By Land & By Sea

July 10, 2020

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Fishermen are selling kings and dungies at the docks, the salmonberries are ripe, and the rain quit for a minute in Juneau this afternoon. Enjoy!

The Road Less Traveled

Southeast Alaskans are in the unusual position of relying on Canadians for road access to the rest of our state. Usually that works great—the Canadians are good neighbors. But everything about travel is more complicated in the time of COVID.

Right now, Alaskans can only drive through Canada if it’s “essential” travel and we're symptom-free. Plus they have a bunch of 'don't touch the Canucks' rules: go straight through; don't stay in Canadian communities; minimize interaction with residents. The U.S. and Canadian federal governments will renegotiate these rules later this month. I joined Reps. Sara Hannan and Andi Story to ask both governments to carve out a narrow exemption for Alaska residents traveling to and from Alaska.

Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon can hang on to the sensible no-contact rules and still let Alaskans drive border-to-border. Nothing moves fast when the U.S. State Department has to get involved, but I hope they’ll take a serious look, since we're likely to be dealing with some sort of border restrictions for a good long while.

Watch for the annual print newsletter—in mailboxes soon!

Sailing the Ocean Blue

I've been watching the governor's ferry system working group like a hawk. (Or maybe like a sea lion eyeing a pod of killer whales.) Supposedly, they're looking for ways to make the system work for all Alaskans.

But they seem laser-focused on exactly two ideas: 1) improve management and 2) cut, cut, cut. There's no question we need to improve management. Ever-changing political winds brought us a pelagic patchwork of vessels, docks, and schedules in place of a long-term plan. Alaska built ships without the docks they need to function well, and ports where only certain ships can call. We’ve let our fleet age without a plan to maintain and ultimately replace our old mainliners. More consistent management with a long-term vision would help.

The working group did a deep dive into how current management works, who makes decisions, and workers' contracts. Those things matter and it's good to be thorough.

But the chair this week said he's ready to start drafting the report. No way are they ready for that. They haven't spent 20 minutes on the impacts of any cuts they might propose.

AMHS has already taken deep, deep cuts. We have less frequent, less predictable service system-wide. The work group needs to look long and hard at what happens to communities and economies if they're isolated and longstanding supply chains break. After all, thriving communities mean people and local governments have resources to contribute to schools, safety, commerce, and more. The state will face those costs if local economies are strangled. Does the work group understand that? They haven't worked on it yet...

I'm all for finding better ways to keep our ferries running and coastal Alaska connected. The group has barely scratched the surface. When they announce dates for public comment, they'll need to hear from you. I'll keep you posted.

All my best,