Senate Bill 148, a bill which excludes Homer’s Port and Harbor from the Kachemak Bay Critical Habitat Area and was sponsored by Sen. Peter Micciche, passed the legislature last week.
Because Homer is the only year-around ice free, deep water port in the Cook Inlet and an associated state statute failed to codify an existing exemption, the City of Homer was experiencing costly and time-consuming permitting hurdles for construction projects in the port and harbor.
Sen. Micciche said, “The bill removes hurdles that are impractical and inefficient for a large municipal port and harbor facility, however also ensures that activities conducted at the Homer Port and Harbor remain subject to all applicable state and federal statutes and regulations governing ports in environmentally valuable marine waters.”
Senate Bill 148 now goes to Governor Sean Parnell for his signature.