A letter from Rep. Mary Peltola to the boards of Matanuska Electric Association and Chugach Electric Association makes demands on behalf of the Village of Eklutna.
The demands are for an unstated amount of money and demands that the Eklutna dam be torn down and/or that the Village of Eklutna be paid for the water that she claims belongs to the village.
Peltola is demanding “favored status,” or “equal party status” for the village. The letter references a 1991 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agreement, which can be seen here.
The letter was referenced in open session in the first board meeting after the board election for Chugach Electric Association, which ended May 19. Peltola’s letter was not included in the board meeting packet, however, but all members had a copy of the letter.
The board took the matter into executive session because it plans to have a joint response with Matanuska Electric Association that it wanted to discuss. (The letter is embedded below, but may not be visible on a smart phone.)
The letter, received May 18, was sent to CEA just as the board election was ending. The electric association board majority was taken over by the environmental industry, led by the Alaska Center for the Environment, and this week immediately elected a new board chair, Sam Cason. Former chairwoman Bettina Chastain was rolled as chair by the new environmental group that has seized control of the association, which is now the only power company in Anchorage, after buying Municipal Light and Power from the city of Anchorage of $972.8 million in 2019, after voters approved the sale in 2018. It is now a monopoly.
The Anchorage Assembly has established government-to-government relations with the Village of Eklutka which sits on the outskirts of Anchorage. The village estimates its population as 70.
Yeah…..no.
Took her longer than expected to board the Reparations train.
Just await until you see what Lisa Murkowski wants to do with Indian Boarding Schools
I hate to consider it.
What would that be and what Indians are you referring to?
The American ones.
How!
Okay, Anchorage, Eagle River, Chugiak. Here is your personal reason not to re-elect this woman. It seems to me tha Eklutna Corporation has had some colossal outsized benefits given their population and geographic size.
The Village of Eklutna has no water rights under the law.
The water didn’t originate on Eklutna land to begin with. It has been just “passing through”. Anchorage and Eagle River should gladly pay for any water MADE in Eklutna. As for the salmon… well…. demand Eklutna be fully subsistence and see how long that lasts.
Peltola demands…? She’s in a position now to DEMAND? Who exactly who is pushing that demand process? The tribes are being down her door to do their biding. Anyone surprised by this? I would imagine that she’s got enough on her plate without taking this on.
That is so cute, you think Mary came up with this idea! Neither she nor her husband has this kind of intelligence. This is the DC state inflicting itself upon we the idiots if Alaska that elected this larticular moron who will conform to every dumb idea from the DC cesspool of lobbyists and climat freaks. This is deep state imposing itself at the local level, and look, Mary and her current dumbell of a husband can make millions by just having Mary, our congressional misrepresentative, sign and mail a letter from her official position. She makes millios with every signature, how can she resist?
This is an agenda item of the deep dark state, strike in every direction to see what sticks, this one is intended to destroy our electrical grid in Alaska, impacting all of us. Lying Mary.
Greedy Mary, quite contrary, cashing every check!
I read Suzanne’s entire article including the letter she included.
This line pretty much sums it all up : “The village estimates its population as 70.”
Peltola is trying to engineer nothing but a money grab, a form of government/racial/enviro extortion if you will.
The Eklutna people do not “depend” on the salmon. They, like all of us, live in a modern world where our every need is met.
Nobody is going to perish for lack of a few salmon..
There is no possible way that salmon can even reach the dam, Eklutna Falls would block that access. Also the process of decommissioning is already underway.
Is it a coincidence this demand and the Chugach board rolled green at the same time? I need more tin foil.
With this group, there are no coincidences. They strike in coordination INTENTIONALLY, so you can see just how powerful they are. Their media blitz worked as ADN supported their EXISTENTIAL bs climate cult nominees. There are no opposing views allowed and the dumbell union employees fall for it hook, line and sinker (suckers).
When will the rest of our fellow citizens wake the F up already? We are being used and abused by outsiders that want us to eat bugs and love it.
Eff this POS socialist. Thanks loads, Palin.
The reparations wagon-train has arrived Alaska! Next will be monies for snow that fills the reservoir!
Wonder what Peltola promised all the villages prior to election,,,
Peltola and Palin are both psychopaths. One is just better looking than the other.
