The Anchorage Assembly Democrat majority has prioritized the removal of the hydro dam and associated Anchorage electricity and drinking water from the Eklutna River and will meet with the leaders of the village of Eklutna on Sept. 5 to advance those goals with a formal joint resolution.
The Democrats controlling the Anchorage Assembly want to delay a decision that Gov. Mike Dunleavy must make soon on whether to remove the dam; members hope to wait until a Democrat governor is in office — one who will take action to dismantle the dam, originally built in 1929, and rebuilt twice after that, which powers more than 24,600 residential homes for an entire year.
Eklutna hydroelectric power is the lowest cost renewable energy in Southcentral Alaska; it also provides power to areas of the MatSu Valley and nearly all of the water or Anchorage.
The governor needs to make a decision by October on the 1991 reauthorization of the dam. There has been a public comment period that now ended, and there is no legal language to delay the process, which is what the Assembly majority wants; it is asking for a two-year delay.
As much as it is trying to assert authority, the Assembly doesn’t have legal standing in the decision-making process, as the municipality has no member or voting rights on the ownership committee, which is made up of Chugach Electric Association and Matanuska Electric Association.
The Assembly has sent up every smoke signal possible to indicate it is likely to sue the governor and other related entities, such as the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, if it doesn’t get its way.
Rick Whitbeck, Alaska state director of Power the Future, said that it’s time for rational voices to prevail.
“Like petulant children crying over a toy at the supermarket, the Anchorage municipality leadership continues to whine over a process they have no legal standing in. Their continued tactics will only lead to taxpayer and ratepayer expenditures on a cause they have no hope of winning legally.”
Whitbeck called for the reauthorization and its five-year process to be approved “and for Eklutna to continue to provide always-on, always available, low-cost power and water to Anchorage”
The village of Eklutna is reported to have around 70 members, although the exact tribal roll is hard to determine. Most, if not all of the members live throughout the municipality and depend on the power and water from the Eklutna project. The municipality has lifted the village to a government-to-government status and now meets with village leaders on a formal basis, which is what the Aug. 5 meeting is scheduled as.
On the agenda for the joint meeting on Sept. 5:
“Resolution AR No. AR 2024-276, a resolution of the Anchorage Municipal Assembly authorizing the Anchorage Assembly Chair to sign a Joint Resolution of the Anchorage Assembly and the Native Village of Eklutna in support of exploration of alternative solutions to attain our shared policy goals for full restoration of the Eklutna River.”
• Motion from Tribal Council authorizing President Leggett to sign Joint Resolution AR 2024-276
• Briefing re Gathering Place
• Eklutna River Restoration
• Update from Anchorage Hydropower Utility
• Placenames – changing the names of places around Anchorage to Native names
• Property Taxes
• Education
• Public Safety
• Boarding School Investigation
• Use of Alcohol Tax Funds for Culturally Relevant Programming for Youth Prevention Activities – Municipal Employee Training
• FY2025 Budget
• Cultural Tourism/Moose Loop Increase
• Other items
The tribe has been working “behind the scenes” with Anchorage, it says in a recent newsletter: “The Land and Environment Department has been working hard on the Eklutna River project – doing the behind the scenes work that is needed to work with our partners.”
Thus, it appears the Anchorage Assembly and/or the mayor have been having consultations and possible meetings “behind the scenes” with the tribe that the public has not been made aware of.
Meeting details:
Assembly Chambers
September 5, 2024
Regular Meeting – Loussac Library, 3600 Denali Street, Room 108, 5 p.m. business meeting, 5:30 p.m. appearance requests
Live Streaming and Archived meetings/Podcasts at http://www.muni.org/watchnow
Live on Yukon TV streaming service; Rebroadcast Wednesday/Friday at 5 p.m.
As one of the formerly greatest cities in America continues to commit and ugly suicide.
17-20% voter turnout. You did it to yourselves.
Enjoy burning wood for warmth until that gets outlawed, too.
Good point Avenger. Most non-voters will tell you they don’t bother because, no matter who gets elected, things never get better. What they fail to realize is, not voting is a the same as voting for whoever gets elected; and, things will get far worse.
