Southcentral Alaska’s largest natural gas utility said Tuesday it might not have the gas to make it through this winter. That’s after state regulators last Wednesday denied Enstar’s request that would’ve expanded natural gas storage in Kenai, as the region faces a looming natural gas shortage.

Enstar president John Sims said it’s “not looking good” for the utility’s more than 150,000 Southcentral customers heading into the cold, winter months.

“Just to be very blunt, we need additional production in order to make it through this winter,” Sims said. “We are kind of turning over every stone possible and trying to find more gas resources.”

In the order, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska wrote they were “unsure about the timing of the need for additional natural gas storage capacity, including insertion and withdrawal capacity.”

Enstar proposed developing and operating a depleted reservoir known as the Kenai Loop Pool that is currently leased and operated by AIX Energy, LLC., to store gas to use during the colder months.

The utility was seeking an “advanced determination” from RCA that it was prudent, which would allow the project to unlock financing for development, the order says. In its original filing, Enstar said that the project would help ensure there are enough supplies to meet the needs of its customers.

A search for other options

The commission denied the utility’s request in a 17-page order last Wednesday, saying the Department of Natural Resources hadn’t determined if the facility was capable of serving as a gas storage facility. Hilcorp has a competing application for the same storage facility, the order said.

The RCA didn’t respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The facility would hold 25 billion cubic feet of gas, which Sims said is appropriately sized for the current supply needs and future natural gas imports.

“The other benefit of having this storage facility right now is we can go to Furie, AIX, to all the small producers and even Hilcorp and say, ‘Hey, whatever volume of gas you produce, I can buy it.’ And I can store that into this storage facility for later use,” he said.

Longer term, utilities are looking to import natural gas, which would impose an unavoidable price increase to thousands of households and businesses. Legislators are currently in negotiations over a multibillion-dollar property tax break for the developer of the Alaska LNG project, Glenfarne. But it’s unknown if, or when, that project will be built.

According to the order, Enstar’s Kenai storage project garnered support from DNR, multiple state legislators and other regional electric utilities. However, some Anchorage-based property management companies said it was “inappropriate” for ratepayers to bear the cost of the project. The project’s $240 million price tag would’ve increased bills for customers by $10 to $12 per month, according to the filing.

Sims said Enstar is filing a petition for the reconsideration of the ruling next week.

“Just in case the commission denies that request, yes, we are looking at other storage options,” he said. “Unfortunately, based on our analysis that we did before we filed with the commission, those options appear to be more expensive.”

Sims said he’s hoping production and storage ramps up, but if it doesn’t, he said the utility may need to ask customers this winter to conserve supplies by lowering their thermostats.

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This story was originally published by Alaska Public Media and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

Key Points: 

• Judge considers ballot qualification challenge to anti-DEI ballot measure

• Plaintiffs claim measure illegally combines disjointed constitutional provisions

• Supporters claim stronger anti-discrimination, foes fear free speech violations

A Maricopa County judge is considering whether a measure that would broadly ban diversity, equity, and inclusion in government is legally eligible to appear on the November ballot. 

House Concurrent Resolution 2044, sponsored by House Speaker Steve Montenegro, R-Godyear, and referred to voters by the Republican majority this past session, follows the federal government’s efforts to eliminate state-sanctioned DEI programs.

The measure would amend the state Constitution and cement the existing ban on preferential treatment and discrimination based on race or ethnicity in public employment, education and contracting.  

But it would take a step further in banning institutions from requiring or asking for support of, providing training on, or mandating any courses that teach DEI or the belief that “colorblind” law, policy or institution contributes to racial oppression, injustice or privilege. 

It would also bar all K-12 schools and universities from using public monies to influence the composition of the faculty or student body, and generally bar any public bodies from enacting policy, providing special benefit or mandating training referencing race, ethnicity, sex or sexual orientation. 

In a lawsuit filed June 22, the progressive political action committee Will of the People and an elector sued the state, claiming HCR2044 violates the separate amendment rule, which bars ballot measures from “logrolling” unrelated provisions in the same act. 