Alvin,
Peltola……correct?
??
“…you must mitigate for drying up the Eklutna River for the past 70 years.” Wow…70 years. How has the tribe survived without the salmon they need to eat? It’s a wonder that they haven’t all starved to death. I’ll bet that, to balance the needs of tens of thousands of Anchorage residents for affordable green energy against the pain and long suffering of the patient but determined tribal members, a large cash payout combined with, I don’t know, 25% of yearly utility profits (?) would go a long way toward curing the historical abuse that the federal government and now the utility companies have heaped upon these unfortunates. Maybe we could also build them a casino, if they don’t already have one, so that they can fleece the colonists who have stolen their land and dignity. Haha…
I always said a casino right there would be awesome. Could be called Happy Hands Casino. Have a 60′ neon waving hand and a 20′ neon couch.
How much of Anchorage’s drinking water originates from behind that dam? Imagine how much water was used in the 1991 cleanup operations, when the 3rd ash cloud from Mt. Spurr blanketed Anchorage. The salmon are definitely important. The water is more so.
“How much of Anchorage’s drinking water originates from behind that dam?………”
All of it.
Not so fast. I think you would be surprised at how many ‘community wells’ are scattered around the Anchorage bowl.
Okay. Then cutting off Eklutna Lake water will be okay.
Let’s do it.
Jon’s response to your incorrect statement is totally correct, so naturally you double down…
So, we gave them land under the ANILCA, we pay for the medical care, we pay for their schools, their welfare and food stamps, and even contend with their homeless addicts in our cities. Now they want us to pay for something that falls from the sky and never belonged to them in the first place. How about NO.
Pretty sure you are talking about ANCSA. ANILCA is about Land Conservation.
Please get rid of her………………!!
Sorry, until we get rid of rigged choice voting we are stuck with er and other left leaning.
Well then perhaps we should cut off their electricity? It isn’t their water and when did they last subsistence fish there?
You’d think a socialist of all people would endorse the needs of the many over the needs of the few.
You forget that in socialism some are more equal than others.
I wish I did. Orwell summed it up perfectly in Animal Farm. “ some animals are more equal than others”
Who really wrote this letter of demand? Mary Peltola isn’t that erudite. And if she’s feeling she can demand for Eklutna when the hell is she going to address the myriad issues of the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta from whence she came? Remember her family and fish slogan…now she’s adding another “f”— fortune for herself???
Deb Haaland, Communist Commandante would be a reasonable guess…
She is too stupid. This is an in state dealio. If you doubt Haaland’s ignorance look up some recent congressional hearings on YouTube
The Alaska Center (for the Environment)
Same people who just took over the CEA board & manned many Muni positions under Mayor’s Begich & Berkowitz.
They are the destructive leftist we fear (& rightly so)
There are in control of ACN now & soon all of AK
I want reparations for all the fuel, mail and goods Subsidies that the bush has gotten. I want 10 million dollars.
Pay Me Petola! Dang, gurl! You sure know a hustle when you see one, dontcha?
She and her grifter husband do not miss a paycheck. Their ‘for sale or rent’ sign is definately getting hits!
Federal and Tribal overreach. 70 individuals are going to dictate its will to 289,810 that live in the Municipality of Anchorage? Anchorage and the Matanuska Electric Association does not owe them a single penny. As a co-op member with the MEA, I wish to tell Eklutna Tribe to go pound sand.
However, I wouldn’t put it past the current Assembly members to go down on bended knee with reparations to the Eklutna Tribe. Heck, they even open up every Assembly meeting with a land acknowledgement “apology”:
A land acknowledgement is a formal statement recognizing the Indigenous people of a place. It is a
public gesture of appreciation for the past and present Indigenous stewardship of the lands that we
now occupy. It is an actionable statement that marks our collective movement towards
decolonization and equity.
The Anchorage Assembly would like to acknowledge that we gather today on the traditional lands of
the Dena’ina Athabascans. For thousands of years the Dena’ina have been and continue to be the
stewards of this land. It is with gratefulness and respect that we recognize the contributions,
innovations, and contemporary perspectives of the upper Cook Inlet Dena’ina.
