FAIRBANKS — In his first week on the job, Gov. Bill Walker has had staff working on a disaster declaration for the high cost of energy in Interior Alaska, action Walker said he would take on his first day in office while campaigning in Fairbanks.
The details of what the disaster declaration might entail are still sketchy, Walker’s spokeswoman Grace Jang said Friday. It is unclear what direct relief for consumers, if any, the declaration might call for, Jang said. Walker could submit it as an administrative order or an executive order, which would be subject to the Legislature’s approval, she said.
After getting sworn in Monday, Walker said Friday the process for declaring a disaster for Interior Alaska energy is taking longer than he had expected, Jang said.
“He’s keeping his promise by putting folks to work on that on the first day,” she said. “It’ll happen in stages. We know that people are very anxious for relief, and that’s why we want to make sure there’s a solution attached to the declaration and not just a simple declaration.”
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