When Ethan Berkowitz talks about his policy ideas—those he’ll push if he’s successful in his run for Don Young’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives—he talks fast and excitedly, like an Energizer bunny in high gear. Which is appropriate, because energy policy is one of his overriding passions.

The race for Alaska’s lone seat in Congress made a stop Friday in Mountain View. Four out of the five candidates talked about immigration, healthcare, education and the economy at the Hispanic Affairs Council of Alaska forum. Congressman Don Young, who told the council he had a scheduling conflict, was a no show.

Something is wrong. Alaska produces a lot of oil for America, and yet we pay some of the highest prices for energy in the country. Look at your utility bill. Check out the price of gas at the pump. Remember the dollars you spent to heat your house through the winter.

Saying “It’s time for Alaska and America to take a new direction,” Ethan Berkowitz declared his candidacy for Alaska’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Berkowitz, who served ten years in the State House of Representatives, eight as Democratic Leader, pledged “to run a campaign that will be about what we’re for, not who we’re against.”

As Alaskans, we pride ourselves for being an “energy state,” but we pay too much for energy. This problem hits rural Alaska particularly hard, packing an added punch because communities already suffer from the loss of municipal assistance and revenue sharing, and our seniors have had their Longevity Bonuses taken away. While the state treasury counts billions in extra cash from the high price of oil, rural heating bills have gone through the roof, and in hub communities gas at the pump costs almost $5/gallon. In the most unfortunate cases, elders have had to chose between heating and eating, and some villages report paying almost $1 per kilowatt hour, ten times the price in Anchorage. That’s why it’s important that the debate over the gasline include solutions that will lead to lower cost energy.