Policies with potential: inclusive governance for a just energy transition in Alaska

Abstract

Alaskan communities are facing complex challenges associated with energy security and changing environmental and climatic conditions. They require access to affordable, sustainable, and renewable energy resources to navigate their changing landscapes. With unprecedented investments and commitments from the federal and state governments to bolster energy resiliency in urban and rural communities, renewable energy development in the waters offshore Alaska could become a reality within two to three decades. Offshore wind is the most feasible option for renewable energy production for the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf, including the federal waters of Cook Inlet. This paper asks: to what extent does the applicable, legal regulatory regime potentially facilitate a just and equitable renewable energy transition for Alaska's Railbelt grid? Framed in the umbrella concept of inclusive governance, the author compares conceptual tenets of energy justice, participatory stakeholder planning, and collective action against the legal framework that directs the federal decision-making process. The analysis demonstrates deficits in the current federal legal mandates and process and recommends how the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management can expand its existing tools to account for energy justice, improve participation, and proactively design and implement collective action for planning and siting offshore wind energy projects. If energy regulators expand how they apply the legal mandates and leverage innovative policies and regulations, they can increase energy justice, improve stakeholder participation, and achieve inclusive governance for a renewable energy transition in the region serviced by Alaska's Railbelt electrical grid.