Energy

Upon taking office, Mayor Sullivan immediately began contingency planning in case an energy shortfall causes a disruption in the delivery of natural gas.    Working with the local utilities, gas producers, major consumers, and other government leaders, a comprehensive strategy has been developed that has significantly increases the level of preparedness in Southcentral Alaska.

Additionally, the Mayor formed an Energy Task Force that has held high level meetings with all the players in the Cook Inlet basin, from producers to consumers, to gather information on how to maximize  gas production and improve the reliability of the delivery system.

In 2010, the Task Force recommended that the legislature craft legislation to incentivize new exploration in Cook Inlet and to create a storage facility that could be accessible in the winter when temperatures make gas deliverability more difficult.  Both of those bills became law and at the end of 2012 the gas storage facility will come on line.  The incentive bill has created a new wave of exploration in Cook Inlet by new companies to Alaska such as Buccaneer, Furie, Hilcorp, Apache, Linc Energy, Cook Inlet Energy, and more.

Early indications are that there will be substantial new production in Cook Inlet that will supply the necessary gas to heat our home and provide fuel for electrical generation for years to come.

Mayor Sullivan also supports diversifying our energy supply from sources such as the proposed Watana Dam in the Susitna Valley, coal seam gasification in the Beluga area, developing our tidal resources, etc.