Letters to the editor: July 17, 2007

Advice for Palin on pick

I am writing (to Gov. Sarah Palin) to emphasize an important concern I have about the damage party line voting has caused the state and the person she will nominate for Rep. Vic Kohring's seat in the Legislature.

Palin and I have both taken the position that politics as usual has damaged this state, and I know you agree with me that party line voting violates the public's trust when it requires legislators to vote against the public's interest and their own personal consciences.

Unfortunately, this type of voting occurs too often in Juneau.

It is crucial to the future of this state's oil and gas policy - issues you and I have worked together on - that Rep. Kohring's replacement be willing to stand up to the major oil companies and lobbyists and fight for a fair share for the state as we proceed with a gas line.

Their independence will likewise be needed as we work to replace the tainted oil tax law that passed last year under a cloud of FBI indictments and corrupted votes.

I will recount a few examples of how the pressure on legislators to engage in party line voting has damaged the state, only to emphasize that this is a real concern when it comes to politics in Juneau.

I know this has been a battle for Palin in fighting Republican Party Chairman Randy Reudrick, who I'd expect would want a party loyalist to be place in Rep. Kohring's seat.

I will state at the outset that I don't know any of the nominees and don't mean to suggest I have information that they would or would not be good legislators.

They may all be exceptional candidates. Any time any political party has a role in selecting a legislator, the public has a right to be assured that the pressure of party politics doesn't override the public's interest.

As you know from our fight to pass AGIA in a form the governor, I and other found acceptable, we only have a slight majority coalition of Democrats and Republicans who'll fight for our view of a fair share for the state on oil and gas issues.

What happened on that issue this past session undermines the importance of picking an independent voice to replace Rep. Kohring.

On oil and gas issues, Rep. Kohring's view was to keep oil taxes and the state's share of revenue for this common resource, as low as possible. That was the prevailing view of the Republican House leadership.

Until the FBI indictments this past spring, we worked with Palin's office to try to forge the votes we needed to pass AGIA and defeat amendments that would have undermined it.

We were helped quite a bit by pressure from the public, and the spring FBI indictments, which helped stop the move by some legislators to write AGIA in a manner that would have benefited the largest oil companies - Exxon, BP and Conoco Phillips - and harmed the state's ability to assert our sovereignty on oil and gas matters.

I know Palin would want a replacement for Kohring who will stand up for the state.

I hope she'll spend some time talking to the prospective candidates about their views on oil and gas matters, and whether they are willing to buck pressure to vote along party lines when they get to Juneau.

Rep. Les Gara

State House of

Representatives

Babcock full of

poppycock

Attending the Mat-Su Borough Planning Commission meeting Thursday, I listened for around a half an hour while Tuckerman Babcock of Matanuska Electric Association spoke against the proposed ordinance.

I previously read in the news that Babcock, in referring to this ordinance, had the audacity to tell the Borough Assembly to mind its own business!

MEA has plans to put a coal-fired plant in the middle of residential, wetland and agricultural land in Palmer. Despite MEA protestations to the contrary this would have permanent, devastating and profound, impacts on everyone in the Borough.

It is the Borough Assembly's duty to protect the health, social and environmental interests of its residents from exploitation.

At the meeting, Babcock repeatedly said the ordinance was &#8220moving ahead too fast” and that it was being &#8220railroaded” through.

An MEA member-owner replied, &#8220This is rich considering the tremendous rush on the part of MEA to railroad through a coal-fired plant in the Valley!”

Babcock spoke at length about alleged shortcomings in the ordinance.

Finally, a planning commission member asked, &#8220Mr. Babcock, have you read the proposed ordinance?” His answer was, &#8220No.”

Tuckerman Babcock, human resources director of MEA, has attacked an ordinance he hasn't even read!

Wayne Carmony, general manager for MEA, has created another false choice for member-owners in mailing his latest ballot, and did so without first consulting with the board.

Please call Lee Jordan, MEA board president, and ask him to explain why he has allowed some board members to drop the ball and risked giving the appearance of relinquishing his responsibilities to owner-members in favor of special interest coal companies?

Rita Campbell

Wasilla