THE LINK: OCTOBER 2024 14 Energy, housing remain atop list of lingering issues Fairbanks may have some problems, like many cities. But it has the tools to solve them and a lot of ways to do it. That’s Jomo Stewart’s assessment, upbeat but also cautious. Stewart is president of Fairbanks Economic Development Corp., or FEDC, the Interior city’s community development organization. Fairbanks’ top two problems are energy and housing, Stewart said. The high cost of heating is something that just comes with the Interior city’s northern climate, but it also brings issues unique to the Interior community, like air pollution from particulate matter on frigid winter days. What will reduce the problems is natural gas in Fairbanks and nearby North Pole because gas is a clean-burning fuel that doesn’t release harmful pollutants like those from wood-burning stoves commonly used in the Interior. This is a federal regulatory issue as well as a health problem. Fairbanks has been declared a winter air quality “non-attainment” area by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which can bring Fairbanks has tools to solve challenges Photo by Lee Leschper Stewart is president of Fairbanks Economic Development Corp., the Interior city’s community development organization.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==