You are both incorrect.
The task that the Anchorage Assembly is assigned is to make the best choices for the city. In instances where they’re dismantling important infrastructure, coddling bums and criticizing the police force they need to be held personally accountable.
Running Anchorage is a business and intentionally making irresponsible decisions leads to a known outcome. You can’t always be certain of the most recent business administrator you hire but you can fire them and that’s the option that needs to come into clear focus next; fire and hold personally accountable those that repetitively and intentionally make decisions that are not in the City’s best interest.
Having worked at ML&P, I can only think of the horror of what our ciy assembly members are doing. From a true catastrophic emergency perspective, what is the replacement generation for this removal? When infrastructure that impacts the railbelt is considered for retirement, there is a replacement, hopefully better, more reliable, more effecient and cost effective. Without a replacement for this retirement, why is this even a discussion other than the true chaos this will bring to our once great city.
This has Soros, constant, pelosi, peltola, murkowski, dnc stink all over it….
How dumb can they get? Send them all back to where they came from whenever they come up for election!
I want to know who is the one behind this.
Dumb Anchorage voters will continue electing this half-wit assembly.
Why would Dunleavy spend even 5 minutes contemplating this? He should have the national guard up there putting out razorwire and stopping vehicles at checkpoints to protect our critical infrastructure from the ecoterrorists on the assembly.
Because he has no spine.
Ditto that!
Seconded.
This sort of comment by Mr McDonald is not one that can be used in solving problems.
With an issue as profound as this one for the folks on the peninsula, it should be made clear as to all the particulars for those that live in the area.
1. Why is this an issue with the dam in the first place –isn’t hydropower something that is beneficial for inhabitants when considering the issue of climate change over, let’s say, installing wind-turbines in Cook Inlet?
2. Who is behind the dismantling of the dam? Who is the main decision-maker? Who has whom over a barrel on this?
3. What are the reasons why this is economically feasible for all involved parties (is there an entity that is attempting to blackmail the City of Anchorage, or the municipality, or use this as leverage for some purpose? Eklutna Village ‘rented’ their land for use by the borough for Chugiak High School since it was built back in the early 1960s at one penny per year, which, to my mind is a lot better use of the land than a money-making venture like a casino –are the Eklutna villagers hurting for income?
4. What is the intended outcome of any proposed decisions if the main consideration is restoration of salmon spawning grounds –what has happened with salmon spawning all over the State –like, is it meant as an elaborate retaliation example for the various wrongs done to indigenous children since the 1884 Organic Act resulting in English-Only boarding, industrial schools and orphanages as reparation for Eklutna Vocational boarding school, Mount Edgecumbe, Ft Wrangell, Wrangell Institute, Holy Cross Mission, Jesse Lee and the children sent to boarding schools in WA, OR, NM, AS, Chilocco OK, etc, or to counter the indiscriminate decision-making for certain Alaskan politicians wanting to sell Bristol Bay to the highest Canadian bidder backed up by the Saudis?
5. How would transitioning to another comparable source of power for the folks in the Valley and Anchorage be implemented with least amount of disruption to the existing power grid? Like … Ship Creek isn’t going to be able to handle the needs for water power as well as the salmon spawning that is already there at the oceanfront, and already (as noted above) wind turbines in the Inlet seems like pie in the sky considering it experiences the highest neap tides outside of some place in Canada.
Why do you think this is profound for “folks on the peninsula”?
MEA, CEA, HEA et al all have their own generation and each have excess capacity. The question is how short sighted do you have to be to understand that encouraging the populace to utilize electric vehicles and dismantling legacy generation are mutually exclusive concepts. Expanding any of the alternate plants to displace Eklutna’s capacity is a decision only an individual w/ no strategic foresight might make and any addition to existing generation would require greater dependence on fossil fuels which appear to have been under scrutiny of late.
The power issue is far less important than where most of the city will get its water from. For some reason, the narrative is about the 25K power customers where it ought to be about 150K or more customers losing water.
