Last week, Governor Mike Dunleavy introduced legislation that would revitalize the Alaska Marine Highway board following recommendations from the 2020 Alaska Marine Highway Reshaping Report, which aims to create a more reliable and efficient highway system to serve coastal Alaska into the future.
According to the Alaska State Legislature, House Bill 134 would repeal the Alaska Marine Transportation Advisory Board and establish the Alaska Marine Highway System Operation and Planning Board. It also would consist of members serving in alternating terms and require a snort and long-term operations plan to be provided to the governor, legislature and to the public. The short-term reports will address the Alaska Marine Highway System financial information, cost savings and strategies, scheduling, maintenance, regulatory compliance and other additional matters. The long-term plans will cover objectives, planning assumptions, fleet planning and a timeline for major operations milestones.
The process began in January 2020 with Administrative Order No. 313, which would establish the Alaska Marine Highway Reshaping Work Group. Later in the year, a report of findings from the work group included:
- Repeal and Replacement of Marine Transportation Advisory Board
- Strengthening AMHS Governance
- Strengthening Governance Support
- Improving System Reliability
- Stabilizing Budget Planning
- Reducing System Costs
- Renegotiation of Marine Union Labor Agreements
- Increasing System Revenue
- Leveraging Road Infrastructure
Under House Bill 134, the board will prepare and submit its first reports to the governor no later than September 1, 2021.