See more at ‘https://mustreadalaska.com/radical-assembly-adds-woke-land-acknowledgement-to-agenda-as-a-confession-of-colonization-and-occupation/
Our commie Assembly ‘members’ are already colluding with Mary and Eklutna tribe.
Grifters all at this point, every NATIVE gets a paycheck from Mary….
They are beneficiaries of the power grid. Maybe give them free power for a determined period.
At any rate, this is a state matter for state legislators, not a federal matter. She is drunk with power and thinks she can throw her weight around.
Sadly, many Anchoragites will be all on board with this.
You’d think that the economic and social basket case that is the village of Eklutna would be grateful for every modern convenience that they enjoy courtesy of their putative “oppressors”.
These people are insane.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Repatriations are asked by a person who can’t forgive. I thought ANCSA settled all this claim.
More proof that when you conquer a new land, the wisest choice is to leave no survivors.
truth
Blame the Russians.
10% for the Big Gal.
So reparations demands have come to Alaska, via its lone congressional representative. When will we see the demands for millions per person for past grievances like those in California? How soon before the tribes in Alaska start demanding big money for the white man’s past invasions and disease spreading? Buckle up, it’s just around the corner.
I demand she see the wizard of OZ for a brain!
He’d be more likely to melt her with a bucket of (Eklutna) water.
MEA and CEA bought the dam (built by the feds) in 1997 from the Alaska Power Authority for $6 million. How long would it take for the extortionists to dig that amount out of ratepayers?
Remove the dam. Let the chief, his band of 70 merry extortionists, and his Demonrat crime boss take the public relations hit. Buy power from the Power Authority until another gas plant can be built in the Valley.
You deal with extortionists like Nordstrom is dealing with the City of San Francisco: you leave, and take your money with you.
I don’t know a single person that will admit to voting for her.
Or her daddy Joey B!
Come to Juneau. It’s a point of pride for most.
I want reparations from all the Native crime in Alaska. How about that Mary? How about reparations from teachers for the lousy education kids get here. And on and on and on.
Fortunately the Constitution prevents you from getting your way.
Thanks to all of you who are too stupid to understand rank choice voting. And those who would never vote for a “ Begich “. And those who would never vote for Sarah. You geniuses are the ones who gave us Peltola. Good job…..
There is plenty of water for both drinking and restoring Salmon Runs, this should not be us vs them. A healthy and balance environment is good for everyone
Ha ha ha ha ha
“……. this should not be us vs them………”
This is about extortion, Frank, not water.
The best reparations is freedom and education. To freely choose a job to earn as much as a person wants by working as much as they want. The education to be wise in decisions. The freedom to move and spend as you set goals. Life is never easy. Every seed struggling to grow and survive. Same with people. Seems that MARY has no faith in these people.
She is an idiot and only brings up Green Stuff.
I wonder how prolific the historic runs were before the lower dam was built. That was an earlier and smaller version of the existing operational plant. We used to visit the old powerhouse which was closer to the Eklutna exit from the Glenn. I think that earlier project was prior to 1953 – perhaps in the buildup or aftermath of WW2. The existing upper dam is on the shoreline of Eklutna Lake but rarely does the lake level even reach it due to the drawdown of the lake by the hydropower tunnel intake. I also wonder what are the current salmon run returns and species? What steps have been taken to increase water flows in the Eklutna River – did removing the lower dam improve the upper habitat? Most people do not know that the lower Eklutna River is also fed by Thunderbird Creek which is a major drainage.
Typical Democrat. Dividing people. Get rid of Peltola. BAD for Alaska. Send her to live with Sarah Palin.
They’d kill each other. One with a spear and the other with an AR-15.
My engineering mind has dreamed up a solution to the water levels in Eklutna River: Bore a tunnel from Thunderbird Creek down to Eklutna Lake and divert a portion of Thunderbird Creek to the Eklutna Lake Outlet Dam where it can be fed directly into Eklutna River. Now, at times, the Lake level is below the outlet dam so a fish bypass could be built if the lake is needed for anadromous habitat.
Perhaps some lake water should be pumped up to the outlet dam to supplement the upper reach flows as well.
