Controversial Juneau CBM meeting canceled

MAT-SU -- Two assembly members were prepared to head to Juneau for a March 3 meeting with Rep. John Harris, R-Valdez, over objections by some assembly members when the Mat-Su Borough Assembly adjourned at midnight Tuesday. But when Wednesday rolled around, it turned out the discussion was moot -- there was no meeting after all.

The meeting in question was suggested by Harris, who was looking for a way to allow people on several sides of the issue to discuss pending legislation, according to his staff. He called Mat-Su Borough Manager John Duffy to discuss the meeting, and Duffy relayed the request to the assembly at its Feb. 17 meeting.

On Feb. 23, Harris sent a letter to Duffy, elaborating on the invitation he had made. Harris, in the letter, invited assembly members Bruce Bush, Betty Vehrs and Jody Simpson to Juneau "to discuss the logjam surrounding coal-bed methane."

The assembly members Harris requested, he wrote in the letter, were selected because they "are most affected by coal-bed methane in their assembly districts."

Rick VanderKolk, a legislative aide for Harris, said the office wasn't seeking to exclude members of the assembly, only to be sure those whose districts are most heavily affected by CBM drilling were at the table.

"The key thing was just having three, so we didn't violate the open meetings act," VanderKolk said.

After receiving Harris' letter, Assembly Member Jim Colver sent out a press release, stating his opposition to a closed-door meeting with Harris.

"I do not feel it is appropriate to do the public's business behind closed doors," Colver wrote in the release. "I welcome a discussion with the Legislature on coal-bed methane legislation which is open to the public."

Simpson challenged Colver's issuance of the press release at Tuesday's assembly meeting, and questioned where he got the idea the meeting was to be held behind closed doors.

"This is not a closed-door meeting, this is an open-door meeting," Simpson insisted.

Colver said the idea that the meeting was going to be behind closed doors came from informal discussions with borough staff seeking to put the meeting together.

In discussing the issue, Simpson said she had a plane ticket for an 8 a.m. flight to Juneau in hand, and was still deciding whether she would use it. Mayor Tim Anderson asked her what he would do if those taking part in the meeting decided to close the door.

"Are you going to stay?," he asked. "No," Simpson said. Simpson later said she wouldn't feel comfortable participating in a closed-door meeting -- "I just don't do that," she said.

VanderKolk said he didn't know of any stated intent between closed or open doors.

"The intent was to have an open and frank discussion without violating open meeting laws," VanderKolk said. "I think we were open to have a dialogue of any sort."

Simpson didn't get on the plane Wednesday morning; she said she felt the two resolutions passed by the assembly Tuesday, making recommendations to the Legislature concerning CBM legislation, would give Valley legislators a good idea of their stance.

"I thought what we ended up with last night was a good start," Simpson said Wednesday. "We took care of the main things I wanted to see."

The assembly passed unanimously two resolutions outlining their stance on coal-bed methane legislation; what they would like to see included and how they'd like current laws to be changed. Through the resolution, they request noise mitigation requirements for compressor stations, minimum setbacks be established for well heads and compressor stations, master plans locating all facilities and improvements proposed by leasees, safety buffers around development, testing of fluids and drinking water and several other protections be included into legislation moving forward in the Legislature. Passing the resolution, Anderson said after the meeting, allows assembly members to present the ideas contained in the document to legislators or others as a stance agreed upon by the assembly. It also gives the borough lobbyist, Ray Gillespie, a tool to use during public meetings or committee hearings to present the assembly's view on CBM legislation.

Although the assembly passed the two resolutions unanimously, they weren't as supportive of the idea to meet with Harris. Colver, in bringing up the topic, made a motion that the assembly would decline the invitation to Juneau, but welcomed an opportunity to teleconference the meeting with the full assembly, provided that took place in a meeting open to the public.

Bush, at the Tuesday meeting, told assembly members he had no qualms about attending the meeting, open doors or closed.

"We have no authority to tell the state how to do their business," Bush said. "I have a good feeling this meeting is going to turn out very good for this borough."

Some at the assembly mentioned the meeting seemed to have taken on an air of back-door deal-cutting with industry officials. VanderKolk said there were no proposals on the table, although representatives from Evergreen Resources were invited to participate.

"There was no official proposal on behalf of industry or of a participant group," VanderKolk said. "There was a sense of wanting to discuss proposals and to keep options open."

Bush, in Juneau Wednesday, said the meeting had been called off because it had become a political football.

"Jim shipwrecked the whole thing," Bush said, referring to Colver and the press release he sent out. Bush said when he arrived in Juneau Wednesday morning, he found out Evergreen had backed out of the meeting, as had several legislators who planned to attend. He said he spent Wednesday visiting the offices of various legislators, working to "smooth things over," and let them know the assembly is in favor of aspects of the legislation that's proceeding through the Legislature.

"It's really too bad we're not able to sit down and talk to people before they start throwing stones," Bush said.

VanderKolk said the meeting's cancellation was due largely to the politicization of the meeting, but there were other reasons for its cancellation as well.

"The primary reason this did not take place in a timely and productive fashion was that it was unnecessarily politicized," VanderKolk said. "Because of the timing [of the assembly's Tuesday meeting], we didn't know who would participate in it until six or seven in the morning. If you have a low participation, it looks unfair -- to have a meeting where few, if any want to take part, it's best to hold off."

VanderKolk said there are no plans to schedule another meeting at this time.

Contact Rindi White at rindi.white@frontiersman.com.