In a regular board meeting of the Matanuska Electric Association, the board offered the job of general manager to Joe Griffith. Griffith is currently MEA’s interim general manager. (more…)

Strong winds blowing through the Mat-Su area, wreaked havoc in the Wasilla Palmer area but for the most part spared the upper Susitna valley from damages. (more…)

SPECIAL HEARING— State legislators came to the annual AFN convention to listen to invited testimony on energy issues, on Friday, Oct. 23 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage. Photo by Diana Haecker

The joint House and Senate energy committees gathered on Friday afternoon to hold an unprecedented special hearing at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage. The 17 senators and representatives present  listened to invited testimony of Native community leaders. Cook Inlet Region Incorporated’s energy expert Ethan Schutt said that Southcentral faces real challenges in the near future as 90 percent of the energy producing turbines are spun with natural gas and it’s supply is waning. (more…)

The board of directors of the Matanuska Electric Association voted to offer a settlement of $50,000 to two former employees who have sued MEA over severance pay. (more…)

The Matanuska Electric Association Board of Directors unanimously voted to authorize an increase in base rates effective this fall. (more…)

Matanuska Electric Association’s General Manager, Wayne Carmony, has been terminated.

At a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, the MEA Board of Directors passed a motion to proceed with Carmony’s termination for cause and placed him on immediate paid administrative leave pending further action by the Board.  (more…)

Bickering at Matanuska Electric Association membership meetings  has continued.  The annual membership meeting and elections were held more than 2 weeks ago and there are still arguments as to board legitimacy. (more…)

Matanuska Electric Association Board of Directors fired two MEA employees at their regular monthly meeting Monday. The board directed general manager Wayne Carmony to fire both Tuckerman Babcock, assistant general manager and Bruce Scott, director of information technology. The two were long time employees.   Another motion passed to direct the board attorney to begin negotiating with Carmony the terms of Carmony’s own termination. The Board meeting tape is posted on MEA’s website. The action comes within 2 weeks of the annual MEA membership meeting to be held April 25^th in Palmer.

Story by Diana Haecker

The Matanuska Electric Association board of directors last week unanimously voted to cut electric rates by almost 1.7% starting the first week of April. Rates were raised almost 17% last month, due to the higher natural gas prices paid by MEA to Chugach Electric Association. (more…)