MEA wins easement on Mental Health Trust land in Wasilla

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office granted Matanuska Electric Association a term non-exclusive easement Wednesday covering 0.007 acre on Church Road and Shampine Lane in Wasilla. The easement allows the cooperative to use Trust land for electric utility infrastructure and access. The easement gives MEA defined use rights over the parcel for utility purposes without exclusive possession, limited to a specified term, and generates revenue for Trust accounts supporting Alaskans with mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, and traumatic brain injury.

The notice is a decision to issue an easement, not confirmation that physical construction has started. The available public material does not identify any rate impact, outage, or safety issue tied to this easement. The action may matter to nearby landowners, road users, and MEA customers if construction, access, or maintenance activities follow the easement decision.

The authorization follows a pattern of Trust land use in the Wasilla area. A 2021 Trust Land Office notice documented an existing 30-foot public access easement and an MEA power line on a nearby Trust parcel, showing that the area already accommodates both public access and electrical infrastructure.

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority holds approximately one million acres of land statewide. The Trust Land Office manages the land through authorizations including land sales, leases, and easements to generate revenue for Trust beneficiaries. Revenues from Trust land uses such as easements are deposited into Trust accounts and used by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority to fund programs and projects benefiting the beneficiary populations.

Matanuska Electric Association is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 51,000 members in the Matanuska-Susitna and Eagle River/Chugiak areas. The cooperative routinely acquires easements as needed to construct and maintain power lines and related electrical infrastructure.