Borough, senator weigh in on JPARC EIS

PALMER — After a whole lot of talking and wrangling, the Mat-Su Borough has decided to request military planes using airspace over the borough as part of a military training area increase their altitude.

The discussion surrounds the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex environmental impact statement, a draft of which is online at jparceis.com. The comment period ended Monday.

While other Alaska communities had to worry about things like live fire practice ranges, in the Mat-Su Borough, the complex included using airspace over places like Lake Louise and east of Talkeetna.

Concerns about the military’s plans to allow aircraft to fly as low as 500 feet came mostly from private aviators. Some worried about possible impacts on wildlife and tourism.

On June 28 the Mat-Su Borough Assembly passed a resolution that essentially provides its comments on the plan.

“The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly opposes lowering the minimum flight training altitude to 500 feet,” according to the resolution.

And, the resolution states, the borough would prefer, “that the Air Force conduct all supersonic operations in the (area) at or above 5,000 feet... to reduce sonic boom intensity and its effects on the surface.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski also provided comments on the plan Monday. Murkowski said she was agnostic on the plan except to say that the military should improve and enhance its training areas.

“The world class JPARC is a key attribute of Alaska’s value to the military in the 21st Century. No place else in America does the military have the opportunity to conduct state of the art training in diverse terrains without risk of encumbrance,” she said in a press release.

She went on to advocate for compatibility with civilian land uses.

“In preparing the Final Environmental Impact Statement every effort should be undertaken to harmonize mission requirements and community needs in order that user conflicts be avoided or mitigated to the maximum extent feasible,” Murkowski said.

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