MEA wins 25-year easement on Trust land for Meadow Lakes substation

Matanuska Electric Association received a 25-year term non-exclusive easement from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority over Trust land at Church Road and Shampine Lane in Wasilla, removing one of several permitting obstacles for a planned 40-acre substation in Meadow Lakes.

The easement supports MEA's Fishhook to Pittman Transmission Line and Substations project, which would run a 115-kilovolt (kV) overhead line connecting the Pittman Road and Church Road areas to add capacity and redundancy for MEA customers and service-area residents.

The Trust Land Office issued the decision under case MHT 9201032, dated June 10, 2026. The easement is one step in a longer permitting path. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources posted a separate public notice in May 2026 for a related MEA application, ADL 234630, covering state-owned land for the same overhead 115 kV line and associated poles. That application is handled through the Southcentral Regional Land Office in Anchorage. A Matanuska-Susitna Borough public notice, MSB008306, filed the same day as the Trust decision, reflects ongoing borough-level easement actions tied to the same MEA infrastructure work.

Because the easement is non-exclusive, other compatible uses of the Trust land may continue. The Trust Land Office identifies that point as relevant to evaluating the decision's impact on Trust beneficiaries.

People who believe the decision is not in the best interest of the Trust or its beneficiaries, or conflicts with Trust management principles, may submit comments to the Trust Land Office at 2600 Cordova Street, Suite 201, Anchorage, by fax at (907) 269-8905, or by email to [email protected]. Copies of the written decision are available at the Trust Land Office or online.