Downtown Anchorage, seen from Midtown on Monday, June 24, 2024. (Loren Holmes / ADN)
Two years ago this week, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed, marking a generational investment in energy and climate infrastructure. This funding is now beginning to flow into Alaska, benefitting our homes and communities in myriad ways. With numerous new tax credit programs, financing tools, and grant funding opportunities, the IRA has created so many funding opportunities that people are beginning to take advantage of all across our great state.
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Alaskans are starting to benefit from the IRA through a wide variety of programs, including rebates on new efficient appliances such as stoves, dryers, heat pumps and water heaters; tax credits for home energy efficiency improvements; and expanded tax benefits for installing renewable energy and battery energy storage on homes. These new programs help keep money in Alaskans’ pockets, encourage job creation and investment in our homes and businesses, and help reduce energy costs. These direct energy and financial improvements for individuals will be even more important to help mitigate the negative impacts of escalating energy costs on the Railbelt due to the natural gas crisis in Cook Inlet.
Beyond the individual tax credits, the IRA has also established “Direct Pay,” a system for non-taxpaying organizations such as nonprofits, Tribes, local governments and utility cooperatives to benefit from these clean energy tax incentives for the first time ever. By enabling creative financing options like this, we are starting to see movement toward clean energy across sectors.
New financing and grant opportunities have also been secured for Alaskans, with many millions more to come. The Alaska Energy Authority and Tanana Chiefs Conference and their partners Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium together received more than $120 million from the IRA’s “Solar for All Program,” which will support rooftop solar, community solar programs and utility-scale solar for communities all around Alaska primarily benefiting low income residents and Tribes over the next five years. Golden Valley Electric Association received $100M from the IRA’s “Powering Affordable Clean Energy” to develop grid infrastructure that will improve reliability and enable development of large scale solar in Nenana. Southeast Conference received nearly $40 million from the IRA’s “Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program” to install thousands of residential heat pumps all over southeast Alaska to reduce energy use and heating costs for residents. These infrastructure projects will reduce energy costs, create thousands of good-paying jobs, and help to improve the resilience of our electrical systems across Alaska. That’s to say nothing of IRA investments in fisheries research and protection, forest fire mitigation programs, transportation infrastructure and much more.
Alaskans are excited to see the investments of the IRA propel Alaska’s transition towards more sustainable, local and clean energy. We look forward to communities and families around the state fully leveraging the IRA. We are thankful to the federal and state agencies working to implement these programs correctly, and to the elected officials, like Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Mary Peltola, who continue to support these smart investments that build the framework for growing our state’s clean energy economy, fighting the impacts of a changing climate, and building a brighter, more resilient future for us all.
Gavin Dixon and Griffin Plush volunteer together as board members of The Alaska Center; they are both lifelong Alaskans who work professionally with energy projects across the state.
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The views expressed here are the writer’s and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)adn.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Read our full guidelines for letters and commentaries here.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) – As winter weather comes to Alaska, road conditions have become hazardous in some locations, and the Alaska State Troopers (AST) have advice on staying safe while driving in icy or snowy conditions, as well as traveling in cold weather.
According to AST Sgt. Brian Haley, troopers spend a good deal of time dealing with vehicle collisions during the winter, mostly fender benders at intersections. But, he said, “It could be the single vehicle that goes into the ditch on the Richardson Highway. It could be the multi-car collision that takes place on the Mitchell Expressway at University.”
Winter hazards affect “the way that people are driving and it affects the way that our vehicles are going to react on the road. So, the first thing is, is we all need to be mindful that our vehicles are going to act a little bit differently out there,” he said.
The trooper advises drivers to increase their stopping distance as they approach stop signs, traffic signals and other vehicles.
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“Really give yourself that extra space, and slow down way before you even think that you’re going to need it,” Haley said, emphasizing that vehicles take longer to stop in winter conditions.
