Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan’s infusion of federal funding for the Alaska Marine Highway System comes at a critical time.
The M/V Tustumena, a 296-foot ferry of the Alaska Marine Highway System, departs Homer on Thursday evening, September 1, 2016. The Tusty route also includes towns on Kodiak Island, the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands.
Without our ferry system, we’d be forced to make many of these purchases in Seattle. Our marine highway is much more than just supporting those of us in Kodiak to get off “the Rock”, it’s also — and perhaps more significantly — about supporting our Railbelt economies with dollars spent by those traveling to the area on Alaska’s ferries. Consequently, supporting Alaska’s Marine Highway is in the best interests of all Alaskans.
It’s my understanding that together, Murkowski and Sullivan have worked hand-in-hand with the FTA to secure $585 million in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for the improvement of Alaska’s ferry system over the past few years. My goodness, I’m so appreciative of their unwavering commitment to the AMHS and the well-being of all Alaskans — both those who use the ferries and those who benefit from the commerce that the AMHS brings.
I’ve heard some rumblings that the state match of $23 million may not materialize, but I trust such rumors are unfounded. Like federal “match” money provided to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Alaska Department of Education or the Alaska Department of Commerce, it’s just good fiscal policy for Alaska to spend a dollar in state money to receive $4 more in essential federal funding.
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