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Hello
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Currently the state is faced with a more than $1
billion supplemental budget request from the Governor including $374
million in State General Funds. This request adds stress to an
already frayed fiscal situation. $70 million
of that supplemental budget request is to cover match funds for road
projects.
Last year, the Legislature made a deliberate fiscal
decision: we reappropriated unused funds from the Juneau Access
Project and other dormant capital projects to help cover Alaska’s
state match for federal highway dollars. Because the Federal Highway
Administration provides nine dollars for every state dollar invested,
this was a responsible way to stretch limited state resources and
bring more federal funding home for road construction across Alaska.
Despite this clear legislative direction, the
Department of Transportation moved ahead with a $28.5 million, state
funded contract for Phase 1 of a new ferry terminal at Cascade Point,
thirty miles north of the existing Auke Bay terminal. While studies suggest
that a terminal at Cascade Point would shorten ferry routes and might
reduce operating costs, the decision to proceed now, and to do so
entirely with state funds, raises serious concerns.
Phase 1 extends Glacier Highway by half a mile to the
beach at Cascade Point, includes a crossing of Cascade Creek, and
prepares the site for a future ferry terminal. It also creates road
access that could support future industrial activity, including a potential
ore terminal for the New Amalga Mine and a closer port for the
Kensington Mine’s worker vessel. These may be worthwhile
developments, and I absolutely support responsible resource
development that strengthens Alaska’s economy.
However, the issue here is not the concept of
improving access to Cascade Point, it is the process and the fiscal
choices being made. Moving forward with a $28.5 million project using
only state dollars, when a federally funded route was available,
contradicts the Legislature’s explicit direction and ignores the
financial reality our state is facing. In addition, more than 90
percent of recent public comments from Southeast Alaskans oppose the
project, yet the
concerns of Alaskans have not been meaningfully addressed.
Last week, I held a Senate Transportation Committee
hearing with DOT leadership to understand why this project is being
advanced now and in this manner. I did not hear a compelling
explanation for the urgency or for bypassing federal funding
opportunities. When decisions of this magnitude lack transparency and
fiscal justification, public trust in government erodes.
I cannot defend this as responsible stewardship of
state resources. I will continue to pursue clarity on the legality of
moving forward with Phase 1 under these circumstances and explore
what options the Legislature has to address DOT’s decision.
I
am honored to be your effective advocate in Juneau. Please contact my
office when you have ideas or concerns by calling 907-283-7996 or by
email at sen.jesse.bjorkman@akleg.gov
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