Tanana – Tiny City in Yukon Takes A Giant Renewable Step
A city of 300 in Alaska is at the cutting edge of bioenergy.
The Backstory
It’s ironic. In resource- and fossil fuel-rich Alaska, Tanana residents are paying more than seven times the national rate for their electricity and are shipping in diesel fuel to heat their buildings and water.
Probably the name Tanana (pronounced TAN-uh-naw) doesn’t ring a bell. No wonder: It’s not just rural, it’s remote. Accessible only by air and river (which is how the diesel arrives), this central Alaskan city is about an hour’s flight from Fairbanks and two miles below where the Tanana and Yukon Rivers meet.
A Subsistence Lifestyle
About 80 percent of Tananans are Native American, 18 percent Caucasian, and there’s a smattering of Latinos and others.
“Subsistence
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