The assembly does not have the power to shut down the dam. But they are jockeying for it. If they get their own candidate into the governor’s office (I predict it’ll be Les Gara, and he will absolutely stand a chance of winning this time!) they will receive control of this resource. At that point they will NOT shut it down. That would create such a huge spike in power costs and loss of drinking water access it is just insane. They will not do it. But they are USING this issue—even CREATING this issue so that they can gain power over the resource. Owning/controlling south central’s power system will give them a major power chip to play against any and all remaining rail belt communities. That resource is owned and controlled by 3 parties: Eklutna Tribe, State of Alaska, and Chugach Electric. YOU own CEA. That makes the dam YOURS. And that is why voting for GOOD board members is critical to your future. The assembly controls everything… but this. And they definitely want it too. It is not enough to have spent all our money on their homelessness debacle, when we sold MEA to CEA, we blocked their access to the dam. They simply want it back.
Dee Cee, while I agree with your assessment in broad terms, there are a few details that need attention.
The Eklutna hydro generation plant is owned by MEA, CEA and to my understanding there are competing documents whether or not the MOA relinquished their owner shares with the sale of ML&P to Chugach.
(Still haven’t seen that billion dollars, thank you Mayor Berkowitz)
The Eklutna Tribe has no ownership stake in this facility at all.
As a state regulated utility, the assembly can not simply tear it down, as that would require approval from said state regulatory agency.
The MOA did not sell MEA but ML&P to Chugach. MEA operates mostly north, in the valley and as far south as Eagle River.
Careful, you are using logic and critical thinking…the kryptonite of leftists.
IF IT AIN’T BROKE…
Ohhhh, wait a minute!
It’s the woke democrat’s agenda working here. They destroy EVERYTHING they get their grubby hands on.
What is the assembly’s vision and plan for power and water after the dam is removed? Is there one at all, or does this initiative follow their standard MO, which can be characterized as radical socialist agenda with no foresight and no consideration given to economics.
Their vision is: you get nothing!!!and be happy to freeze in the dark!!without water!!!
Ya know, maybe the Muni voters will finally wake up from their slumber and start paying attention to politics and start voting when they don’t have water at their spigot. Leftists, especially radical ones always find ways to cost the commoners more and more money. If you think your AWWU bill is high now, just wait till that dam is gone.
Act now, Governor Dunleavy, and put an end to the Assembly’s petulance -on this issue, at least.
Second!
Ignorance in its finest form.
Another none thinking idea by the folks that brought you an unused bike lane downtown. There is not a lot of brain power in that assembly. They raised their own salaries to justify a full time position from what was always a part time position. People need to wake up and get these idiots out of state.
Trevor. One supposes that you don’t bike, but that bike lane took me from Chugiak to Laundry Workers union meetings, UAA when I was a student, and for others to jobs at McDonalds, Fish & Game, Hewitt’s Drug Store, Blaine’s Paints, etc. Any day of the week, there are plenty of folks that use that for walking, as well. The bike path is one of the best things that the borough constructed in the 70s. Admittedly the make-up of the Assembly is different, but at least they’re elected, not appointed.
Mrs N
Unfortunately, one supposes you didn’t read the relevant post. The unused bike lane downtown is the paid-by-the-feds-but-impacting-Anchorage-residents “temporary” bike lane that occupies pats of A street, 6th Avenue, and various sundry other streets downtown. I travel the A street section between 5-6 days a week, the 6th Avenue section 3-4 days a week ever since (2019) the bike lane went in. It is an unmitigated impact to Anchorage drivers but in the mind of the Assembly that is apparently justifiable since (based on my observation) there have been 4 bike riders, 2 of which were obviously homeless, that used the bike lane since it went in. The Assembly is concerned with their focus groups (including the 70 or so members of Eklutna) and not the majority of Anchorage taxpayers.
That’s not the bike lane Trevor is talking about. The mental midgets on the assembly used/dedicated one of the three vehicle lanes on 6th avenue from L to A streets as a “test” this summer. Traffic congestion is bad enough without this stupidity.
