By Brian O’Connor

Sentinel writer

The Thomas Bay Power Commission heard acrimonious discussion Tuesday about the power authority at the center of a political tussle between the Petersburg and Wrangell borough assemblies.

Discussion centered around two central questions: the short-term future of the Authority and the longer-term future of electricity generation and sales in Southeast Alaska.

Commissioner Warren Edgley moved for discussion on the possibility of eliminating the Thomas Bay Power Authority and moving its employees – and the operations and maintenance contract TBPA maintains with the Southeast Alaska Power Authority – to the borough of Wrangell.

“I’ve said for a number of years that the (TBPA) operationally, they’re still relevant,” he said. “I think, from a management standpoint, the (TBPA) is irrelevant.”

The move could eliminate concerns about an extra level of power bureaucracy between the consumers and the Tyee Lake power plant, Edgley said.

“It does make the contractor one of the purchasing authorities,” he said. “There’d be some bumps in the road as far as making that transfer, but it would get rid of this whole issue of non-net billable.”

Edgley’s plan parallels one presented Sept. 10 by SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson. Under Acteson’s plan, the TBPA employees would be absorbed by SEAPA.

“I don’t see any real problem,” with the Wrangell plan, Edgley said.

Petersburg commissioners, who joined the meeting via speakerphone, said the plan was credible.

“I don’t think there would be any opposition to that, from Petersburg anyway,” said Commissioner Joe Nelson.

TBPA president John Jenson said he would broach the subject with “Trey,” referring to Acteson, which drew a heated rebuke from former TBPA president Paul Anderson, who attended the meeting, along with retired state Sen. Robin Taylor.

“One of the things I’m hearing, is that you’re being set up, mainly to go on first name basis with Trey – or whoever he is – down there at SEAPA,” Anderson said. “You should do everything under a motion, so you have the legal authority of the commission. This first-name basis crap has gotta cease.”

No decision could be made without the authority of the assemblies, Anderson said.

“Anything you gotta do is going to come under the two governments,” he added. “It’s gotta go through Petersburg and it’s gotta go through Wrangell.”

Edgley, Taylor, and Anderson all said they supported an electrical interconnection with British Columbia — often labeled the BC-AK —which would tie local power service in Southeast Alaska to service providers. The interconnect would allow access to either cheaper natural-gas-powered electricity from the lower 48, or possibly allow groups like the TBPA, SEAPA, and other public utilities to develop larger-scale projects and sell the extra electricity to others.

The authority was originally created to perform such long-term planning and not become ensnared with political scuffles, Taylor said.

“Sadly, we’re embroiling ourselves instead of looking to the future,” he said. “I don’t hear from this commission … for developing anything.”

The board’s two action items, one involving a conflict of interest with Sunrise Aviation, and another involving a potential lawsuit from former TBPA manager Paul Southland, were tabled until the board’s next meeting, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 11.