FROM THE EDITOR.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha

Alaskans have been working on energy solutions for decades. Our state has been at the forefront of developing and deploying microgrid projects designed to take advantage of our many natural resources--wind, hydro, solar, coal, biomass, oil, or natural gas--in various combinations. Alaska is a natural proving ground for energy systems and innovations that must function in extreme conditions at the end of complicated supply chains with minimal maintenance. Keeping every Alaskan warm in the winter, powering lifesaving equipment off the road, and keeping lines of communication open across the state is a big ask--and it all needs to be done affordably.

Recently energy has taken root in national and global conversations, as well. For many years the United States and other developed countries were content to reap the rewards of cheap natural resource extraction, however and wherever that was possible. Escalating tensions with China and Russia's war against Ukraine have made what seemed like a gray area very black and white: how and where energy is produced, and who is producing it, matters. Our future depends on responsible energy production and use, and responsible energy requires responsible resource development. A conventional gasoline-powered car contains between 18 and 49 pounds of copper while an electric vehicle contains approximately 183 pounds. That's just one example of one mineral that could easily be the next bottleneck in establishing an optimal energy posture.

So it's heartening to see initiatives at the federal level such as the...