Last week I traveled to Washington, DC to attend the Energy Council’s annual conference. The Energy Council is a legislative organization with members from 11 states, five provinces, and the country of Venezuela. Several Alaskan lawmakers also made this trip, some of them for a meeting of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER). PNWER is a partnership of five states and three Canadian provinces that works to address issues impacting our regional economy.
I have served on the Energy Council’s executive committee for five years and was elected Vice Chair of the Council in late 2011. In September 2012, I will be appointed Chair. At this year’s meeting I discussed energy policy and updated policymakers on issues important to Alaska. I met with Alaska’s Congressional Delegation and their staff, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman and Commissioners, and representatives from other federal agencies. The Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Arctic Caucus Roundtable was also held last week in DC. The Roundtable highlighted the work of the Alaska Northern Waters Task Force, of which I serve as Vice Chair, and the recent report on its findings.
The Energy Council conference is a unique forum for discussing energy policy with some of the most knowledgeable people in the world on these issues. This annual conference is an important part of our continued efforts to develop Alaska’s energy resources and promote greater collaboration between national policymakers and our state.
Yesterday the Energy Council trip was discussed at the Senate Majority Press Availability; you can listen to it here.
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