When negotiating a curve, either on highways or in neighborhoods, he said drivers will also want to slow down and “anticipate ‘What am I going to do if and when my car starts to slide?’” so as to be safe around other vehicles and pedestrians.
Increased darkness represents another hazard during the winter months, and Haley recommends that drivers keep their headlights on at all times, and that pedestrians wear visible colors when walking outside.
“Make sure that when you’re taking your kids to school in the morning that you’re carrying flashlights and have reflective items on you to make yourself more visible to that general motoring public,” he explained, adding that wildlife also present a danger in the dark.
“As we get more and more snowpack, those animals, specifically moose, they’re going to start meandering onto the roads because it’s easier for them to walk. And that big dark creature with a big black background at night, those aren’t a good combination,” he said.
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Haley urged those driving, regardless of the distance they are traveling, to pack winter gear and ways to keep warm in case their car breaks down.
“That inside of that cab is going to get extremely cold, extremely fast. If you’re just there and your T-shirt and your gym shorts, it’s going to be really bad for you, and it could actually be life-threatening,” he added.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Colt Wells, of Service High, swims the backstroke during the 200-yard medley relay at the Alaska State Swimming and Diving finals at Bartlett High School in Anchorage on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (Bob Hallinen Photo)
High school
Swimming
At Bartlett High School pool
Team scores
Girls
1. Eagle River High School, 131. 2 Juneau-Douglas High School, 116. 3. Dimond High, 47.
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Boys
1. West Valley High School, 69. 2. Colony High School, 63. 3. Ketchikan High School, 62.
Individual
Girls 200-yard medley relay
1. Juneau-Douglas High School (Valerie Peimann, Kennedy Miller, Amy Liddle, Lily Francis), 1:46.03; * NEW STATE RECORD (previous record 1:46.75, Juneau-Douglas, 2014) 2. Eagle River High School, 1:46.40; 3. West Valley High School, 1:51.44.
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Boys 200-yard medley relay
1. West Valley High School (Quenton Rodgers, Cedar Robichaud, Zen Schaetzle, Haoran Zhang), 1:35.44; 2. Juneau-Douglas High School, 1:38.68; 3. Dimond High School, 1:39.15.
Girls 200-yard freestyle
1. Trembath, Lelaina, Eagle River, 1:54.68; 2. Trembath, Sophia, Eagle River, 1:56.06; 3. Price, Abigail, Kenai, 1:56.36.
Boys 200-yard freestyle
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1. Fazio, Blake, Chugiak, 1:39.44 * NEW STATE RECORD (previous record 1:39.78, Talon Lindquist, Kodiak, 2016); 2. Hubert, Cody, Kodiak, 1:42.20; 3. Tow, Logan, Petersburg, 1:43.48.
Girls 200-yard IM
1. Woodward, Reese, Eagle River, 2:06.02; 2. Liddle, Amy, Juneau-Douglas, 2:06.43; 3. Heaphy, Anna, Eagle River, 2:12.39.
Jerzey Lane, of Colony High, and the rest of the field compete in the girls 50-yard freestyle during the Alaska State Swimming and Diving finals at Bartlett High School in Anchorage on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (Bob Hallinen Photo)
1. Eagle River High School (Reese Woodward, Keira Gust, Anna Heaphy, Sophia Trembath), 1:37.51; 2. South Anchorage High School, 1:40.85; 3. Dimond High School, 1:41.24.
Boys 200-yard freestyle relay
1. Dimond High School (Clint Kopp, Creed Cvancara, Andy Zhang, Dax O’Brien), 1:27.08; 2. West Valley High School, 1:27.70; 3. Colony High School, 1:27.88.
1. Dash, Evan, Ketchikan, 59.30; 2. Fencil, Griffin, South Anchorage, 1:00.44; 3. Robichaud, Cedar, West Valley, 1:00.99.