Dear Mrs N,
Trevor is referencing the 99.9% unused blocking of lanes on 6th Street only in downtown Anchorage that just happened this year that costs tax payers millions of dollars and is almost completely unused and completely unnecessary. It wasn’t around decades ago when you were going to UAA and all over town.
Perhaps you’re confused thinking he was speaking about the trail network? That is alive and well and recent bond issues passed to maintain it — albeit at great expense. At least those trails are well used.
Maybe best to make sure you understand what Trevor is referencing before offering your criticism that makes you look out of touch?
I am talking about the assembly blocking off lanes of traffic downtown for non-existent riders to enjoy the roadway instead of the cars that they were made for. I guess you need to get out more and see this assembly’s idiocracy at work.
Yes the vehicles pay taxes for roads and have rules now the bikes are using roads bought and engineered for paid for vehicular traffic not bikes.
The bikes have no taxes no rules and think they own these lanes.
Mrs. N you need to get out more and get with the times.
The bike lanes Trevor is referring to, are the blocked off traffic lanes on 6th and A street. There are rarely ANY bicyclists on those blocked off traffic lanes and it forces all vehicle traffic into 2 lanes instead of the customary 3, causing more traffic delays. This is a current test pilot program by the assembly/mayor’s office and DOT(federal). It inhibits downtown traffic, seems to underutilized the existing roadway and a waste of taxpayer funds for a user group that clearly does not have the numbers to justify such impediment to all.
Notice that there is NO mention of how the power production for those 24,600 will be replaced, if these tantrum throwing toddlers get their way and destroy the dam…
You voted for the assembly you get Portland.
Follow the money! If the dam is removed, who will gain the most green for coming up with another source of power?
More power plants is a whole bunch easier than producing water, especially on that scale. There’s no way more wells will fill that loss, and the only way to replace that water will be to build another dam somewhere. Good luck with that.
This has to be political warfare. Rebuilding a minor coho fish run in the Eklutna River cannot possibly justify this kind of infrastructure upheaval.
The real meaning behind the “Green $$$ New Deal”
Current Anchorage Assembly motto: “If it isn’t broke, then it will be when we force it to go WOKE”…”
The city government is run by lunatics.
Last January we were within minutes of rolling blackouts and the nimrods are considered this.
I say rip it out. A good frozen up winter will eliminate a bunch of morons and bring the limp no show voters wide awake.
I used to say, “last one out, turn off the lights”. We wont have to, there will be no power to “turn off” if this project moves forward.
Population up power production down. Makes perfect sense. Especially clean hydro power.
The assembly is fine with Bums camped on 5th avenue. Gateway to Anchorage after your long drive up the Alcan, welcome to filth, drugs, booze, and rape.
All American City.
Oh wait there are more important issues, destroying the cleanest electricity available. With no solution to replace the clean electricity.
What a bunch of losers.
For the 70 Eklutna Village residents, the smart ones left Eklutna Village long ago. Reasons are obvious have you been there? I know I went to school with smart and not so smart Ekultnaites.
This is a great way to start a war within our own state.
Water and electricity? Luxuries they can do without.
Let’s get rid of a fresh water source for anchorage. Ok let’s get rid of a great fishing hole the tail race ok. Let’s take out the power plant of cheaper energy. Ok. Take out the dam to bring in salmon to the creek / not really a river. in my thoughts one of the most amazing engineering projects that I have seen! Very conservative and well planned out. Win win situation! Ok let’s rip it out! Ok. Tell me I am wrong please!
The electric utilities should shut down the power to pro-dam-removal people as a preview of what they are asking for.
Does Anyone realize that the Anchorage Assembly sold the Eklutna Hydro project to the utilities?
What call someone who sells something, you pay for it, and now they want it back so they can destroy it?
This is plain stupidity on the part of the assembly. Good luck Anchorage. Have you checked the price of bottled water lately? Don’t forget you also need water for cleaning dishes and laundry. Maybe you can take all the melt off from the snow piles around Anchorage I saw this summer.
All I can say is…they need to be stopped. They are going to do something on a Germany-idiocy level, but maybe even greater because they’ll be affecting electric and water at the same time. How can the Anchorage Assembly have so much power when it really does not?
