By RICK WHITBECK | POWER THE FUTURE
I’’ve written before about the Anchorage Assembly’s fascination with threatening the infrastructure that allows for 90% of the Municipality’s water supply and approximately six percent of Southcentral Alaska’s overall power generation.
The Eklutna hydroelectric project is currently in the final phases of a reauthorization of its fish and wildlife mitigation and enhancement plan. The final plan, as developed over a five-year process by the voting members of its ownership group, is in the hands of Alaska’s Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The governor is set to make a final decision on whether to accept the plan, no later than early October.
However, the Anchorage Assembly and the current mayor are telling the governor that he needs to stop that process and delay it up to two years. On Friday, at a hastily called special Assembly meeting, the liberal supermajority will pass a resolution codifying those demands.
The language of the resolution nearly mirrors the draft comments by new Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, who, while serving as chair of the Assembly herself, showed a propensity to kowtow to now-Assembly Chairman Chris Constant on many issues.
While many hoped that being elected mayor would change that, it is clear that Constant is still pulling LaFrance’s strings as Anchorage’s overall puppet master.
Their reasoning for delaying final authorization borders on ridiculous: the Municipality, which lost voting rights years ago, doesn’t believe they and other non-voting organizations have had enough time or influence in the process.
When they ultimately pass the resolution tomorrow, they’ll ask Anchorage voters to conveniently forget that five years of studies and public input – including hundreds of hours the owners spent with the Assembly, Native Village of Eklutna, various environmental groups (ENGOs) and other non-voting members – not to mention $8 million in ratepayer and taxpayer money has already been invested in the process.
The Assembly has gone on record wanting full restoration of the Eklutna River, but that was never required under the terms of the fish and wildlife agreement, would threaten the water supply and cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer and ratepayer dollars.
They believe the wishes of the Native Village of Eklutna and its 100 members should be given equal consideration to the 275,000 other residents of the Municipality.
They believe that other energy solutions (i.e., wind and solar) can more than make up the power produced by the Eklutna system. Ask Anchorage residents what that might have looked like this past January, when the current wind solution would have powered less than 700 homes on the coldest day of the year, while the Eklutna supply powered over 28,000 between Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley.
It is clear this isn’t about fiduciary responsibility, nor is it about process. This is a power-grab by an Assembly and Mayor more interested in kissing up to special interests than it is in sound public policy.
Here’s hoping Gov. Dunleavy dismisses the resolution and its demands, reauthorizes the project’s revised fish and wildlife agreement, and puts this issue to rest for another 35 years.
Rick Whitbeck is the Alaska State Director for Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs and fights back against economy-killing and family-destroying environmental extremism. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @PTFAlaska
In a Democracy the majority rules. The majority believes full restoration was required in the original permit. Until the Courts rule what the original permit required, the entire process should be put on hold.
Frank – What “majority”? The Assembly? They might – as might the Mayor – but the 1991 Agreement never talks about “restoration”, “restore”, “continuous flow”, or anything else. Instead, it requires “mitigation and enhancement”.
I’d think – after five years of studies and over $8M of rate/taxpayer funds being spent – the last-minute shenanigans of Anchorage’s “leaders” and the NVE are a case of too little, too late.
The Governor should simply take those comments and the resolution, consider them as long as it takes him to round-file them, and decide that thousands of man-hours, sound science and followed process carries more weight than last-minute shenanigans by ENGOs and their friends.
~Rick
As much as I find it odd to do this, “Frank” isn’t wrong here. There have been regular elections. The result of said elections are a hard left Assembly. The people who have bothered to vote have spoken. This is the government they think they want.
So the majority of Muni voters who bother to vote have spoken. They want this kind of self destructive government. And all the crap which comes with it. So it’s time to start reaping the rewards of irresponsible voting.
I agree Dunleavy should toss this into an outhouse, but I’d not put money on it.
No.. That would be called mob rule. Sorry (not sorry) to say Ras, we live in a republic where individual rights override “for the greater good”. I know it hurts you in hearing this, but you and the rest of the cult members need to understand crystal clear what it means. Your “fweelings” don’t override our rights. I guess they don’t teach U.S. Government class in high school anymore.
