Federal departments announce about $280M in funding for Alaska projects

The Alaska Highway is seen adjacent nan separator pinch Canada connected April 27, 2022. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/Alaska Beacon)

Three departments of nan U.S. authorities person announced they person awarded astir $280 cardinal successful caller backing for proscription and power projects successful Alaska, money made disposable done nan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and nan Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

In its announcement, nan U.S. Department of Transportation said connected Wednesday that it is sending astir $54 million, pinch nan costs made imaginable by nan bipartisan 2021 infrastructure bill, to 3 Alaska projects.

One project, to get $25 million, is for restoring astir 45 miles of nan Alaska Highway that has been degraded by permafrost thaw and different ambiance alteration impacts, nan section said. Another $25 cardinal will spell to nan City and Borough of Wrangell for a task revitalizing nan harbor, nan section said. The task involves nan creation and building of floating and anchoring systems, water, electrical and fire-suppression systems and relocation of parking, nan section said. The 3rd project, which is getting conscionable nether $4 million, is for larboard planning, permitting and creation activity successful nan Yukon River colony of Nulato, nan section said.

The Alaska proscription grants are among the $1.8 cardinal successful awards across nan federation announced connected Wednesday. The grants are from nan department’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure pinch Sustainability and Equity program.

Separately, nan U.S. Department of nan Interior announced that Alaska will person $25 cardinal to plug and cleanable lipid and state wells drilled successful nan past and past abandoned.

Alaska is among 5 states receiving a full of $127 million for that purpose, Interior said successful its announcement. That money is besides disposable done nan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

These inactive and state wells are known arsenic “orphaned wells,” since they person been abandoned by nan companies that drilled them. There are millions of orphaned wells crossed nan country. Many stay unplugged and are releasing pollutants into nan aerial and nan groundwater.

The money for Alaska is to reside wells located connected authorities aliases backstage land. As of April, location were 46 identified orphaned wells connected authorities aliases backstage land, according to nan Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, nan agency managing nan issue.

The oldest orphaned wells connected nan AOGCC database day backmost to nan early 1900s, erstwhile Alaska’s first lipid wells were drilled at Katalla, a Gulf of Alaska coastal tract astir 50 miles southeast of Cordova.

Work connected respective wells is already underway. An Arctic Slope Regional Corp. subsidiary, ASRC Consulting and Environmental Services, has been contracted to do plugging and remediation activity and submitted a progress report in January.

Another $200 cardinal successful money from the Inflation Reduction Act, a measure that passed Congress without immoderate Republicans voting successful support, will spell to artillery power retention systems successful Interior Alaska and connected nan Kenai Peninsula, nan U.S. Department of Agriculture announced separately connected Wednesday.

The Alaska projects getting nan $100 cardinal successful backing apiece are a 46-megawatt artillery power retention strategy to beryllium built by Fairbanks-based Golden Valley Electric Association and a 45-megawatt four-hour artillery power retention strategy to beryllium installed successful Soldotna by nan Alaska Electric and Energy Cooperative Inc., a subsidiary of Homer Electric Association.