Gravel Grovel Garbling Gambling with Gangsters
Contributed by Joe Mondragon
There has been some spirited debate in the Valley recently in regard to property rights, specifically gravel rights. Though it was tabled this week, it will be returning to public debate. Conservatives in the assembly are fighting to amend permits to be required at 10,000 cubic yards of gravel instead of the current 2,000 yards. Replacing the permit would be registration for gravel sites extracting between 2,000 and 10,000 yards. Though championed as a change made for the up and coming contractor, when taken in aggregate with the rest of the boroughs plans, I find it hard to believe our future Borough will be making things any easier for those not already well established (like some of the assembly members' construction companies).
First, the changes to the ordinance are minimal- replacing a permit process with a registration process- not fewer hoops to jump through, just maybe a little simpler. Though the changes are minimal, the political powers that be and media outlets have ginned this into a crisis. This is a common tactic elites use to control narratives. Politicians can show their constituents how hard they worked when in reality they just put a magnifying glass on what little they did do. As was the case Tuesday night, after ‘fighting’ hard to try and pass this legislation, it was not even put to a vote. An end to the drama, most of the public left the meeting on this note. Apparently nobody told them to worry about what else the assembly is doing.
Second, a registration process could very well set up the infrastructure for future assemblies to usurp more authority over smaller gravel extractions. Now that there is a simpler, easier, process in place, why not register all lots? Potentially subjecting any property with earth moving equipment on site to future bureaucratic oversight. A true effort to reduce regulation would reduce the text of the ordinance, not add more layers of bureaucracy. One of the reasons for citing this was so they could cement the registration process into the ordinance (at time of tabling it was just a proposed amendment).
Third, while extremely vocal about other issues. There is virtually no resistance to the federal government making further infiltration into borough planning with the Metropolitan Planning Organization. The MPO is a non-governmental agency that will use federal grant money, influencing planners to urbanize more and more of Mat-Su. Regulations on small developments will likely increase, not decrease. Furthermore, the federal grant money will likely go to larger contractors who can afford to take on the large projects, grant money that was stolen from hardworking Alaskans like the small contractor. Effectively, small companies will be subsidizing large ones.
Storm water permits are also in planning for the Valley. So contractors will have to deal with federal regulations regarding building on acre lots or bigger, but they might not have to worry about a local gravel permit. The Assembly is putting up no resistance to these federal encroachments on our independent Alaskan spirit. Alaskans are good neighbors and regulate themselves better than DC can; just litter in front of someone if you don’t believe me. What regulations will come after this? Banning rainwater collection? Banning irrigation of private farmland (something I am all too familiar with)?
The whole world is moving in the direction of more centralization, more technocratic oversight, and less individualism. At best, easing gravel permit restrictions make these ideas easier to digest, at worst they unlock the back door to more regulation on site developers. Voters, don't be fooled by wolves in sheep's clothing. When politicians point left, look right; be on guard. We need to make every effort to stop foreign influence on our community. The Borough seems to think they answer to the federal government and will gamble our freedom for their coffers. They answer to us, but the feds shower them with (our) money, and when they use the feds cash they imply this is no extra cost to our community, but it’s costing our independence. It is up to us to fight the cronies, keep our governance local, and defend our property rights. You are power!
