Assembly narrowly approves EPA grant

PALMER — It was a bit of a fight, but the Mat-Su Borough Assembly has agreed to accept a $564,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The money will go toward drawing up a storm water management plan for the borough to address things like runoff into streams and mitigate the effects of flooding. The borough agreed to put up $246,000 of its own money as a match.

In a report prepared prior to this past week’s assembly meeting, borough staff point out that when the borough’s population reaches 100,000, the federal government will require the borough to address storm water issues. The borough believes its population will reach that number after the 2010 Census.

Accepting the grant and working on the program, staff report, would give the borough three years to come up with its own plan instead of having a plan imposed on it by the federal government.

But at least two assemblymen weren’t buying it.

“We had an economic development briefing earlier today,” said Assemblyman Ron Arvin. “They say 2020 is the target for us reaching 100,000 people.”

Arvin said he’d heard a number of criteria the EPA might look at before deciding to step in and impose its regulations on the borough, but couldn’t get a straight answer as to how many of those criteria the borough met and when the EPA might step in.

“Until somebody can answer when we will actually be required to comply with EPA regulations, I can’t support this,” he said. “We don’t need this money today and we should be preserving the money that we have to address needs that might be immediate.”

His colleague Mark Ewing said the problem in his district, Wasilla, isn’t storm water; rather, it’s septage leaching into the lakes. He also expressed distrust of the money’s source.

“Federal money is not free,” Ewing said. “Strings are attached.”

Testimony from the audience came down on both sides. Representatives of the Greatland Trust talked about how they plan to help the borough identify and protect lands near at-risk water bodies.

Matthew LaCroix, a Meadow Lakes resident who said he will be the borough’s contact person at the EPA, pointed out how heavy the competition was to get the grant in the first place.

“The borough is currently holding what amounts to a winning lottery ticket,” LaCroix said. But, he cautioned, “it’s a one-time opportunity.”

On the other side was Jennie Bettine with the Conservative Patriots Group.

“I also am very opposed to accepting any more federal money,” Bettine said. “Once you allow them in, once you take their money, they have control.”

Penny Nixon, another outspoken conservative in the Valley, backed her up.

“This bill is a grotesque sham,” he said. “I urge you to throw it on the trash heap of mendacity.”

Assemblyman Jim Colver sounded uncertain.

“The longer this discussion goes on, the more confused I am and the more questions I have,” he said. “I’m not in any rush on this one.”

But one of his colleagues disagreed. Assemblyman Pete Houston said his reading of the staff report was that the situation was urgent and needed to be addressed.

If the borough doesn’t act, he said, “The decision will be made by another body.”

The ordinance eventually passed with Ewing, Colver and Arvin opposed. Borough Mayor Talis Colberg said afterward he had his doubts about the program’s urgency.

“I’m not sure that this was on the radar screen as an urgent issue until the grant was available,” he said.

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