Locals: Put gas line on Glenn

June 12, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK\Frontiersman reporter

SUTTON - The shifting route of a proposed natural-gas pipeline touted by the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority is worrying residents of the Chickaloon and Sutton areas, many of whom are still smarting from battles over coal-bed methane drilling in their communities.

"I want to see an act of faith that looks real," said Robin McLean, a Sutton Community Council member who said the pipeline would pass behind her property. "We're all sick of fighting things. I'm not against natural gas. I'm against backcountry being destroyed. There's no way you can put this in without wrecking the backcountry around here."

McLean spoke at last week's meeting of ANGDA's chief executive officer, Harold Heinze, with representatives of the state, Chickaloon Village Tribal Council, Sutton Community Council and others whose land could be altered by the planned spur line between Glennallen and Palmer.

Repeatedly, people at the meeting asked what they could do to persuade the state Department of Natural Resources to consider a route that would not travel through Native-owned lands and private property.

"Three communities want this going down the highway. If everyone was unified, couldn't this project be built along the Glenn Highway, which has been under improvements for the past 10 years?" McLean asked.

The idea of putting a 140-mile spur line next to the Glenn Highway was entertained at the genesis of the project, but just isn't feasible, Heinze said.

"Frankly, for good engineering reasons, following the highway isn't a good idea," he said.

"When we started this project, we were going to go along the highway. We studied the alternative. Outside Glennallen to outside Eureka was OK, but around Caribou Creek, the highway is barely hanging on. The side slopes won't be suitable for equipment. If we drop straight down into the valley, it's hard to bring the pipeline back up to the road again."

He said the Matanuska River has already eroded the state's right of way there. He said future state plans for moving the Glenn are another drawback - placing the route in DOT's right of way would require more bureaucracy.

Janetta Pritchard, a DNR resources specialist, said residents could provide DNR with written comments. "You know more about the area where you live than we do. Provide us with more information. This is not a pipeline route cast in concrete," Pritchard said.

Currently, a right-of-way application - for passage through state lands only - is under review by the DNR commissioner, Heinze said. This includes state land that belongs to all Alaskans, and not specially designated acreage, Heinze said.

"Without state right of way, there is no project," he said.

"Without tribal lands right of way, there is no project," Chickaloon Village resident Bruce Harrison countered. "If we say you can't cross our land, you should pack your bags because you're big oil all the way. You've already decided where the route will be, and you're going to cram it down our throats."

"We acknowledge that the route passes through Native lands," Heinze said, adding that state land comprises two-thirds of the proposed spur-line route.

"If you're going to put a pipeline through our community, what kind of benefits will we reap? I haven't got an answer yet, other than someone else is going to get gas somewhere else," Gary Harrison said.

Heinze said an emergency-services vehicle and building needed during the construction phase would be given to the community. The project would establish new trailheads that could be used locally.

Heinze said getting North Slope gas to Southcentral, where most of Alaska's population resides, is what drives this project.

"It would be a shame if Chicago got North Slope gas first," he said in a phone interview Friday.

Dawn De Busk may be reached at 352-2252, or at dawn.debusk@frontiersman.com.