Jan. 27--In the coastal tundra village of Kongiganak, some residents are keeping their lights on this winter by promising to sign over future tax refunds.

But the persistent Bering Sea winds that drive up the cost of light and heat in impoverished Western Alaska are now bringing a promise of redemption as well.

Last week the state proposed spending $14 million to erect wind farms in six villages on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, including Kongiganak. It's part of a plan for spending $100 million on renewable energy around Alaska to reduce consumption of expensive diesel fuel and bring down local electric bills.

"The wind turbine is a blessing for us," Harvey Paul, general manager of the local power company, Puvurnaq, said Monday. "We have some of the highest fuel prices in the state and some of the best winds."

No longer will seal hunters have to complain when rough weather keeps their skiffs on the beach, Paul said. "Now they'll stay home and enjoy the wind and be happy that their electric rates are going down."

The problems in rural Alaska posed by high energy costs and a poor fishing season swept into the news this month with dramatic reports from Emmonak and nearby villages on the Yukon delta. Some critics accused the state of being slow to respond to a humanitarian crisis.

But last year, with oil prices soaring, the Legislature did take aim at the long-term with the Renewable Energy Fund. Lawmakers committed $50 million for the first year, then added another $50 million during a special session on energy.

The six delta wind projects are on a list of 72 renewable energy priorities recommended by the Alaska Energy Authority last week. The list also includes wind projects around Nome and Kotzebue, wood-burning boilers in the Interior, small hydro feasibility studies and help for Railbelt utilities.

The priority recommendations must be approved in the next few weeks by the Legislature, which must also decide whether to continue funding the program at a recommended pace of $50 million a year.

COST OF POWER DROPPED

This year's sharp revenue decline has created a different environment in Juneau. Some legislators have expressed concern about the money laid out in the $100 million list, while others have been supportive, AEA executive director Steve Haagenson said.

On the impoverished Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, the AEA list recommends wind turbines for the village of Mekoryuk on Nunivak Island, the regional hub of Bethel and three coastal villages near the mouth of the Kuskokwim: Kongiganak, Kwigillingok and Quinhagak.