more-leanne-simpson
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent article on "extractivist" culture with activists Naomi Klein and Leanne Simpson. I highly recommend it. It also talks about the Idle No More Movement, which is the largest Native activist force to sweep Canada and even solidarity protests around the world.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/10/07/338726/drilling-in-the-arctic-perspectives-from-an-alaska-native/?mobile=nc
ReplyDeleteThis is an interview with a resident and City Council member of Kivalina, AK, Colleen Swan talking about the impacts of Arctic oil drilling on rural coastal communities.
Kivalina is an Inupiat town of approx. 375 people in the Northwest Arctic Borough.
Kivalina itself is an interesting story. The town has sued Exxon Mobil (unsuccessfully) for the greenhouse gasses that are causing the town to relocate, due to climate change.
http://www.akenergyauthority.org/PDF%20files/EndUseStudy2012/AlaskaEndUseStudy2012.pdf
ReplyDeleteThis is a government study from 2012 that looks at the different regions of Alaska and how much energy they use and what type, be it spruce, diesel or electric and so on. It also breaks down "end-use" by determining how much of the energy consumed is used by coffee makers, computers, or how much by the toaster. So, understandably, the study is 151 pages long! While extensive, this study can help people realize where their energy drains are, and perhaps by always unplugging a laptop, they can save on some of their energy costs. I don't mean to imply that the energy crisis in rural Alaska is solely the problem of the individual of family to fix by consuming less. But having this study means we really know where all the energy is going, which is useful.
http://www.rd.com/true-stories/inspiring/the-cost-of-drilling-oil-in-alaska/
ReplyDeleteThis is an article about Edward Itta, "one of the most powerful rural mayors in the country". In it, Itta talks about the difficultly in wanting to provide work for Barrow residents, which often comes via oil, but not wanting to impact whaling, and integral part of life, culture and community.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/09/27/911071/wind-in-alaska-energy-lessons-from-the-edge-of-the-earth/
ReplyDeleteAnd now for some good news! Tuntutuliak, Ak and their wind energy program!
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ReplyDeletehttps://www.doyon.com/corporate_profiles/ancsa.aspx
ReplyDeleteThis is a link to the utility company Doyon, Limited's description of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). Signed by President Nixon in 1971, the ANCSA settled all legal claims made by Alaska Natives to lands owned by the state. When oil and natural gas were discovered on the North Slope, the state was eager to lease these lands so that money could be made off the harvesting of such a profitable natural resource. However, the lands they intended to lease were tied up in claims that Alaska Native groups made to the lands for subsistence hunting, fishing and farming. The government decided to take the land and compensate the groups for it; in the end, about 1/9 of the state's land was distributed to 200 village and 20 regional corporations which were formed by the ANCSA. This largely affected rural Alaska Natives due to their basic survival resources being rendered inaccessible. This also hurt the economies of several villages because the cost of goods is so high that living off of the land is the only way to support a household in those areas.
http://www.petroleumnews.com/pntruncate/890051509.shtml
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to an article about energy in rural Alaska. As many have already said, energy costs are ridiculously high. The future of power in rural Alaska lies in renewable energy. Hydropower and wind power are two such resources that are being considered in rural areas. According to the article, the wind for schools program is an effort to introduce "wind energy to the nation's small communities." While the cost of installing renewable energy systems is high, the end result will be reduced energy costs.
http://www.nana.com/regional/resources/alternative-energy/
DeleteHere is a link to NANA regional corporation's website. They discuss their plan to reduce energy costs and to become less reliant on imported fossil fuels. They plan to develop regional energy resources.
Conservationists and mine developers have butted heads for many decades. With Alaska's many unique natural resources it is easy to see why it is important to find ways that preserves Alaska's natural beauty while developing income in a responsible manner. In a recent mine proposal by Usibelli Coal Mine near the Chickaloon, AK (about 1 hour northwest of Anchorage) community members strongly oppose the mine's developement citing present and previous grievances of coal unhealthy coal dust from the mine, racial tensions between Alaskan Native tribes and resource developers, and preservation of the local lands.
ReplyDeletehttp://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/gallery/photo/proposed-alaska-coal-mine-divides-alaska-communities,-elicits-racist-rant-54465
https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?saduie=AG9B_P9uXwMA_HKVYoeI27ZtshaW&attid=0.1&disp=emb&view=att&th=13ff43f16f47e236A cool map found by Tiffany.
ReplyDeleteFrom Tiffany: This is a paper published by Susan K. Todd Ph.D and Holly Ann Jewkes. As the name of this study might suggest, it is about the history of fire suppression and fire management as well as the ecological effects of wildfires in Alaska. This study looks at a time period from the late 1800s to the present time.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.uaf.edu/files/snras/B114.pdf