MEA opposition losing steam

PALMER — It might not be the most relevant of topics, but a decision of the Matanuska Electric Association’s board of directors to rescind its resolution on the Mat-Su Borough’s power plant ordinance drew strong opinions Monday.

MEA has long opposed the 2007 ordinance, which it says will cost the electric cooperative $500,000 a year when the time comes to build a power plant in the Valley. The ordinance requires anyone building a power plant to obtain a borough permit. The regulations passed when the utility was planning two plants, one powered by natural gas, the other by coal. MEA has since shelved the coal option.

After the borough power plant regulations passed, MEA started a campaign to repeal the ordinance, which was shot down in a borough-wide vote in October.

“I would like to ask management if it would affect anything,” MEA board Director Larry DeVilbiss said of Director Janet Kincaid’s motion to rescind the anti-ordinance resolution.

General Manager Wayne Carmony said the ordinance, though ratified by a vote, is still going to cost MEA money when it moves ahead with plans to build a gas-fired plant.

“I think more thought should be given to changing our position … than I’ve heard here tonight,” Carmony said.

DeVilbiss said he’s tried to work with the borough to no avail. Everyone there says they’re going to fix the ordinance, he said, but nobody does.

“Wearing an MEA hat, how is this in MEA’s interest?” DeVilbiss asked Kincaid.

Kincaid responded, “Wearing my MEA hat I would like to see an air of cooperation with the borough,” and said she disputes Carmony’s $500,000 figure for the cost of the ordinance.

Director Kit Jones backed Kincaid up, saying she has seen a lot of strife and tension between MEA and the borough.

“Maybe we could overcome some of that,” she said.

Director David Glines pointed to the board’s fiduciary responsibility to ratepayers and sided with DeVilbiss. They cast the two dissenting votes on the matter.

The coal plant showed up in a different item on the agenda. Jones moved that all references to coal power be removed indefinitely from the utility’s long-range plans.

DeVilbiss objected, saying there hadn’t been adequate public notice of the matter and Jones consented to putting the matter off until February’s meeting. A similar fate befell her effort to vacate the utility’s interest in land on Hollywood Road.

Also at the meeting, the board continued its moves to change the way it relates to Carmony. The directors asked for weekly reports of expenditures and monthly reports on ongoing litigation.

They also changed a standing board policy to say that every six months they will review Carmony’s work on long- and short-range planning.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.