Assembly may nix Mayor’s 1st veto

PALMER — Mat-Su Borough’s official position on proposed changes to military training areas got a whole lot more strident last week, but that ordinance is now facing a mayoral veto.

The military calls the training area the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. Among other things, changes proposed could potentially expand the portions of the borough over which military aircraft could run training exercises and allow those planes to fly as low as 500 feet.

Assemblyman Warren Keogh submitted a resolution at a meeting early this month that would have made comments to the military as it works to prepare an environmental impact statement. The resolution expresses concerns about increased noise in the area, disruption to wildlife activities and disruption to residents’ lifestyles and recreation activities.

Essentially, the resolution asks the military to look closely at those issues.

But on Feb. 15, Keogh came to the assembly with a raft of changes to the resolution, the most noticeable adds a firm statement opposed to the changes the military has proposed.

Keogh said he has received quite a bit of correspondence, from his constituents and others, opposed to the changes. He said he recognizes that right now the military is just trying to get a feel for what it might want to do and hasn’t made any decisions. He knows that strong positions like the ones in his resolution generally come later in the process.

“Oftentimes in the scoping phase of the (Environmental Impact Statement) you don’t weigh in as heavily,” Keogh said. “But there’s no prohibition against taking a strong stand.”

His position against the changes found a lot of support around the assembly table. Earlier in the meeting, military officers had given a presentation on the changes. Assemblyman Vern Halter expressed strong concern then.

“This 500-foot level thing is just outrageous to me. I was just on the Denali Highway and one of your jets came over and the sonic boom itself just about brought us to our knees,” Halter told the officers.

The assembly asked the officers why they needed to move the training areas closer to populated areas when there are other areas in the state adjacent to the training areas that aren’t nearly as populated.

“We have developed what we think based on our needs and the infrastructure we have the most efficient use of taxpayer money,” Maj. Michael Cabral said.

The money comes in when the military looks at fuel costs. Expanding into those less populated areas would meant the training area would be that much further from the military’s air bases. That would mean more fuel usage and maybe require the use of in-flight refueling tankers. It would also mean more wasted training time as pilots fly to the training zones at times when they could be practicing.

For his part, Assemblyman Mark Ewing said he doesn’t buy that. The military, in his mind, just wants the training zone to be closer to the roads, he described it as a “land grab” and said that the military should have put these training spaces in place a long time ago.

“If you wanted it that bad you should’ve done it before anyone moved out there,” Ewing said.

The resolution to oppose the changes eventually passed. But even before that, Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss gave strong indications he might pick up his veto pen.

“I’m not going to say now that I will veto this, but I’m going to take a long look at it after I see the language. I don’t like the tone,” he said, before referencing a conversation with U.S. Rep Don Young. “Congressman Young certainly told us not to roll over, but he cautioned very much against slamming the door.”

Last week, DeVilbiss decided to veto the resolution.

“I’m totally in agreement with the issues that were raised and the mitigation that was requested, but I did not agree with the message — the bottom line that said, ‘go away,’” he said in an interview.

This would be DeVilbiss’ first veto since he was elected mayor. At a meeting today the assembly will decide whether to override that veto.

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