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	Monday, October 16, 2006

My Bridge to Nowhere EIS Testimony This evening, I trooped down to the Captain Cook Hotel to give Government Hill's testimony on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Knik Arm Crossing. What an exercise this has all been. Here's the testimony Introduction My name is Stephanie Kesler and I am President of the Government Hill Community Council - a post I've held for the past three years - the past two years of which have been consumed by the Knik Arm Crossing Project. These comments are those of the Government Hill Community Council and are in response to the Draft EIS and the process that generated the Draft EIS. Our comments will address the following: Extension of Comment Period. Cost Estimates. The alternative routes. Degan and Erickson. Our proposed Solution - the Anchorage Access Solution. The accelerated process and the TeamBuilding Initiative. Our experience of the process. Extension of Comment Period Government Hill requests an extension to the comment period. This project, at a minimum, will cost a third to half of the entire state DOT/PF budget, and the DEIS is 6 inches thick, the public should get more than the minimum time of 45 days to provide comments. Cost Estimates The entire DEIS is twisted around the $600M cost ceiling - it is actually on the criteria of the purposed and needs statement. KABATA confidently states that the bridge can be built for $600 million. However, studies in the early 80's and in 2003 estimated the cost between $1 billion and $3 billion. On multiple occasions, Government Hill and other organizations have requested a comparative analysis between proposals. However, KABATA has not provided such an analysis. Instead, Chairman Wuerch has "assured" us that the current proposal is a "different plan." Well, sound fiscal policy demands accurate estimated - differences of $400 million to $2.4 billion are not insubstantial. In regards to toll revenues, KABATA is depending on toll revenues to cover the operating, maintenance, and 75% of the capital costs of the bridge. Well those toll revenues are completely dependent on a "ghost community" - that is development of the Point MacKennzie area that has yet to occur. KABATA's studies show that if growth patterns remain stable (i.e. Wasilla and Palmer continue to be the areas of growth), KABATA will come up hundreds of millions of dollars short. Because the DEIS was restricted to the truly unrealistic $600M estimate, several superior and significantly more viable alternatives were rejected out of hand. This is a classic case of the Emperor Has No Clothes. Well, the Knik Arm Crossing and its resultant DEIS have no clothes. Alternative Routes Several viable alternative routes have been identified, including the Boniface route which connected into the existing highway infrastructure. However, all alternatives were dismissed except for "two". The Degan and Erickson alternatives both of which cut both cut right through the heart of Government Hill and are within a block of each other. It is quite clear that while Degan and Erickson have been labeled "alternatives", they certainly are not true alternatives. Instead, they are minor variations on the same theme and not in keeping with the spirit of NEPA. Degan/Erickson The Degan alternative takes out three blocks of homes, destroys two parks, a historic building and terminates with a light at the bottom of one of the steepest, iciest, and most accident prone hills in Anchorage. The Erickson Route destroys two blocks of homes and businesses, takes out an additional 7 historic houses, and wipes out two parks. Both Degan and Erickson dump onto the A-C Couplet and will funnel traffic, much of which will be heavily loaded gravel trucks through downtown Anchorage. We are now being asked to weigh in on which route, we would prefer: Degan or Erickson. We are being asked to select which homes will be destroyed and identify the families that will be uprooted. This is a Sophie's Choice. Anchorage Access Solution Well, we're not interested in a Sopie's Choice. Afterall, this is not WWII Germany. So, we developed an alternative, called the Anchorage Access Solution. The solution was developed during a series of workshops and meetings with KABATA and HDR. Phase I is a feasible solution from an engineering point of view. It also offered the opportunity to work with the current business owners to revitalize our business district, and it did NOT destroy any homes - families would not be forced to move. But the Anchorage Access was dismissed out of hand because of impact on military housing and potential issues with Phase II. There are multiple options for Phase II, including Phase II of the Degan alternative. But those options were never explored. Instead, one option going through Elm Street caused the entire AAS to be rejected because of economic justice issues. There are so many ways this could work - but FHWA and KABATA refused to talk and explore. Instead they shut down talks and accused the Government Hill Community Council of attempting to off-load the impact onto low-income families. The Accelerated Process From Section 1.4 of the Knik Arm Crossing Scoping Summary Report on page 1-3: Because the proposed Knik Arm Crossing project was deemed nationally significant, FHWA selected it for participation in the NEPA TeamBuilding Initiative. The goal of this FHWA initiative is to improve the quality and timeliness of transportation development projects while ensuring stewardship of the human and natural environment. In addition, the TeamBuilding Initiative aims to assess potentially controversial impacts early in the NEPA process; use conflict-resolution techniques; build public trust through an effective public involvement process; identify opportunities to integrate innovative technology and data tools; and improve documentation of impacts from the proposed project and records. Our Experience of the Process and the Team Building Initiative For the past two years we have been consumed by the EIS process. We devoted hundreds of hours attending countless meetings, preparing responses, doing research, etc. Our experience of the process has been almost diametrically opposed to the description I just read. We have been shut out and isolated at almost every step of the way. From the very beginning, we've asked for joint meetings with the other stakeholders. Each of our requests were rejected. This is not anyone's idea of effective team building, conflict resolution or building of the public trust. At each of step of the process, we've been encouraged "to submit our comments", to take advantage of the opportunities to testify. Well, we've done that, time and time again. And at each instance, our comments have been duly noted, cataloged, and then completely ignored. The ultimate impact of our comments and participation has been use of time and resources to catalog those comments and then to figure out ways to explain the comments away. I'd like to see just one example of where our input has actually made any substantial difference in the process. We had one ray of hope last December and January when we engaged in a very intense series of context sensitive design meetings with FHWA. The AAS was the product of those meetings. And it was completely and rudely rejected. It was a clear slap in the face and we can't help but think that it was intended. All of our work for the past two years was done on our own time with our own money. This work was performed outside of our day jobs and away from our families. Unlike FHWA and KABATA, we don't get paid for our work. The irony of the situation is painful: We're fighting for our families, our homes, and our historic neighborhood while KABATA sits back, works the system, and rakes in the bucks. 8:30:39 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2006 Stephanie A. Kesler. Last update: 11/5/2006; 8:14:46 PM.