teeze

Opinion: I appreciate Murkowski’s climate and energy leadership

The real sleeper is the relief and hope this bill offers for a rapidly warming Earth.

  • By Kate Troll
  • Wednesday, December 30, 2020 10:13pm
  • Opinion

I’ve been engaged in the challenge of climate change and energy policy for more than a decade and I’ve seen lots of ups and downs, but never did I expect monumental leadership from a Republican Alaska senator. I’ve seen lots of tinkering around the edges but nothing as bold as what Sen. Lisa Murkowski, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, just delivered in the stimulus relief bill recently signed by the president.

Included in the energy package are roughly $4 billion for solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal research and development; $1.7 billion to help low-income families install renewable energy sources in their homes; and $2.6 billion for the Energy Department’s sustainable transportation programs. These are all programs Alaska is uniquely positioned to take advantage of and in the process create thousands of jobs.

Perhaps most significant for the climate is the measure to cut the production of hydrofluorocarbons by 85% over the next 15 years. HFCs is the chemical used in air conditioners and refrigerators and is thousands of times more potent than carbon-dioxide as a greenhouse gas. In fact, refrigerant management is the No. 1 solution out of a hundred solutions proposed by Project Drawdown, the most comprehensive plan to reverse global warming. Some scientists think the measure to cut production of HFC could save as much as half a degree Celsius warming.

While the focus of the stimulus bill is on economic relief for the pandemic, the real sleeper is the relief and hope this bill offers for a rapidly warming Earth. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank Sen. Murkowski for playing a pivotal role in delivering this much needed relief.

Kate Troll served on former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s Climate Mitigation Advisory Group and was the only Alaskan invited to former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Global Climate Summit in 2008. She served six years on the Board of Directors for the Renewable Energy Alaska Project and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Renewable Juneau.

More in Opinion

A silver salmon is weighed at Three Bears in Kenai, Alaska. Evelyn McCoy, customer service PIC at Three Bears, looks on. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Will coho salmon be the next to disappear in the Kenai River?

Did we not learn anything from the disappearance of the kings from the Kenai River?

Jonathan Flora is a lifelong commercial fisherman and dockworker from Homer, Alaska.
Point of View: Not fishing for favors — Alaskans need basic health care access

We ask our elected officials to oppose this bill that puts our health and livelihoods in danger.

Alex Koplin. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: Public schools do much more than just teach the three Rs

Isn’t it worth spending the money to provide a quality education for each student that enters our schools?

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter to the Editor: Law enforcement officers helped ensure smooth, secure energy conference

Their visible commitment to public safety allowed attendees to focus fully on collaboration, learning, and the important conversations shaping our path forward.

Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo
The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources.
My Turn: Stand for the community radio, not culture war optics

Alaskans are different and we pride ourselves on that. If my vehicle… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) delivers his annual speech to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Sullivan, Trump and the rule of lawlessness

In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan established his own Alaska Federal… Continue reading

UAA Provost Denise Runge photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building at the University of Alaskas Anchorage. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: UAA’s College of Health — Empowering Alaska’s future, one nurse at a time

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we understand the health of our… Continue reading

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: A noncongressman for Alaska?

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska.… Continue reading

Boats return to the Homer Harbor at the end of the fishing period for the 30th annual Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Funding sustainable fisheries

Spring is always a busy season for Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities.… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference on Monday, May 19, 2025, to discuss his decision to veto an education bill. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: On fiscal policy, Dunleavy is a governor in name only

His fiscal credibility is so close to zero that lawmakers have no reason to take him seriously.

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in support overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of House Bill 69 at the Alaska Capitol in Juneau, Alaska, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
Capitol Corner: Finishing a session that will make a lasting impact

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.