No rest for those in the drilling debate

Frontiersman editorial board

For Valley residents who've been buried up to their necks in coal-bed methane information for the past month, this seems a great time for a break. The weekly public workshops held by DNR are over, and comments given at the meetings are now in the hands of state workers, hopefully to emerge as a cohesive document that satisfies all parties involved -- or at least leaves all equally dissatisfied.

With Wednesday nights free, it's awfully tempting to sit back on CBM issues and let others dominate for the time being. Unfortunately, just as DNR's process is winding down, the Legislature's attention is turning toward CBM-related bills, and now is the time to take part in that public process. As those who attended a recent hearing on the revamped House Bill 395 know, some in the Legislature are content to try to shuffle through significant changes in shallow-gas legislation while the public is otherwise distracted. After HB 395, sponsored by Reps. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer, Bill Stoltze, R-Butte/Chugiak and John Harris, R-Valdez, was merged with the Oil and Gas Committee's HB 420, a few key components were missing -- namely language relating to monetary compensation for damage done through the drilling process. When those and other changes to the bill were addressed by the committee Thursday, no public hearing was scheduled, and the bill was not specifically publicized, coming up under the catch-all, "bills previously heard or scheduled." Changes such as cutting the compensatory language, made through the merging process, were passed off as minor tweaks, and nearly flew under the radar, not only of the listening public, but of the committee members. The few Alaska residents who tuned in reportedly requested to speak and an impromptu public hearing was opened up.

The bills relating to shallow-gas development have the potential to set the standard for CBM development in the Valley and across the state for the next decade or longer. Although those concerned or curious about CBM development in the Valley may be exhausted from the last month of public testimony and discussion, the time to rest has not yet arrived. Whatever your stance on CBM development, now is the time to make your opinion known and set the tone for the Valley's future -- or be prepared to settle for what a few legislators, lobbyists and fringe spectators from various sides are willing to allow.