Eighteen lawmakers will fly out of Juneau next week to attend the annual Energy Council conference , March 4-7, in Washington, D.C.

The council is a consortium of energy-producing states - Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming - plus international affiliates Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Venezuela.

Alaska legislators often attend, and several senators said Tuesday morning they find the conference an invaluable tool in gathering information that helps guide decisions made at home.
Senate Pres. Gary Stevens, who has attended in past years, noted that 90 percent of Alaska's revenue comes from the oil and gas industry. The state's future could rest in traditional oil and gas, or in heavy oils, and it's "absolutely essential" the state's leaders are prepared to assess any approach.

But, the absence of so many at once does shut some state business down during the 90-day legislative session. The roster of attendees includes the two Senate Finance Committee co-chairmen, most of the Senate's Resources Committee, the House Resource Committee co-chairmen and the House Energy Committee co-chairs.

The 10 senators include Bert Stedman and Charlie Huggins, who serve on the council's executive committee, and Tom Wagoner, a council board member; John Coghill, Fred Dyson, Johnny Ellis, Lyman Hoffman, Lesil McGuire, Linda Menard, and Joe Thomas.

The eight representatives planning to attend are Craig Johnson, Kyle Johansen, Mark Neuman, Anna Fairclough, Harry Crawford, Carl Gatto, Charisse Millett and Bryce Edgmon. Jay Ramras may attend.

The conference agenda includes a congressional reception and discussion of western hemisphere energy relations; national security and energy; natural gas policy; smart grids; and federal energy projects. Of course, the time in-between formal sessions, when attendees can talk shop with counterparts across the Americas, may be even more valuable.

Also on the agenda are a tour of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's market monitoring center, reports from Congress and a seminar focused on cap and trade.