Look Out, Alaska!

Jane Van Ryan
Posted August 31, 2009

The 49th state in the Union is marked by its uniqueness. Alaska is the largest of all 50 states. It is the only state where the sun doesn't set in summer and doesn't rise far above the horizon in the winter. It contains some of America's largest oil and natural gas deposits, many of which remain untapped. And its residents could be more affected by the Waxman-Markey climate bill than many other U.S. citizens.

As I've mentioned numerous times in this blog, the Waxman-Markey bill could sharply raise energy costs and kill jobs, according to studies. In Alaska, it also could have a severe impact on the purchasing power of each household, lowering it by as much as $3,890 a year by 2030.

To put that into perspective, that's about $325 a month out of the pockets of hard-working Americans who are trying to make a living, raise their families and stay warm in the harsh Alaska winter.

CRA International, the firm that examined the impact of the bill on individual states, also found that 13,000 Alaska jobs would be wiped out by 2030 across key sectors of the economy--including energy-intensive businesses, services and manufacturing. The bill also would reduce the state's Gross Domestic Product by 2.6 percent and lower state tax revenues used to pay teachers, firefighters and police officers.

Surely there's a better way to address climate change rather than bankrupting Alaskans and making virtually everyone else in America poorer.

Watch the video below to see Alaska Energy Citizens share their perspectives on the climate change bill currently being considered by Congress.

The House bill got it wrong. Contact your Senators and tell them to get it right.