PALMER - The Mat-Su Borough clerk has certified the citizen petition calling for a repeal of the power plant ordinance.

Sponsors of the petition to repeal the Mat-Su Borough's power plant ordinance turned in nearly 3,200 signatures in support of their efforts - well above the 1,854 required by the Borough.

The Borough clerk's office determined that enough valid signatures were collected for the petition, and now the question will go before the voters on the Borough's October ballot.

"MEA remains hopeful that the Borough Assembly will simply exempt natural gas plants from their ordinance," said Lorali Carter, MEA Manager of Government and Corporate Communications. 

The Borough Assembly adopted an ordinance last summer to regulate and require permits for power plants.  The consequences of the ordinance are sharply increased costs and time delays for MEA's natural gas plant.

"MEA believed at that time that the Borough was only trying to stop a coal plant, however, the ordinance applies to all generation facilities - including a natural gas plant," Carter explained.