The AKPIRG Advocate, March 2025
“A Wake-Up Call for Lawmakers”
AKPIRG cohosts press conference on federal funding's impact on Alaska energy projects
Over $1 billion in federal funding has been designated for energy and transmission projects across the state in the last few years. The uncertainty about whether these funds will be allocated as originally intended is not only concerning, but it also threatens to undermine our state's future.
This month, AKPIRG co-hosted a press conference to uplift just a few stories about how these federal funding uncertainties are impacting Alaska. Many thanks to our amazing cohosts The Alaska Center and United Today Stronger Tomorrow, to our speakers for sharing their stories, and to the members of the press who joined the call and are working to keep Alaskans informed. You can read a couple of the articles covering the stores shared at the press conference here:
Alex DeMarban, Anchorage Daily News
Affordable housing stock still dire in Cordova, statewide
Margie Bauman, The Cordova Times
Experts say chaotic federal funding freezes are disrupting rural Alaska projects
Alena Naiden, Alaska Public Media
AKPIRG staff are in DC this week with several other Alaskan leaders and United Today Stronger Tomorrow. The cohort is meeting with lawmakers and federal agencies to underscore the necessity of federal funding to support energy and economic development in our state.
Alaskans are resilient, and we are stronger together. To get involved in this work, visit akpirg.org/take-action.
Have you applied for your PFD?
Have you applied for the 2025 PFD yet? Alaskans have until Sunday, March 31, to submit their applications!
If you have yet to apply, consider choosing to donate a portion of your PFD to AKPIRG through Pick.Click.Give! Pick.Click.Give makes it easy to support AKPIRG and other Alaska organizations that you love.
By choosing to support AKPIRG through Pick.Click.Give, you are choosing to support more accountability and transparency in our government; more robust language access and Alaska Native language revitalization; more affordable and reliable broadband for all Alaskans; more just and people-centered economic policies at the local, state, and federal levels; and more affordable, renewable energy in Alaska.
Thank you for your support!
🚨 We’re Hiring!🚨
Applications for our Housing Organizer (Lingít Aaní/Juneau) open soon!
AKPIRG’s pro-housing work is expanding to Juneau! 🏘
The Housing Organizer (Lingít Aaní/Juneau) will work on the Economic Justice Team to address Juneau’s housing shortage through local civic engagement and community education.
This position will be posted next week, so stay tuned at akpirg.bamboohr.com/careers or contact claire@akpirg.org to be notified when the position is posted. Applicants must be based in Juneau.
AKPIRG Legislative Fly-In 2025
Earlier this month, AKPIRG policy experts traveled to our state capital of Juneau on Lingít Aaní to meet with legislators for our annual Legislative Fly-in! ✈️
AKPIRG staff had ❗️48❗️ meetings with legislative offices to discuss pressing issues like payday lending reform, campaign contribution limits, and energy affordability and efficiency, just to name a few.
Join Claire Estelle Lubke, Economic Justice Lead at AKPIRG, for a little tour of the Alaska State Capitol building, and stay tuned for future ways to engage with state policy-making - visit akpirg.org/take-action, or sign up to be a volunteer with us!
Donate to the Rapid Response Community Fund
🚨URGENT ACTION ALERT 🚨 - Donate to the Rapid Response Community Fund: akpirg.org/rapid-response-community-fund
With looming threats to federal funding and jobs, Alaskans are experiencing unprecedented instability in all parts of the economy. AKPIRG started a Rapid Response Community Fund for projects that provide direct relief to Alaskans who are facing this instability head-on. As communities across the country respond to ever-changing directives from the new administration, we hope this Fund can serve as a structure to meet evolving community needs in Alaska.
Our first project in need of urgent funding is the Payday Jubilee - a joint effort with the Mutual Aid Network of Anchorage and the Alaska Conference of the United Methodist Church to ❗️pay off❗️Alaskans’ payday loans and reform the policies that enable this predatory lending practice in our state.
The Payday Jubilee helps ensure that Alaskans can prioritize spending for necessities - not paying exorbitant interest on loans. We are seeking to raise $25,000 to provide direct relief for your neighbors who are stuck in the debt trap.
We will continue to add projects to the Rapid Response Community Fund - stay tuned for more ways to support community resilience across Alaska!
To learn more about the problem of payday lending in Alaska, solutions like the Payday Jubilee, and to pitch in to the Rapid Response Community Fund, visit:
VOTE in the Anchorage Municipal Election by April 1! 🗳
Hey Anchorage — it’s time to get out and vote once again! 👋🗳️
The April 1, 2025 Regular Municipal Election is a Vote at Home election. Ballot packages have been mailed out to eligible Anchorage voters, and in-person voting centers opened this week. You have until 8pm on Election Day, April 1, to submit your ballot to a secure ballot drop box, postmark your ballot at the post office, or vote in person at a voting center.
This election, we’ll be voting on various Assembly seats, School Board seats, and Service Area Board of Supervisor seats.
Keep your eyes out for your ballot in the mail, and make sure to spread the word to your friends and family to get out and vote! 👀
For more information about what’s on the ballot and where/when to vote, visit the Muni website:
AETP Newsletter: a one-stop shop for Alaska energy news 🗞
Have you subscribed to the Alaska Energy Transparency Project (AETP) newsletter on Substack?
The AETP newsletter provides a roundup of recent news about the electric sector in Alaska, including recent AETP stories, short news pieces, and links to stories in other publications. It also has information about the four Railbelt cooperatives, including dates of upcoming board meetings, board elections, and other developments.
Whether you're an expert in the Alaska energy sector or if you're just a civically engaged rate-payer at your local electric cooperative, this newsletter is teeming with relevant info to keep you up-to-date and informed about all things Alaska energy.
Subscribe today, and share with anyone you think may be interested!
Congratulations to the Molly of Denali team on their Emmy WIN! 🏆🎉
The Molly of Denali team WON an Emmy at the 3rd Annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards! 🥳
The episode, “Not a Mascot," was nominated and awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Series. The episode was written by Du Aaní Kawdinook Xh'unei (Lance Twitchell) and Head Writer Raye Lankford.
X̱ʼunei is an amazing Indigenous language advocate who also serves as an AKPIRG Language Panelist. Rochelle Adams, AKPIRG Language Access Director, is a cultural advisor for Molly of Denali, along with Dewey Kk'ołeyo Hoffman and Lorraine David, who are also both AKPIRG Language Panelists. AKPIRG is thrilled to celebrate this win for the entire Molly of Denali team, and especially for those who are a part of the AKPIRG community 💚
Molly of Denali is the first national children's program to feature an Alaska Native lead character. Because of this educational show, Native children have a lead character they can identify with and a storyline full of adventures that accurately represent Alaska Native people, cultures, and values.
