MEA election worth serious consideration

Valley residents - at least those on the power grid - will find a ballot in their mailboxes in the coming days from Matanuska Electric Association. The member-owned cooperative has three seats on its board of directors up for grabs.

To the uninitiated, this may seem unimportant. But it could be argued this is the most important MEA election ever.

MEA management, with the blessing of its board of directors, wants to end its long relationship with Chugach Electric and build a coal-fired power plant to serve ratepayers. During a series of public hearings on the matter two weekends ago, a number of questions and concerns were raised. Few got satisfactory answers.

The fact of the matter is, there are few definitive answers to give about ultimate costs and what the future might hold decades down the line. The staggeringly costly plan, outlined in a 76-page document that management won't share with its members, seems to be based on a paternalistic &#8220just trust us” attitude that those in attendance at the public meetings were not inclined to blindly buy into.

With good reason.

As ratepayers ponder their ballots in the coming days, they would be wise to ask those who would represent them a few questions.

Is there a Plan B? What happens if the plan to generate power of our own fails?

The reasoning behind using coal is a stated lack of a reliable supply of natural gas. Yet, the plan calls for additional power-generating capacity down the road from natural gas. Where does MEA expect this gas to come from? Is there a Plan B if gas is still not available?

Perhaps the most important questions of all to be asked of a board candidate are these: Are you satisfied with the level of transparency and accountability in place at MEA? Are members well-served by the current board and management team?

We encourage everyone not only to vote, but to seriously consider all that is at stake before doing so.