HEA Candidate Questions—Matthew Bullard

Voting opened March 28 in HEA’s board election and runs through the Annual Meeting on May 1. Members can vote in 3 ways:

• Electronically via the HEA election portal until 5 p.m. on April 30.

• By mail—beginning this year, members wishing to vote by mail need to request a ballot. Mail in ballots must be received by the election administrator in Minnesota by 5 p.m. on April 30 to be counted.

• In person at the HEA Annual Meeting at Kenai Central High School. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.; voting will be open from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

More information, including access to the online portal and the form to request paper ballots, can be found on the HEA election page.

Here are the questionnaire responses for Matthew Bullard, a candidate in HEA’s District 3 (which includes Homer, Seldovia, and parts of Kasilof). Bullard previously served for 8 years in the United States Navy and now owns and operates Homer Dental Center with his wife. He currently sits on the Board of the South Peninsula Hospital. He can be reached at MHBullard88@gmail.com; his HEA candidate page can be found here.

Matthew Bullard, from his HEA candidate profile

1. Why do you want to serve on the HEA Board?

For the past decade I have watched as country after country, state after state, raced to adopt intermittent power generation onto stable and complex electrical grids. From Texas to California, Germany to Australia, billions of dollars have been spent and thousands of words typed cheering the “revolution". But what do those places have to show for it? Limitless energy at dirt cheap prices? Unfortunately for them, the platitudes ran into Physics. The outcomes have been almost unanimous: unpredictable prices, unstable grids, and less industrial heat sources. It has almost unanimously driven out investment, shut down business, and made life harder and more expensive for everyone. I am running because I see these policies coming to Alaska and this is our opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others and head in a different direction. I know that the Peninsula can grow and attract industry and investment, we just have to make the right decisions to get it there. And with Natural Gas, Nuclear, Hydro and Geothermal as our base power, HEA will power the Peninsula at low prices for generations to come. 

2. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing HEA over the next 5-10 years? What can be done to prepare to meet them? 

The largest challenge I see facing HEA is a lack of direction and conviction. The peninsula has the assets and the expertise, but no clear way forward them to benefit the voters. What is needed is a clear, concise, and public way showing that competent and professional leaders have agreed on the best way forward. In my opinion, that plan must consist of the following- Immediate support for exploration to our Cook Inlet gas companies, possibly even finance options, to take off the pressure of the next 10 years. Intermediately, we need an export terminal for North Slope gas to drive investment and revenue. Long term, we need to see a plan to add Nuclear and/or Geothermal.

3. The Railbelt utilities are facing many common issues, such as shortfalls of Cook Inlet natural gas and the need for transmission upgrades. There is some collaboration among utilities to address these issues, although this has sometimes required legislative intervention (such as the formation of the Railbelt Regional Transmission Organization).

What role do cooperative boards have in working toward greater collaboration among the Railbelt utilities? Should this be done solely through directives to staff, or is there a place for direct collaboration between boards and/or board members?

Railbelt utilities have the opportunity to leverage their numbers to drive outcomes on top concerns. This should allow us to provide input from infrastructure dollars to the direction of exploration and technologies used on the grids. There is no excuse in the 21st century for a lack of communication. Introducing the yearly long term joint planning/strategy meetings or committees would help mitigate these issues. 

4. Legislators give considerable weight to input provided by utilities on legislation that affects them. What role should board members play in developing their cooperative’s stance on bills before the Legislature? How should the Board interact with staff on these issues?

The Board must, at all cost, prioritize those whom they serve and their individual service area’s strengths and weaknesses. They must then work with the CEO and other elected officials on policies that bring down cost and provide better, more reliable service. It is the boards duty to help inform legislators on the issues and implications of specific policies. 

As for board/Staff interaction on legislative issues, I think that if the board is communicating effectively, there should be little to discuss. That being said, Board members are accountable to all voters and should answer any questions that their constituents have. 

5. Imported LNG is expected to cost about 40-50% more than the current price of Cook Inlet natural gas. A recent ADN story indicated that the Cook Inlet gas from Furie’s new wells will be almost as expensive (this is the anticipated source of the natural gas for HEA’s contract extension with ENSTAR). The contract extension with ENSTAR is also interruptible (meaning the delivery of the contracted gas is not guaranteed). Given these facts:

a/Would you support HEA signing a power purchase agreement with a renewable independent power producer whose cost of power would be higher than the cost of HEA’s current gas-fired generation, but less expensive than power generated with more expensive natural gas in the future?

No.

b/The developer of the Puppy Dog Lake solar project withdrew from their power purchase agreement with HEA in late January, citing financial reasons. Should HEA work proactively with this (or another) independent power producer to revive the project? Should it consider investing directly in this or a similar project?

No. Given our latitude, our photovoltaic electric potential for the area, the supply/demand mismatch of the power generation, the lifespan and replacement cost, and solars added complexity and cost to every grid that it is added to, we should stay away from solar.  

6. Although HEA is a member-owned cooperative, levels of member engagement and involvement are low—only 16.5% of members voted in the last election and very few members attend board meetings. Do you believe that the Board should try to increase member engagement? If so, what can the Board do to encourage greater member engagement and involvement in helping to guide the cooperative’s policies?

 I think that it is imperative for people to understand where their power is coming from and the economic decisions that drive the outcomes that they see on their bills. More informed engagement is instrumental to a successful HEA.

As for what can be done, HEA needs to enter the Social Media age. HEA needs to establish a greater online presence on social media platforms with the goal of quickly and efficiently informing people on the issues at hand. Additional links to more data will allow people to easily educate themselves to a greater extent, ultimately driving new engagement via sharable data and videos and a greater general community awareness. 

7. The extensive use of executive session by utility boards contributes to member disengagement. In 2024, HEA’s Board spent 27% of its board meetings in executive session. Recognizing that the use of executive session is necessary at times, 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? If so, what steps could be taken to achieve this goal? 

I can think of very few reasons for the board to use executive session and think that as elected members of the public, who are accountable to the people, the majority of every session should be spent in open session. If elected I will do everything to ensure that the decisions and discussions that are had are accessible to the voters. 

8. Beyond the issues discussed above, are there any other policies or issues facing the MEA Board you would like to address?

For long term success, HEA needs to start engaging with Nuclear and Geothermal power production companies now. With the US Federal Government joining the Triple Nuclear Pledge, vast private investment into both fields, and growing global support for both these technologies, the Peninsula has the opportunity to lead not only the State, but the country, in successfully implementing stable, long term, cheap, and emissions-friendly residential and industrial solutions.