Alaska's Coastal Management Program Still Stranded

The Alaska Coastal Management Program, subject of much debate in the Legislature this year, is still reeling from a lack of compromise between the House and Senate. The program, which among other things provides the State a formal position with the federal government on projects that might occur in the state's coastal areas, could crash into the rocks ashore on June 30 if the two bodies can't find middle ground. That would be unfortunate for Alaska's coastal communities, those who work for the program, and for a whole host of other stakeholders, including resource developers. SWAMC, along with all six of Southwest Alaska's coastal districts and many of our regional communities, sent a letter to the Governor and the House and Senate leadership to urge support for the extension of the ACMP. Just when it looked like a special session to save the program was right in front of us - legislators were told to start booking plane tickets to Juneau - the dialogue broke down, and the program is in jeopardy of being cast away. With a month before the deadline, let's hope the ACMP is thrown a life preserver as lawmakers fully recognize the significance of the situation. Otherwise, lawsuits seem inevitable and Alaska - with more coastline than any other state - may just settle for pulling up an empty net.    

The Marine Transportation Advisory Board (MTAB) is scheduled to hold its next regular meeting at the Kodiak Convention Center on June 28. MTAB, established in 2003, serves the Department of Transportation in an advisory capacity on matters of the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS), including the mission, objectives, and performance goals of the system. The residents and businesses in Southwest Alaska recognize the economic importance of the AMHS. For a number of  years, SWAMC lobbied the Governor and Legislature for a return to twice-monthly ferry service out the Aleutian Chain in the summer months. That service has been critical to the Southwest region port-of-call communities, and we are extremely  thankful to the Governor and our regional delegation for their continued funding support of this service. The MTAB meeting in Kodiak will serve as a reminder of the value of the ferry system to the region, and will allow Board members the opportunity to learn first-hand of its economic importance.  

"To achieve long-term ecological and economic sustainability of the Nation's fishery resources and fishing communities, NOAA encourages the consideration and adoption of catch shares wherever appropriate in fishery management and ecosystem plans and amendments and will support the design, implementation, and monitoring of catch share programs." - NOAA Catch Share Policy 

The new fiscal year begins next month, and that in turn brings an opportunity to invest in the community and economic development of Southwest Alaska. Being a member of the Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference shows that communities, businesses and agencies - both large and small - can partner to form an alliance that advances the collective goals of an entire region. Southwest Alaskans want adequate infrastructure, working waterfronts, educational opportunities, stable energy, and a clean environment. Those are the issues SWAMC will continue to work on in the year to come. If you support our efforts and want to invest in the region, we ask you to please join the organization. Membership information will be in the mail and on the web within a few weeks. Thanks!       

As the 2010 Census information comes trickling in, data geeks are thrilled with the plethora of wonderful statistics we have to pore over. As one would expect with a region spanning nearly 1400 miles, there are some disparities between SWAMC boroughs. However, one stat that is relatively stable throughout the region is the construction boom of the 70s & 80s. Throughout the Southwest, housing starts slowly build from the 1940s through the 1980s before falling in every region except Bristol Bay Borough. The most striking revelation is that, besides the Kodiak Island Borough, almost no homes were built in the past 5 years; compounding this is the slowing of new housing stock constructed through the preceeding 5 years, making the past decade the slowest since the 1940s (see graph below, click to enlarge).  

Much of this makes sense when compared to the

health of two of the main economic drivers of the region: fisheries and government. A fairly strong correlation can be drawn to the construction of new housing and the value and growth of fisheries participants, as illustrated in SWAMC's recently released 30 Year Analysis of Fisheries Resources. The other explanation is the effect of our wealthy State government- flush with oil revenues- and the rising power of the late Senator Ted Stevens, coupled with several regional military installations. A more thorough analysis would be required to declare causation, but there is definitely a correlation.  

Historical New Housing Construction in SW Alaska