Girls 400-yard freestyle relay
1. Juneau-Douglas High School (Amy Liddle, Lily Francis, Kaelyn Szefler, Valerie Peimann), 3:35.63; 2. Eagle River High School, 3:41.58; 3. Robert Service High School, 3:46.85.
Boys 400-yard freestyle relay
1. Sitka High School (Tommy McCarthy, James Nellis, Zach Martens, Corin Colliver), 3:12.86; 2. Ketchikan High School, 3:14.48; 3. Colony High School, 3:15.31.
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• • •
Hockey
Tuesday
North Pole 10, Tri-Valley 1
West 7, Eagle River 1
Wednesday
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Chugiak 7, Bartlett 3
South 11, Service 4
Thursday
Houston 3, Eagle River 2
Wasilla 7, Delta 2
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Colony 6, Kenai Central 3
North Pole 6, Palmer 0
West Valley 3, Soldotna 1
Palmer 6, Lathrop 2
Friday
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Delta 4, Kenai Central 4
Soldotna 5, Houston 3
North Pole 2, Wasilla 1
West Valley 1, Palmer 0
Chugiak 3, Dimond 1
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Saturday
Kodiak 5, Delta 1
North Pole 7, Colony 0
West Valley 5, Houston 2
• • •
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Volleyball
Tuesday
Service 3, East 1 (26-24, 19-25, 25-22, 25-10)
Chugiak 3, Eagle River 0 (25-17, 25-22, 27-25)
South 3, West 0 (25-13, 25-3, 25-5)
Dimond 3, Bartlett 0 (25-6, 25-14, 25-17)
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Susitna Valley 3, Lumen Christi 0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-10)
Nine seismic stations in Alaska are set to go dark this month, leaving tsunami forecasters without important data used to determine whether an earthquake will send a destructive wave barreling toward the West Coast.
The stations relied on a federal grant that lapsed last year; this fall, the Trump administration declined to renew it. Data from the stations helps researchers determine the magnitude and shape of earthquakes along the Alaskan Subduction Zone, a fault that can produce some of the most powerful quakes in the world and put California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii at risk.
Losing the stations could lead Alaska’s coastal communities to receive delayed notice of an impending tsunami, according to Michael West, the director of the Alaska Earthquake Center. And communities farther away, like in Washington state, could get a less precise forecast.
“In sheer statistics, the last domestic tsunami came from Alaska, and the next one likely will,” he said.
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It’s the latest blow to the U.S.’ tsunami warning system, which was already struggling with disinvestment and understaffing. Researchers said they are concerned that the network is beginning to crumble.
“All the things in the tsunami warning system are going backwards,” West said. “There’s a compound problem.”
The U.S. has two tsunami warning centers — one in Palmer, Alaska, and the other in Honolulu — that operate around-the-clock making predictions that help emergency managers determine whether coastal evacuations are necessary after an earthquake. The data from Alaska’s seismic stations has historically fed into the centers.
Both centers are already short-staffed. Of the 20 full-time positions at the center in Alaska, only 11 are currently filled, according to Tom Fahy, the union legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization. In Hawaii, four of the 16 roles are open. (Both locations are in the process of hiring scientists, Fahy said.)
Additionally, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has decreased funding for the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, which pays for the majority of states’ tsunami risk reduction work. The agency provided $4 million in 2025 — far less than the $6 million it has historically offered.
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“It’s on life support,” West said of the program.
A tsunami evacuation route sign in Bolinas, Calif.Stephen Lam / San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images file
On top of that, NOAA laid off the National Weather Service’s tsunami program manager, Corina Allen, as part of the Trump administration’s firing of probationary workers in February, according to Harold Tobin, the Washington state seismologist. Allen, who had recently started at the agency, declined to comment via a spokesperson for her new employer, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
These recent cuts have played out amid the Trump administration’s broader efforts to slash federal spending on science and climate research, among other areas. NOAA fired hundreds of workers in February, curtailed weather balloon launches and halted research on the costs of climate and weather disasters, among other cuts.
