Gov. Mike Dunleavy was joined by the federal government's top environmental official for a tour of a coal-fired power plant in Fairbanks on Feb. 4 to talk about the future of energy and environmental regulation in the Interior.
Dunleavy said it was just one stop on their tour of Interior energy infrastructure.
"The administrator is up here looking at things like coal plants on the base, fuel plants on the base, and coal mines," he said. "We are also looking at a whole host of other things — including the impact that some of the regulations on diesel, diesel trucks, etcetera, have in Alaska."
The visit comes as communities across the nation — including Alaska — face rising energy costs and growing pressure to balance economic development with environmental safeguards.
Dunleavy said the Trump administration's deregulation effort would revitalize the state's economy.
"I gotta tell you, it's a breath of fresh air," he said.
They also took questions from reporters — including a few about the EPA's recent push to repeal or extend deadlines for drinking water quality standards. That's mostly for a group of synthetic "forever chemicals" called PFAS, which are known to pose significant health risks to humans.
Contamination from the chemicals has been found in wells across Alaska — particularly near airports and military bases in the Interior, according to the State Department of Spill Prevention and Response. The EPA is currently moving to drop limits on four PFAS chemicals and has delayed enforcing limits for others by a couple years.
Zeldin denied walking back drinking water standards but said extending compliance deadlines was necessary.
"Some water systems are struggling to be able to pay for the work, so they're requesting more time," he said. "I can't think of any exception where I feel like the leadership of that water system is looking to deliver anything but the best product at the most affordable price."
Zeldin also said the EPA is in the process of vetting new technologies to remediate PFAS-contaminated soil. He said he's interested in a prototype that's being tested at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson that can treat contaminated soil on the spot.
"What's happened in the past is that the soil would have to get sent all the way down to the Lower 48 at a very big cost," Zeldin said. "It's now becoming more economical, so that Alaskans can instead remediate it here in Alaska."
Gov. Dunleavy said that the state isn't looking to "bring the hammer down on water systems," but promised consequences for companies that don't ultimately meet quality deadlines.
Separately, a bill in the Alaska Legislature would require yearly drinking water tests and assign increased liability to parties responsible for PFAS contamination. When asked how he felt about such initiatives, Dunleavy said that any bill that sets back Alaska's development would have a hard time getting over the line.
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