power plant on campus, they exam- ined every conceivable alternative: natural gas, oil, even nuclear power. The university’s analysis concluded that coal would meet their heating and power needs at a small fraction of the cost of other fuel sources. As a result, UAF is now operating the newest coal power plant in the U.S. It’s also one of the most environ- mentally advanced coal plants yet built, achieving enormous reductions in emissions. Of greatest offense is Reaves’ false assertion that coal is respon- sible for Fairbanks failing to meet air quality standards, and that this “threatens military bases in the area.” Numerous air quality mon- itoring studies have disproved that claim. The coal power plants in Fairbanks do not have a significant impact on the particulate matter levels that undermine air quality. Coal has provided energy security to Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright Army post for decades. Switching to alternative fuels would burden the military with massive cost increases — the same price hikes that UAF foresaw and success- fully avoided by sticking with coal. Military spending supports about one-third of the Fairbanks econo- my. Any large increases in energy costs could potentially risk the sus- tainability of the military’s current presence in Interior Alaska and threaten the Fairbanks economy. There is widespread agreement among environmental regulators that the best way to improve air quality in Fairbanks is for home- owners relying on wood for heating to burn dry firewood instead of wet firewood. The Usibelli family re - cently made a major investment, through Aurora Energy Solutions, to secure the first wood-drying kiln in the Fairbanks area. This will greatly reduce the emissions from firewood burning. This is an example of how technological innovation can help us utilize an affordable, tradition - al fuel source in a way that greatly reduces emissions, while avoiding the massive expense of switching to alternative energies that are not economically viable. With every coal plant that closes because of government interven- tion, the risk to human health and welfare increases as the capacity of utilities to provide affordable energy is crippled. Those who are most hurt
by rising energy costs are low-in- come families that can least afford it. What we need is investment in technological innovation to help reduce emissions from fossil fuels. Advanced coal generation technol- ogies have a significant role to play in meeting our national security, economic, energy and environmen- tal objectives. These technologies include carbon capture, utilization and storage, high efficiency-low emissions technologies, and trans- formational technologies with po-
tential to achieve near-zero carbon emissions. It is not necessary to radically abandon our existing energy sector in order to meet an unrealistic, un- sustainable, fantastical goal of zero emissions by 2035. Joe Usibelli Jr. is the current president and CEO of Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. in Healy. Joe Jr. is a member of the third generation of the Usibelli family to run the mine, which is still family-owned and operated.
PROTECTING OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE
Usibelli Coal Mine produces more than one million tons of coal every year, helping energize Interior Alaska. Yet our most precious resource isn’t coal—it’s the people who mine it. We’ve worked hard to keep our employees safe, and the results are gratifying.
Employees surpassed their all- time safety record in April 2019 and by the end of the year, worked more than 1,000 days without a lost time accident. Our employees are committed to excellence in mining, and in practicing everyday safety—at work, at home and at play.
WWW.USIBELLI.COM
15
April 2021
The Alaska Miner
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