Alaska's congressional delegation is urging cooperation with state lawmakers and Gov. Dunleavy to maximize the amount of funding coming into the state through the federal infrastructure bill:
will provide an estimated $4.9 billion for Alaska based on formulas already finalized in the bill. But around a third of the funding available through the bill over the next five years will be distributed through competitive grant applications. That means that without proper guidance on how and when to apply, Alaska communities could lose out.
Young’s enthusiasm for the bill was echoed by Rep. Zack Fields, an Anchorage Democrat who co-chairs the House Labor and Commerce Committee along with fellow Anchorage Democrat Ivy Spohnholz. “We do not want to all of a sudden say, ‘Oh wait, we have so much work that we have to import workers from the Lower 48.’ We should be doing these projects with our workers, our employees,” Sullivan said.
Young suggested setting up an “oversight committee” that would bring together congressional staff and state government officials to oversee funding opportunities. That proposal was met with enthusiasm from Fields, but hesitation from Miles Baker, infrastructure investment coordinator for Dunleavy.
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