What they did teach in civics is how representative democracy ( a Republic) works. The people vote for individuals to represent them in government. Candidates for said positions put forward their vision, the community decides who they like best. It should be the person who most closely resembles their values and goals, but often it isn’t.
Civics also stressed the importance of an informed electorate.
If the people who bothered to vote in Anchorage elected idiots, it was their prerogative to do so. And their responsibility to bear the consequences of ill informed voting.
That is exactly how a Republic works. No mob rule, just stupid voters.
Agree to that. You get what you vote for. If you don’t show up to vote, go look in a mirror and point to the person you see and say “you did this!”. I’m surprised of the amount of boneheads in Anchorage that does not understand they need to keep tabs on their employees and vote bad employees out. But back to marxist Ras, he’s confused that we live in a democracy. We don’t. On the flip side, the scamdemic revealed a lot. The valley is growing redder because of people sick and tired of blue anchorage. Communists are moving from the valley to anchorage because it’s not going their way (turning blue). I loved when the ASD tried to increase their realm of influence into the valley and the valley told them to piss off.
Thank goodness we don’t live in a democracy, never have. A democracy is nothing but two sheep and three wolves deciding what’s for dinner.
BTW, what majority believes that? I don’t know anybody, except a few far left wingnuts, who think getting rid of Anchorage’s main water supply is a good idea.
The majority of people who bothered to vote for these idiots think this a good idea or they would be raising hell with their Assembly members. Plus the even bigger majority of voters who can’t be bothered to vote at all.
Elections and lazy voters have consequences. Anchorage may be about to pay those consequences with interest.
We do not live in a democracy.
hint….
Frank Rast says: “In a Democracy the majority rules”
Which is why we live in a constitutional republic.
Democracy can be described as a pair of wolves sitting down with a lamb and voting on what to have for dinner. A constitutional republic makes sure the lamb is well armed and trained. Cheers –
Otherwise known as mob rule, Frank.
If 51% of the population voted to beat you senseless, throw you into the Inlet, and confiscate all of your belongings, would that make it OK?
If such a vote were held, I’d be happy to assist them
We better be ready to fight them at every turn.
Remember mayor I want my street plowed the day it snows.
You bragged about better snow removal .
Just make sure Eklutna is the first one that power is taken away from.
Then the liberal assembly a mayor needs to have their power shut off.
Eklutna is primarily on well water. The electricity isn’t the city killer.
It’s the water.
When you have a bureaucratic tyranny stealing our property tax money and supplying zero for those paying the bill, it is time to stop paying the taxes. Going to court to stop these tyrants is all we can do, at this point. The judicial system and law enforcement for the state refuse to try and convict this cabal for the RICO violations, fraud, and misappropriation of funds they have participated in for the last 6 years. Only a civil suit can get the city back to adhering to the municipal charter, and only the property owners have basis to bring such a suit. K&L and Odom could also sue, due to the illegally instituted alcohol tax but they pass the costs they have incurred onto us. The fuel supply companies have basis because the gas tax is costing them hundreds of thousands in additional labor to adhere to the collection process but they pass those costs onto us.
Maybe, just maybe, Anchorage shouldn’t keep voting them back into office.
Or, equally likely, the balance of political power has shifted so far left this is what Anchorage wants.
On behalf of Americans who don’t take threats well, may we respectfully urge Peoples Imperial Assembly members to get on, right now, with whatever they’re plotting against productive Anchorage residents.
Assemblyman? Constant is nothing more than a craven power hungry pol who is doing his level best to
totally shaft the tax payers of the MOA.
Shafting taxpayers is a byproduct of his first goal, which is to line his pockets at taxpayer’s expense.
So, we should write to the Governor and ask him to dismiss the resolution?
Write, call, tell him in Carrs if you see him there. Be respectful but forceful.
Also do the same to your Assembly member.
Go ahead, Punk. Make my day. Cut off their water.
Anchorage is an excellent urban dive to transform into a ghost town.
HOLD-ON(!!!) … I need to sell my property to one of the Bureaucratic Bolsheviks before the ‘doom-loop’ is in a full downward spiral.
Morons. Those on the assembly, the mayor and those that voted them into office. All morons who haven’t a clue where their water will come from after the dam is gone. If you’re unfortunate enough to reside in that dump and have a well, I highly recommend you NEVER choose to get hooked up to the cities water supply system.
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