"CIRI has been working hard to develop the Fire Island Wind Project, a local energy solution that is primed for construction and could contribute non-fuel electricity before the winter of 2012, thanks in part to an unprecedented level of cooperation and effort from the Federal Aviation Administration. Fire Island would produce up to 52.8 megawatts of electric energy, mostly in the winter when it is urgently needed, from a local, abundant and free source of energy. Fire Island's energy would offset up to 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year. That would significantly improve our local energy situation by helping address the winter deliverability issue and by pushing out the annual crossover problem by several years.

Fire Island offers a local and private investment solution at a cost of power that will compete with or beat the utilities' cost of power produced from local natural gas -- and far below the energy costs for electricity made from imported LNG -- at the project's date of commercial operation. And let's be clear -- despite historic talk of other alternative renewable or non-traditional energy sources for Southcentral Alaska, Fire Island is the only project ready to help immediately.

Southcentral Alaska has the opportunity today to choose between local energy at a competitive and flat price for 25 years, or imported LNG from foreign and potentially hostile regimes with no control over price.

I urge Southcentral Alaskans to support Fire Island wind and other local solutions to the Railbelt's looming energy crisis. And in the meantime, when the mayor asks you to turn down the heat and turn off the lights, you should probably listen."

Get the Story:
Margie Brown: Support CIRI's Fire Island Wind Project (The Anchorage Daily News 10/16)