They shouldn’t. Agree. It is mind boggling residents of Anchorage have kept these people in office. Cheat by mail…..
The tribal ancsa anilca laws are in conflict with local government laws. It’s why I say the state and feds need to certify our alaska native and indigenous American elections and modify in law all members, shareholders vote on these things before a run away tribal ancsa anilca consortium board uses the laws to deprive others their constitutional rights defined in law. Now only tribal ancsa anilca board members vote on big matters and modify remedies in law like when tribal leaders falsified medical records of all alaskans the criminal statutes applicable to other criminals similarly situated need to be applied consistently with other laws upholding our constitution.
Currently the tribal ancsa anilca organizations are not following lawful patient informed consent laws and studying all alaskans regardless of race or eligibility to receive healthcare through their organizations, similar to what happened in the sphyllis studies at tuskegee, they are being studied without consent, being denied access to care to further research goals they know nothing about and being researched at Harvard and Boston children’s hospital but not getting healthcare through them. It’s a human rights violation, a civil rights violation, assault and fraud.
The laws need to be modernized and native preference needs to go.
Its a crime to coordinate to deprive others their constitutional rights.
The tribal ancsa anilca laws are in conflict with local government laws. It’s why I say the state and feds need to certify our alaska native and indigenous American elections and modify in law all members, shareholders vote on these things before a run away tribal ancsa anilca consortium board uses the laws to deprive others their constitutional rights defined in law and modify remedies in law like when tribal leaders falsified medical records of all alaskans the criminal statutes applicable to other criminals similarly situated are applied consistently with other laws upholding our constitution?
Here are the organizations not getting consent.
“MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was reviewed and approved by the Alaska Area tribal Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) IRB, and by tribal organizations: the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Southcentral Foundation, Arctic Slope Native Association, Norton Sound Corporation, Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, Bristol Bay Area Native Health Corporation, Tanana Chiefs Conference, and Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. Requirement for informed consent was waived under OHRP guidelines [45 CFR 46.116(c)(2)]. Cases from Alaska regions from which approval was obtained were included in the case-control analysis.” A study on rickets.
They need to treat people not study them then give themselves accolades while we all die from this socialized medicine we did not consent to.
Here’s some, not all of the research
Finding Adolescents & Young Adults w Transfusion-Associated Hepatitis C ja.ma/2WxQSrX
Results of a General Hepatitis C Lookback Program for Persons Who Received Blood Transfusions in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Between Jan 1975 & July 1992 ja.ma/2W5rjPp
The laws need to be modernized and native preference needs to go.
Its a crime to coordinate to deprive others their constitutional rights.
‘https://www.justice.gov/crt/deprivation-rights-under-color-law
I am sure it seems like equality and inclusion but it is not. All tribal k ancsa shareholders and the public are equally impacted. These laws are incoherent, applied recklessly and ill advised.
We don’t follow no Open Meetings Act!!! Doesn’t apply to US!!
Idiocy. Hydro power is clean and renewable energy. The 24/7 power needs will not be made up by wind and solar, not to mention water needs. Fools all.
I believe it is quite rational to delay a decision until Anchorage taxpayers can review all of the options and life cycle costs. The resolution that was sent to the Governor did not follow a prescribed lawful process, or evaluate all of the practical alternatives.
You have no idea what you are talking about regarding lawful practice or evaluation of practical alternatives.
If you think the Assembly is delaying in order to give Anchorage residents a voice in how things are run…I have a bridge to sell you.
They say “You can’t teach common sense”. Well this proves it!
So, here we have 70 people (likely an inflated number) deciding something that affects several hundred thousand people. But, before anything else, the assembly must acknowledge that we all are trespassing on the land we live on in this sh_thole town. Also, remember this: The assembly’s stupidity has no boundaries.
Ask yourself, what, why, when, and how!
Then next question? What will replace?
This liberal assembly is so insane that if they had a cure for cancer they’d burn the recipe.
That’s why I buying an electric car. I will use it to power my house when the power is out.