The falls prohibit upstream spawning, The dam can actually ensure steady stream flows. I have never seen the river being too low for salmon travel as far as geography will allow. I have also never heard of Eklutna Corporation asking fish and game for any studies or salmon enhancement strategies. It isn’t a big river and may only be suitable habitat for Silvers, Chums and Pinks, reds usually need access to lakes. A few kings may be able to spawn but would never be able to support a subsistence fishery.
Which falls? Thunderbird Falls is not on Eklutna River. The lower dam on Eklutna River has been removed. The newer upper dam is often dry so no falls there.
It’s time for reparations, Alaska. I’m so glad Peltola understands that. This is just the beginning!!
You natives start paying reperations to each other for the atrocities you committed against each other. When you’re all caught up with that we can talk. But I don’t think it’s common for the conquerors to pay the people they conquered is it? If that was the case you would have paid other tribes by now. Japan would have paid us for the invasion of Hawaii. You lost. Get over it quit teaching every generation that they are a victim. It’s not getting you anywhere.
You and
peltola don’t know our peoples own history. We already settled this with ancsa, and corporations
are still waiting for lands. Go take
your turn pressuring deb haaland for lands promised. Instead of bipoc blowing
hotair on mrak
They are beneficiaries of the power grid. Maybe give them free power for a determined period.
At any rate, this is a state matter for state legislators, not a federal matter. She is drunk with power and thinks she can throw her weight around.
Sadly, many Anchoragites will be all on board with this.
I just want to say that Suzanne put that “70 residents” in there, but I believe it is misleading.
There are hundreds of Eklutna shareholders ….. they live all over, but mostly all over ANC.
I lived in Bootleggers Cove for years, my neighbor was Dan Alex, the chief of Eklutna tribe at the time (1970s)
He lived in an Apt in ANC
Actually most people from ‘any village’ live in other parts of AK.
But they are still registered w/ that tribe (village) that they come from
That is why ANC is Alaska’s largest village …. well over 70,000 Natives now I believe
Does the dam they want to remove produce hydroelectric power? Probably. In Washington state they are taking down hydroelectric dams to restore fish runs for natives. Problem is, they’re quickly going 100% electric.
So the people that MEA servers will foot the bill for the snow that fall on the lake that the congress woman says is hers. Get rid of her she has done nothing for the rest of the Alaskans.
With all the money that Peltola is trying to get for her kin, maybe the unincorporated Boroughs in the State of Alaska can start paying property taxes like the rest of us!
Reparations for Mary’s people will come from the recovery of all state, federal, welfare, food stamp, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, construction of the Native ‘only’ hospital ($168 million in 1997 dollars), “Since the beginning of time”. Only after has that money has been recovered and documented to show the Pelotola’s receive not a dime, can the funds for the new Eklutna casino be approved.
There’s a lot of commentary from folks that probably knows nothing about Eklutna Village, or its history, or even care that the Village graciously leases its land to the high school among other agreements.
Furthermore Chris Nyman’s comments do provide objectivity with regard to the dam, and the tunnel under it. At one time there was an Alaska Native boarding school there, but I wasn’t aware it was spawning area for salmon.
When I think back to a Girl Scout camping trip on Mother’s Day many decades ago, and how close the glacier was to the shore, it’s probably as poignant a realization as any of how times have changed.
Is this a Federal issue ? She’s in the US House not Ak State House . Not sure she relevant to cause as an elected Federal Seat
Due to the conservative vote splitting and third place finisher, Begich, we have this dufus in Congress. Hydropower is clean, no CO2 emissions. Its also renewable. When you replace hydro with coal, for example, you get mercury, lead, uranium and radioactive isotopes being released from coal plant emissions.
Guess how many fish, due to coal power, have mercury in them? (All of them.)
So, if you really care about fish, you support hydro.
Water rights? That’s what the illegitimate Biden Admin is coming for because it’s on WEFs agenda.
In this case AWWU was there doing the construction at Eklutna.
Thanks Don Young!
What a bonehead she is…does she not realize that the villagers also pay for MEA power and all MEA will do is reverse the charges and increase the cost of electricity for ALL subscribers INCLUDING the Eklutna village? Netting a zero sum cost for MEA but costing the rest of us essentially foisting her “reparations” on the rest of the MatSu population including Eklutna?…What an ID10T…
Right after the Village of Eklutna pay for the power they’ve consumed since construction of the dam and supplied to the village.
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