Brad Authier News Today

The election of challengers Susanne Fleek-Green and Jim Nordlund marks a significant shift in the seven-member board of the utility.

Friday’s election of Susanne Fleek-Green and Jim Nordlund, who ran on “clean energy,” marked a significant shift. But the results weren’t a wholesale rejection of Chugach Electric’s incumbent board.

The incumbents’ track record clearly supports renewables, but they are not willing to rush headlong down that path, which could jeopardize the reliability of electric energy.

Chugach is a $2 billion enterprise. Its board needs directors who are technically and financially savvy to manage this complex set of issues.

It’s the first Chugach Electric Association election since the announcement that Southcentral Alaska is facing a supply crunch for natural gas — the primary fuel used to generate power by the region’s utilities. That news has prompted nine candidates to jump into the race for three board seats.