Letter: Planning is needed now for natural gas supply shortfalls this winter

The recent Anchorage Daily News article on local mayors’ recognition of potential natural gas supply shortfalls — perhaps even this winter — gave the undersigned writers very little encouragement (“Mayors warn of increased utility costs as Southcentral Alaska natural gas shortage becomes more ‘urgent’” July 29). The opening paragraph perfectly captures the singular and misplaced focus on Alaska LNG. Even if that costly project is built in the most expeditious time frame possible, it will do nothing to address the impending gas shortfalls. Those shortfalls will occur before Alaska LNG delivers a single molecule of gas from the North Slope.

Cook Inlet natural gas supply shortages are not “news.” The authors — and others — have worked for years to get the media and local and state leadership to understand and address this looming crisis. We hoped those leaders and Southcentral energy suppliers would coordinate and develop plans to manage and minimize the impact of such shortages on local residents.

Leaders and suppliers need to actively work together, plan for natural gas shortages and effectively communicate the problem and their plans to Alaskans. The mitigation and communication plans will be needed this coming winter and for an unknown number of years until an additional supply of natural gas is developed.

— John Barnes, Marc Bond, Kurt Gibson, Rich Novcaski, Kevin Tabler and Bo York, Anchorage

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