Josh Barro, attorney for Will of the People, claims HCR2044 presents a noncontroversial provision already enacted in Arizona – the ban on practicing and spending public money on discriminatory or preferential treatment based on race or ethnicity – but “smuggles in” anti-diversity, equity and inclusion provisions. 

“You have a popular, established right paired with a distinct, controversial policy,” Barro said. 

Barro argued the remaining provisions targeting employee training on race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation contradict the initial intent of the measure. 

“If you can’t mention race, or you can’t train your employees to be mindful of diversity, or pursue equity in the workplace, you are literally promoting discrimination,” Barro said. 

He told the court the provisions stand directly at odds with each other, rendering the measure insufficiently connected as required by law. 

“On one hand, HCR 2044 aims to prohibit discrimination,” Barro said. “On the other hand, HCR 2044 uses the smuggled content to restrict programs that aim to accomplish the same goal.”

Both the attorney general and secretary of state declined to defend the law. But Kory Langhofer, attorney for the Legislature, claims the provisions in HCR2044 do not replace or continue the original language in the state Constitution as Barro claims. 

He contends that the measure closes a loophole and “builds out specific examples of types of invidious discrimination that are prohibited in state institutions in Arizona.” 

Langhofer contended all components of the measure are aimed at and connected in ending discrimination and governmental bias.

“It’s all going in the same direction,” Langhofer said. 

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Julie Mata took the matter under advisement. 

If the measure does ultimately end up on the ballot, groups are already lined up to offer support and prod opposition. 

The Goldwater Institute, a primary backer of HCR2044, celebrated the measure’s intent to shut down DEI-related offices and training and prohibit the use of diversity statements in employment and education.

Coursework at public universities would fall under fire under the new policy, too. 

In April, the Goldwater Institute released a report claiming that Arizona’s public universities were requiring DEI in a long list of classes but failing to meet academic standards set by the Arizona Board of Regents. 

Classes flagged by the organization included: “Anthropology of American Democracy,” “Surveillance and Society,” “Introduction to Military Studies,” and “Current Issues in National Politics.”

Though HCR2044 may survive litigation challenging its qualification for the ballot, legal challenges to the measure’s substance could come down the line. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona already claims HCR2044 restricts academic freedom in colleges and universities, violates the First Amendment rights of students, teachers and administrators, and targets viewpoints based on race, sex and discrimination. 

“Ideas are not illegal, and there is no ‘government-approved’ speech exception to the First Amendment,” Darrell Hill, policy director for the ACLU of Arizona, said in a statement. “The state cannot adopt a policy or rule that punishes faculty, administrators, or students for expressing their beliefs or prohibits wide scopes of ideas from being debated at universities.”

Winter Park will celebrate Colorado’s 150th anniversary of statehood and the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary with musical performances and a drone show.

Hosted by the Town of Winter Park, the celebration will take place Friday, July 17 on the rooftop parking structure adjacent to Cooper Creek Square. The venue will be transformed into an open-air gathering space featuring a performance stage, a drone show, a photo booth, food and beverage vendors and seating for attendees.

Live entertainment begins at 5 p.m. with the Jessica Jones Trio featuring Kory Montgomery and Tommy Shugart. Hazel Miller & the Collective, one of Colorado’s best-known live acts, will take the stage from 7:15 to 9 p.m.

The evening will conclude with a drone show from 9 to approximately 9:30 p.m., illuminating the sky in honor of Colorado’s sesquicentennial and America’s semiquincentennial.

Guests are encouraged to explore the Cooper Creek Square Entertainment District before and during the event. Beverages purchased from participating businesses in the district may be brought to the rooftop, where additional beverage vendors and light snacks will also be available.

The free community celebration is supported by the Colorado Tourism Office and is part of the statewide America 250–Colorado 150 commemoration, which recognizes Colorado’s 150 years of statehood and the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.