HEA Candidate Questions: Dan Green

Voting in Homer Electric Association’s election began on March 31. Electronic and mail ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on May 3; members can also vote in person at the HEA Annual Meeting on May 4 at 6 p.m. at Soldotna High School. More information and access to electronic ballots can be found on the HEA Election page.

Here are the answers from Dan Green, one of two candidates running in District Two, which encompasses parts of Soldotna, Sterling, and parts of Kasilof. Green, a longtime resident of the area, is President of G & S Construction. He has served three terms on the Soldotna City Council and sat on the Board of Directors of the Kenai Peninsula Hockey Association. His full candidate profile can be found here.

Dan Green, from his HEA candidate profile

1. Why do you want to be an HEA board member?

I am a Long term member of HEA, and have observed both the good and bad of this Co-op. I’m also a business man with 47 years of experience as the President of G & S Construction building numerous major projects on the peninsula. I believe my years of experience in construction, project development and working with HEA will be of benefit to the board and members. 

2. Are there any particular policies you would champion as a member of the Board? Are there any current or proposed policies you would oppose?

 I would encourage and support conservative common since evaluation of alternative energy sources.  They must make since and provide reliable long term energy solutions at a reasonable rate to the consumer. 

3. What are the biggest challenges HEA will face in the next five to ten years? What can be done to prepare to meet them?

 Clearly the lack of long term natural gas contracts is the single biggest challenge facing HEA.  I would encourage all members, leader ship and our co-op to actively pursue government state and federal policy makers to provide reasonable opportunities for exploration and development of Cook Inlet gas.   We also know the gas pipe line has been on and off for several years, although I’m hopeful with the current worldwide demand for gas could make this pipeline a reality.  

4. In 2022 HEA’s Board spent 38% of their regular public board meetings in Executive Session. While Executive Sessions are sometimes necessary, their extensive use excludes member-owners from significant discussions of issues such as strategic planning and sources of power generation. Do you believe that cooperative boards have an obligation to their member-owners to maximize the openness and transparency of their decision making? Should HEA’s Board minimize its use of Executive Session? What could be done to achieve this goal?

 As a former member of the Soldotna Council I understand the importance of transparency.  In most cases I would not support Executive sessions.  That being said there are times when executive sessions are necessary for various private, financial and legal reasons.  In general I would support as much transparency as possible.

5. Hilcorp has said that it cannot guarantee natural gas supplies from Cook Inlet beyond its current contracts (HEA’s contract with Hilcorp ends in 2024). What strategies should HEA use to address potential future shortfalls in Cook Inlet natural gas?

 The board and members need to actively lobby all federal policy makers to encourage future natural gas development in the Cook Inlet region.  Without additional gas reserves HEA and its members will face very difficult times generating adequate energy.   Solar and wind are not the magic solutions but will provide some benefit.  When evaluating alternative long term energy solutions it appears Geothermal may have the most promise.  I would support an aggressive implementation of this energy source if it proves to be a long term reasonable solution.

6. In recent years many have argued that there needs to be greater collaboration among the Railbelt utilities, leading to the creation of the Railbelt Reliability Council (RRC) in 2022. Do you believe that utility Board Directors have a role in fostering greater collaboration and integration among Railbelt utilities, or should they defer to staff on these questions? What can board members do to facilitate greater cooperation?

 I would support and encourage HEA leader ship to actively pursue greater collaboration between all affected utilities.  The Railbelt must be aligned to affectively encourage further exploration and development of natural gas supplies and other viable energy production solutions.

7. The Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) proposal introduced last year by Governor Dunleavy was recently reintroduced in the Alaska Legislature (HB 121 and SB 101). This bill would require utilities to reach 80% renewable power generation by 2040 with intermediate targets along the way. Last year the Railbelt utilities supported amendments that pushed back the milestones and changed the RPS into Clean Energy Standards (CES) that included nuclear power and gas generation technologies (waste heat recovery) that the utilities already have in place. Do you support either the RPS or CES? If so, which do you believe would better serve Alaskans? What role should the Board have in advocacy for either?

 I believe HEA adopted a 50% renewable goal by 2025 and has since realized this goal is unachievable.   When evaluating alternative long term energy solutions it appears Geothermal may have the most promise.  I would support an aggressive implementation of this energy source if it proves to a long term reasonable solution.

8. How do you think HEA can best take advantage of the many federal infrastructure incentives and grants created under programs such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)?

 I do not have a complete understanding of the incentives and grants available to HEA therefore I’m not prepared to comment on this issue.   As individual consumers there are programs available to help with solar installations and I would encourage member participation if they believe it’s appropriate for their specific situation.