Legislature allows executive order eliminating Rec Rivers Board

A joint session of the Alaska Legislature failed to override an executive order that would eliminate the Recreational Rivers Advisory Board on Tuesday. The order was one of twelve that legislators considered. In total, eight of those were overturned.

The board and associated management plan cover six waterways, including the Talkeetna, Susitna, and Deshka Rivers. It has been in the process of considering revisions to the management plan.  Representative Andy Josephson of Anchorage spoke in favor of allowing the board to continue operating. Josephson believes the governor is specifically targeting the board.

“The governor, as I understand it, removed Mr. Israel Mahay as chair, and I believe…that Mr. Mike Overcast was also removed from the board. So there’s something that the board was doing that drew the attention, I believe, of the governor’s office.”

Nearly all legislators representing the Mat-Su were against overriding the executive order, including Representative Kevin McCabe and Senator Mike Shower, who represent the Northern Susitna Valley.  Shower says diverse representation of user groups is a significant issue, but that the board is too restrictive on development.

“While I want to see that input, what I can’t stand as a senator representing this specific area of the state is a board that’s going to be anti-development in a place that needs good energy—which we do. And we’re already facing that in Southcentral, yet…we can’t develop anything. We can’t build a pipeline. We can’t build a new bridge. We can’t do anything.”

Currently, one of the major development projects under discussion for the area is the West Susitna Access Road.

The vote to override the executive order failed 30 to 29.