And how do you plan on recharging it?? That power does not come from wishes!!
No let’s go ahead and tear it out. Anchorage doesn’t need water or power.
The Assembly is one reason not to live in Anchorage. Come to think of it, it is the main reason not to live in Anchorage. Why do they keep being voted back in?
1. Running out of natural gas to heat our homes.
2. Running out of economical drinking water.
3. Running low on (affordable) electricity.
4. Spending excessive amounts of $$$ on homeless criminals.
What could possibly go wrong?
If I could afford to move, I’d be GONE!
This city is definitely committing suicide.
Where are they going to place the ne nuclear plant in Eklutna?? And the desalination plant access to the Inlet??
Yesterday it was reported that Alaskan utilities are preparing to sign contracts and install facilities to receive LNG from a non-Alaskan source which will “significantly increase” electricity and fuel costs, despite the fact that Alaska has huge gas reserves.
.
In other words, Biden-Harris-AOGCC just gave us up to a “non-Alaskan source” and its government who can, at any time, stiff us for everything we’ve got, Permanent Fund included, and like the spineless Europeans, we’ll pay anything, give up anything, to keep heat and electricity on.
.
Today it’s reported that Anchorage Assembly members, under color of law, are meeting secretly, planning to sabotage (what else would you call it?) Anchorage’s -and Eaglexit’s- other reasonably priced source of electricity, plus the city’s water supply, for the sole benefit of 70 people who want to go fishing.
.
What’s “color of law”?
.
“Section 242 of Title 18 makes it a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.
.
… acts under ‘color of law’ include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within their lawful authority, but also acts done –beyond the bounds of that official’s lawful authority–, if the acts are done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties. Persons acting under color of law within the meaning of this statute include (those) who are acting as public officials.
.
The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.”
(https://www.justice.gov/crt/deprivation-rights-under-color-law)
.
So, is a color-of-law offence happening under our noses?
.
Should a federal grand jury be convened to find out?
This proves their communist agenda is NOT about
clean energy but to destroy everything they can.
If this comes to pass it will be time for the T&F.
This smells suspiciously like another $$$ grab by the Assembly. Here’s how it works:
1. There is a subset of the Eklutna Tribe that wants the dam removed and rebuilt on land they own (tribal or corporate land).
2. Don’t know how many of the tribal members agree with this.
3. Once they rebuild, with help of federal native grift $$$ secured by Peltola / Lisa, they will then sign an power sales agreement with the Muni, greasing as many Assembly and fellow traveler palms as necessary to make that happen.
4. What happens to Railbelt energy / Muni water while all this rent seeking is going on is of no concern to either the Assembly or Eklutna tribal members who want to do this.
Follow the $$$. Always follow the $$$. Cheers –
#1 and #3… is that a RICO fragrance?
.
What do you suppose is the weak link, what would topple the scheme and the schemers?
Why do they want to remove it?
Because of the hatchery fish being released there?
To turn around and build a bigger one at the expense of tax payers?
Why not build a bigger one, one that could power far more homes and businesses.
Would the infrastructure in place be enough or is a different grid needed to supply energy to communities?
As another said, wind and solar aren’t going to cut it.
Potential solution to a stable baseload electric source for the base load.
‘https://westinghousenuclear.com/energy-systems/ap300-smr
I sincerely hope that Gov. Dunleavy would pen a sternly worded letter to the MOA Assembly and notify them that they have NO SAY in this matter as they (and the MOA) are NOT SIGNATORY parties. in other words,
BUTT OUT!!!
Does this mean that Eklutna Village will be out of less expensive power…or no electric power…?
So The Tribe is anti-Alaska too?
Their casino wil! Be kinda quiet without electricity
i think before anything goes forward, that this needs to be looked at from a state and national security issue.
our infrastructure and our military base support infrastructure depends on this dam for the now. why can’t everything be paused and not pushed and rushed through as we are on the brink of ww3? i know it’s impolite to notice, but isn’t there a rush in sub off our coast? does our assembly want to cripple and weaken us at this precipice intentionallly? yep, accountability will be the only way forward.
Comments are closed.