PROVEN EXPERIENCE FOR RELIABLE ENERGY
Thank you for visiting my website and being a part of the conversation about Matanuska Electric Association (MEA)'s future.
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This is a pivotal moment for our cooperative. We face serious challenges with our natural gas supply and it's critical that we act now to maintain reliability and prevent future rolling blackouts that imperil our safety and our economy.
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To ensure our fundamental energy security, the MEA board has some tough choices to make. We need to ensure our short-term gas needs while working to reduce our dependency on gas over the long term. This is the best way to stabilize rates.
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I'm running to bring all our members into the conversation about how we lead with our values and safeguard our families and pocketbooks.
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I'd be honored to earn your vote in this April's election to continue my work with you as your representative on the MEA board.
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PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE FOR MEMBER SAVINGS
Like so many, I've worked hard to build a life here and know what a high electricity bill does to our family. I believe that it's my duty as an MEA board member to safeguard our pocketbooks.
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I've enjoyed careers as a wildlife biologist and energy faculty at UAA and UAF. In that time, I've had the chance to work on frontline building efficiency and consumer savings programs rooted in what users most need. As a Board member, I'm working to emphasize practical everyday solutions for our members to save.
TACKLING OUR
GAS SUPPLY CRISIS
Natural gas is 85% of our energy supply and is our leading cost. Our Cook Inlet gas contract ends in early 2028; to date no suppliers have offered future contracts. The Eklutna Generation Facility can continue operating with imported LNG, but those new sources are expensive and come from far away.
To keep member costs as low as possible, the board must act NOW to craft solutions that combine near-term certainty with long-term flexibility to meet our needs and reduce our dependence on costly natural gas.
These strategies include conserving our gas supply with efficiency actions, carefully evaluating and diversifying our supply options, and increasing our local homegrown energy sources.
ENERGY SECURITY FOR OUR FUTURE
To reduce fuel costs and dependence on faraway imports, and stabilize rates, we can work with independent power providers developing local homegrown energy projects like solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal that make economic sense for our members. Not only will this increase the use of local sources that we can see and trust in our own backyards, it will create new local jobs that support, and generate tax revenue for, our schools, businesses, emergency services, and more.
