00                      HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 25                                                                     
01 Urging the United States Congress to classify hydroelectric power as a renewable and                                    
02 alternative energy source.                                                                                              
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal are important sources of                                
05 energy for the electric power supply system of the United States; and                                                   
06       WHEREAS the cost of most fossil fuels, particularly oil, has increased dramatically                             
07 in recent years; and                                                                                                    
08       WHEREAS increases in the cost of fossil fuels such as oil have caused, and continue                             
09 to cause, substantial increases in the electric bills of residential, business, and governmental                        
10 rate-payers at a time when the economy of the United States is in a major recession; and                                
11       WHEREAS the United States is dependent on foreign sources for a majority of its oil                             
12 supply; and                                                                                                             
13       WHEREAS oil and other fossil fuels are finite resources that contribute to growing                              
14 worldwide concerns over carbon and other environmental effects; and                                                     
15       WHEREAS Alaskans, particularly those in rural parts of the state, are dependent on                              
16 oil-fired electric generation with retail rates as high as $1 a kilowatt-hour; and                                      

01       WHEREAS hydroelectric power is a viable source of clean, renewable, and long-                                   
02 lasting electric energy in many areas of the state, including the southeast, western,                                   
03 southwestern, and southcentral areas of the state; and                                                                  
04       WHEREAS hydroelectric energy can be developed in Alaska largely using high-                                     
05 elevation lakes and run-of-the-river systems that require little or no dam construction and                             
06 have little or no negative environmental effects; and                                                                   
07       WHEREAS it is the policy of the state to encourage development of its abundant                                  
08 hydroelectric potential and wind, geothermal, and other renewable and alternative energy                                
09 sources to reduce dependence on fossil fuels for electric power generation and to reduce the                            
10 cost of electricity to rate-payers; and                                                                                 
11       WHEREAS some federal laws and federal renewable and alternative energy                                          
12 programs do not classify hydroelectric power as a renewable or alternative energy source;                               
13       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States                                        
14 Congress to take the necessary action to classify hydroelectric power as a renewable and                                
15 alternative energy source so that the state can participate in federal programs without                                 
16 restriction to facilitate development of the state's hydroelectric resources for the benefit of its                     
17 residents.                                                                                                              
18       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-                            
19 President of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Harry Reid,                              
20 Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader of the                               
21 U.S. Senate; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; and                              
22 the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the                                      
23 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.