All four candidates gunning for Don Young’s seat in the U.S. House made their case Friday night for why voters should choose them over the 18-term incumbent at a Hispanic Affairs Council candidate forum in Anchorage. Ethan described how he’s been “field tested” through 10 years in the state House, most of them spent as Democratic minority leader. He said he has proven his mettle, and seemed most passionate when speaking about alternative energy: “If we show the rest of the country we have a better way of getting our energy we can exert leadership and have moral authority,” Berkowitz told the audience.

Ethan had a great time cleaning up during the Anchorage Creeks Cleanup on Saturday, May 10th at Westchester Lagoon. Thanks to everyone who participated in this event. And congrats to all the Salmon Run participants we watched go while working at Westchester. We can’t wait to join you during one of the many upcoming foot races this summer!

Five of the six candidates for US Congress squared off for the first time as part of the ComFish tradeshow in Kodiak. Ethan received perhaps the loudest applause of the night, when he responded to a question about processor quotas, with a simple “No processor quotas.”

My priorities include: Lower Energy Costs; Alaskan Energy for Alaskans; Local Renewable Energy Resources; Promote Energy Independence for America; and Developing Alaska’s Natural Gas.

Ethan joined his Democratic opponents Diane Benson and Jake Metcalfe at the Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association Candidates’ Forum to discuss the importance of capping greenhouse gasses and developing ecotourism in Alaska: “If we’re going to change the kind of politics that we’re engaged in, we’re going to have to lift ourselves up. And throwing rocks at an obvious target doesn’t elevate the conversation.”

Climate change is one of the most significant issues facing current and future generations of Alaskans. For us, the impacts of global warming are real and personal. We’ve seen changing temperatures and chemistry in the ocean alter our fisheries. In the face of melting permafrost we’ve cut back tundra travel essential to oil and gas exploration and development. We’ve responded as storms pound coastal communities that were once protected with sea ice, and we’ve suffered unprecedented forest fires aggravated by lightning strikes and massive beetle kills.