A state senator who is powerful from Bethel introduced an act last year that would allow the state to assume Anchorage’s port. This is where most of the material that is shipped to Alaska gets shipped.
In the process of being considered, Senate Bill 155 will take the ownership of this crucial infrastructure to the municipality and transfer this to the State, possibly by eminent Domain. State Senator. Lyman Hoffman, a Bethel Democrat is the bill’s non-official author, but hasn’t openly discussed the bill.
It’s been 8 months have passed, as the Legislature getting ready to begin its new session Anchorage officials remain not sure why legislators from the state would take up this battle.
“The state will take the steps that the state is gonna do, and it’s going to be the legal battle of the century as we ask them to provide an explanation for taking in the event that they do take action on this target,” Anchorage Assembly Chair Chris Constant said. “It will be an extremely exciting battle.”
The state Senate took around 14 minutes in May, introducing the bill that would allow the port to be taken over. The Senate secretary then read the SB 155‘s title then the Senate President sent the bill for consideration by two different committees.
This was the totality of the public discussion that the Legislature has had on the bill. It was the last day of session.
“This was very shocking,” Constant said during the briefing held on July.
“I was also shocked,” said Wendy Chamberlain who is the city’s lobbyist for state.
And and, as Port of Alaska spokesperson Jim Jager said this week “We we were just as shocked like everyone else when it floated off.”
(If you’re thinking, “Yes, for now it’s known as”the Port of Alaska, but the city of Anchorage manages it and owns it. In terms of weight, around 50% of the products that come into the state come through the port).
Member of the Assembly Meg Zaletel chairs the local committee that is responsible for the port. Zaletel requested Sen. Hoffman to discuss it with her committee. In November the month of November, a Hoffman staffer informed her via an email they were not prepared.
Hoffman’s office staff said nobody would be available to speak with Hoffman about this story either until after the Legislature is back in session.
The bill calls for the creation of a public company known as”the Port of Alaska Authority. It will be managed by a board that is appointed from the Governor and legislative leadership and Anchorage’s elected officials locally.
The bill also pays particular focus on the ongoing case that the municipality and federal agency which was in charge of the oversight of an unfinished port development project that started in the beginning of 2000. A judge from the trial court made a ruling that in the year 2022 that the federal government owes greater than $367 million to the City. The feds appealed and the parties are currently working to schedule oral arguments in the federal appeals court.
The bill stipulates that the state that is cash-strapped will pay for the legal expenses to continue fighting the lawsuit in addition to any amount the federal government winds with paying the city.
Port director Steve Ribuffo said his office hasn’t been approached about the possibility of a port acquisition.
“So far, we haven’t been asked in one in any way or the other regarding our feelings on this issue,” Ribuffo said. “And since it’s in the category of policy and we don’t create policies here, I’m certainly not taking any position on the issue. We’ll do whatever the authorities determine is the best path forward.”
The legislative session next year starts in January. 16.
In the meantime the mayor’s head of staff Mario Bird, said the administration has no intention of abandoning the port.
“That is not what taxpayers in Anchorage were expecting for the past 50 or sixty years,”” Bird said. “And the administration’s position is that taxpayers must be respected.”
