Girdwood Board reverses stance on Gas Line

Residents appeal State’s approval of controversial project

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

The Girdwood Board of Supervisors recently declined to support an appeal against a contentious gas line proposal, despite previously voting to oppose the pipeline project. This decision comes after the Girdwood Land Use Committee had voted to support the appeal.

Enstar Natural Gas Company proposed a 20-foot-wide, mile-long pipeline through an old-growth rainforest in the valley over a year ago. 

The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) later approved the plan, citing a 52-year-old section line easement. 

A 20-foot wide clear cut would slice through the Virgin Creek watershed.

Although Enstar boasts a "system-wide 99.99 percent reliability rate," a company official stated last year that a new pipeline is needed to serve as a backup for the existing line. The proposed route involves tunneling beneath Glacier Creek from Ruane Road and then clear-cutting a swath to Virgin Creek Road.

In its approval letter, the DNR repeatedly noted that certain concerns were "beyond the scope of the decision." However, the department's approval did not sit well with local residents, some of whom drafted a letter appealing the state's decision. 

This letter was presented to Girdwood's Land Use Committee, suggesting an alternative route with a lower environmental impact that aligns more closely with Girdwood's comprehensive plan.

"We were never able to talk with Enstar about alternatives," said Jennifer Wingard, a GBOS member, during the land use meeting. "That conversation never happened."

 Jay Rokos, a land manager, stated that the DNR does not propose alternative routes, stating that it is Enstar's responsibility. Enstar has claimed that factors such as cost, safety, and engineering were considered in its routing decision, but it did not clarify whether community concerns and environmental impacts were also taken into account.

 "The idea here is to present an alternative and to answer questions as to why this alternate route was not proposed [initially]," said Brice Wilbanks.

The Land Use Committee agreed and moved to recommend that the Girdwood Board of Supervisors support an appeal. However, the GBOS vote ended in a 2-2 tie on Monday, which meant the motion to appeal failed. The board voted against the Enstar project the previous year.

Despite concerns that the new pipeline would disrupt existing trails, board member Brian Burnett suggested that Enstar's route could potentially lead to the creation of more trails. 

"If Enstar were to use its easement as intended, I don't know if it would damage the future use of this section of land. It could quite possibly allow for future trail development," he said, adding that a cleared section line could "more effectively protect the land" with a developed trailhead and trails.

However, Brendan Raymond-Yakoubian, who filed an appeal with two other local residents, cautioned against assuming too much. 

"I want to reinforce that we need to be careful about unknowns here," Raymond-Yakoubian told the supervisors. He said the proposed route will assuredly impact existing trails and warned that "future development could ruin all trail opportunities there."