Most of the seismic stations being shut down in Alaska are in remote areas of the Aleutian Islands, West said. The chain extends west from the Alaskan Peninsula toward Russia, tracing an underwater subduction zone. KHNS, a public radio station in Alaska, first reported the news that the stations would be taken offline.
A NOAA grant for about $300,000 each year had supported the stations. The Alaska Earthquake Center requested new grant funding through 2028, but it was denied, according to an email between West and NOAA staffers that was viewed by NBC News.
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Kim Doster, a NOAA spokeswoman, said the federal agency stopped providing the money in 2024 under the Biden administration. In the spring, the University of Alaska Fairbanks ponied up funds to keep the program going for another year, believing that the federal government would ultimately cover the cost, said Uma Bhatt, a University of Alaska Fairbanks professor and associate director of the research institute that administered the grant. But new funds never materialized.
“The loss of these observations does not prevent the Tsunami Warning Center from being able to carry out its mission,” Doster said. “The AEC [Alaska Earthquake Center] is one of many partners supporting the National Weather Service’s tsunami operations, and NWS continues to use many mechanisms to ensure the collection of seismic data across the state of Alaska.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
West said the Alaska Earthquake Center provides the majority of data used for tsunami warnings in the state. The grant that supported the nine seismic stations also funded a data feed with information from the center’s other sensors, according to West. The national tsunami warning centers will no longer have direct access to the feed.
West said the stations on the Aleutian Islands cover a huge geographic range.
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“There’s nothing else around,” he said. “It’s not like there’s another instrument 20 miles down the road. There’s no road.”
The plan is to abandon the stations later this month and leave their equipment in place, West added.
Tobin, in Washington state, said he worries that the closures “could delay or degrade the quality of tsunami warnings.”
“This is a region that’s sparsely monitored. We kind of need to have a stethoscope on this region,” he said, adding: “These programs are in the background until a big, terrible event happens.”
The Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone is one of the most active faults in the world and has produced significant tsunamis in the past. In 1964, a tsunami produced by a magnitude-9.2 earthquake killed 124 people, including 13 in California and five in Oregon, according to NOAA. Most of the California deaths were in Crescent City, where a 21-foot wave destroyed 29 city blocks, according to the city’s website.
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Tsunami experts said the stations in the Aleutian Islands are critical in quickly understanding nearby earthquakes. The closer a quake is to a sensor, the less uncertainty about a subsequent tsunami.
NOAA’s tsunami warning centers aim to put out an initial forecast within five minutes, West said, which is critical for local communities. (A strong earthquake in the Aleutian Islands could send an initial wave into nearby Alaskan communities within minutes.) The only data available quickly enough to inform those initial forecasts comes from seismic signals (rather than tide gauges or pressure sensors attached to buoys).
The warning centers then put out a more specific forecast of wave heights after about 40 minutes. Daniel Eungard, the tsunami program lead for the Washington Geological Survey, said that not having the Alaska sensors would create more uncertainty about the heights of waves expected, complicating decisions about whether to evacuate along the Washington coastline.
“We try not to over-evacuate,” he said, adding that it costs time, money and trust if warnings prove unnecessary.
Over the last year, the national tsunami warning centers have had their hands full. A magnitude-7.0 earthquake near Cape Mendocino, California, triggered tsunami alerts along the state’s coast in December. In July, a magnitude-8.8 quake off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula prompted a widespread alert along the U.S. West Coast. The peninsula is just west of the Aleutian Islands.
NOAA helped build many of the seismic stations that have been part of the Alaska Earthquake Center’s network. But West said the agency has decreased its support over the past two decades; nine NOAA-built stations were decommissioned in 2013.
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“It’s now or never to decide whether or not NOAA is part of this,” he said. “What I really want to do is spark a discussion about tsunami efforts in the U.S. and have that not be triggered by the next devastating tsunami.”
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