The future of marine transportation and its importance to the state’s economy was discussed at the January KPEDD Industry Outlook Forum. Robert Venables, Executive Director of Southeast Conference was the featured speaker.
The Southeast Conference was incorporated to primarily advocate for the creation of the Alaska Marine Highway System and Venables stated that one of the top economic initiatives for the Southeast Alaska 2025 Economic Plan is to sustain and support the Alaska Marine Highway System.
Venables talks about the AMHS fleet status and how it ties into the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework that became law on November 15th:
“It’s a mixture of very old boats and aging boats that has kind of brought a perfect storm to…we don’t have enough money to leap to the next generation of what we need, and we hardly have enough money for the band aids and patches to keep what we’ve got going. What we have now is a very unique opportunity with the infrastructure bill that passed. Now if you’re going to ask me about the wisdom of keeping printing presses going 24 hours a day 8 days a week, we won’t go into that, but the money was passed and we’re certainly doing everything we can to have as much of it invested into infrastructure needs that we’ve got because this is going to be a one-shot deal that I don’t think we’ll see again of this magnitude.”
Benefits for Alaska Transportation Infrastructure includes:
- $3.5 billion to build, repair, and maintain Alaska roads and highways
- $225 million to address 140 Alaska bridges deemed “structurally deficient”
- A new $1 billion national program to fund essential ferry service supporting rural communities, including funding for the Alaska Marine Highway System. Alaska will also receive $73 million to construct and operate ferry boats and terminals
- $5 billion is allocated nationally to assist railways with critical capital projects and safety improvements, with the Alaska Railroad being an eligible recipient
- Increases Port Infrastructure Development Grant funding by $2.25 billion and provides an additional $250 million for remote and subsistence harbor construction
- Funding for airports, including set-asides for small and non-hub airports
Venables also laid out a future concept for the AMHS, which includes a 15-vehicle all-electric shuttle ferry. One attribute is that the costs for construction would be kept low, but he does say they’re designed for summer-only operation. The concept would contribute to reduced emissions in addition to more efficient equipment being made available such as electric motors/generators and multiple fuel options.
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