Coal-bed methane fuels yet another round of Valley activism

It seems activism in the Valley is powered by natural gas, and whether coal-bed methane is ever produced in commercially profitable levels here, there appears to be plenty to keep at least some Valley residents fired up about private-property rights and weak legislation.

Valley residents turned out in large, and vocal, numbers to voice complaints about the way subsurface leases were purchased, about the close relationship between some Valley legislators and Evergreen Resources Inc., and to implore the state to buy back the leases and start the process over under stricter guidelines. In another chapter, a group of local citizens launched the Ogan is So Gone campaign -- an attempt to recall Sen. Scott Ogan for alleged misconduct and conflicts of interest relating to CBM development.

The most recent development in the CBM battle will put the state of Alaska in the role of defendant in court. Friends of Mat-Su has filed suit against the state to challenge the handling of existing CBM leases in the Valley, and in other parts of the state.

While the charges cover much ground, the heart of the issue is the state's refusal to buy back the leases that blanket a large amount of private property.

The legislature, in the recent session, passed House Bill 531, which places more stringent requirements on future leases, but offers no comfort to people whose property was affected by the previous legislation. It's fair to ask, if the legislature identified sufficient problems in the old legislation to draft more stringent language now, how can the state justify standing pat on the previous leases? If we needed new legislation to protect property owners from future leases, it must be true that the previous legislation failed to protect the large number of people whose property is already under lease.

The opposition to the current process for CBM development has been characterized as being far-left environmentalists, influenced by Outside activists. In truth, they are local property owners who are forcefully standing up for their private-property rights. Some of them have stood on the side of zoning and planning, and some have argued for cautious development. Others are pro-growth people who simply want to ensure that growth benefits the community and the people who live here -- and that it is accomplished responsibly. There's nothing more Alaskan than standing up for personal rights and demanding fair treatment. There will always be enough passion to fuel those efforts in the Valley.