Hatcher Pass land part of lease

SUTTON -- The leadership of the Mat-Su Borough was among those surprised to find out that one of the Valley's big projects, Hatcher Pass, was on land approved for shallow natural gas drilling lease.

"We didn't know about the Hatcher Pass leases," Borough Mayor Tim Anderson said after a meeting Monday in Sutton to discuss coal-bed methane.

The more-than-3,000 acres the borough recently secured title to from the Department of Natural Resources that is slated to become a ski resort in Hatcher Pass is listed on DNR maps as land on which a shallow natural gas lease has been issued.

Representatives from the department told those gathered at the Sutton Elementary School Monday they had received the leases, but "can't fathom why they applied there." While some in the audience joked about skiing between drilling pads, state officials pointed out that simply holding a lease does not mean the area will be drilled.

Anderson, after the meeting, said he believes the borough can help in letting property owners know about whether drilling is proposed on their property by making sure any information they receive about the leasing of sub-surface rights is passed on to community councils and other community groups when they're received. He said he plans to discuss the procedure with borough staff.