by Loren Barrett | Dec 18, 2025 | Civics, Cook Inlet
As 2025 draws to a close, we take stock—with gratitude for what we’ve accomplished together, and resolve for the work still before us. Cook Inlet | Tikahtnu is a special place. Its waters, salmon, wildlife, and communities have sustained life here for millennia. That...
by Ben Boettger | Dec 12, 2025 | Civics, Government
At the start of the 2017 legislative session, a budget deficit of hundreds of millions loomed over the coming months in Juneau. Around that time, an Alaska politician assured me that in spite of the ongoing failure to deal with our systemic revenue shortfall, he...
by Ben Boettger | Dec 8, 2025 | Civics, Energy & Alaska, Government
Gov. Mike Dunleavy published Administrative Order 360 in early August to reduce “administrative and economic burdens associated with regulatory compliance.” But the order is more likely to slow down rather than speed up decisions we need for sustainable energy, as...
by Ben Boettger | Sep 17, 2025 | Civics
Editor’s note: This story was updated Oct. 10 with additional information about the used baler the Kenai Peninsula Borough is planning to purchase, and on Oct. 14 with updated information about aluminium recycling at Central Peninsula Landfill After the 33-year...
by Loren Barrett | Apr 1, 2025 | Government, Civics, Energy & Alaska
As the state of Alaska stares down a projected $536 million deficit over the next two fiscal years, legislators are scrambling for solutions to avoid yet another budget crisis. Among the clearest and most straightforward answers on the table is Senate Bill 92 (SB 92),...
by Ben Boettger | Feb 26, 2024 | Civics, Climate Change, Energy & Alaska, Government, Homer Electric Association, Local Economies
In a deliberative democracy, ideas that may start off rough have a chance to be polished and cleaned on the way to becoming policy. In legislative hearings, bills are scrutinized from many angles by many stakeholders. Although the process can be frustrating to watch,...
