Sponsor Statement for SB 314

Municipal Feeder Vessel Authority

This legislation authorizes and creates a feeder vessel authority grant fund in the Department of Transportation, to help the municipal governments acquire, construct, or maintain ferry facilities or ferries that are owned by the municipality. It also authorizes the department to grant funds for feasibility studies to determine if the routes selected will be beneficial to that municipality.

For years, the Department of Transportation has conducted southeast transportation plans to try and determine what plan would best serve the residents of southeast Alaska. Their plans always include increasing ferry service to all the communities, more reliable service and always call for the operation of day boats or feeder vessels. They have determined that feeder vessels would meet those goals, plus would cost less to operate.

Because of the department’s lack of fortitude to adopt it’s own reports, it chooses to operate a ferry system that is on the brink of collapse. The system has been mismanaged for so long, and the legislature has funded these inefficiencies, that there has been no reason for the department to change.

Recently, many communities have voted to create what is called the Inter-island Ferry authority, so that they could own and operate their own feeder vessels, with the goal of providing better service to their communities. These communities are: Craig, Hollis, Thorne Bay, Wrangell, and Petersburg.

This legislation not only recognizes that some communities want to fix the system, but authorizes the Department of Transportation to help put these feeder vessel authorities together.

The long range plans should provide for increased feeder ferry service by municipal operated ferries and the State of Alaska should operate the main system running north and south.

SS SB 314: S(TRA): 3/2/98: mj