When all there was in the world was George Bush as President, and three Republican legislators from Alaska, building roads and oil and gas development is where earmarks from Alaska were dedicated.
Now Obama is President and we have a new Senator, Mark Begich, and new Heads of Energy and Interior. And a need for economic stimulus.
Therefore the time is right to put forth a serious proposal that some stimulus funds in the category of "public transportation" be directed toward new ferries for the Alaska Marine Highway system.
The Alaska Marine Highway (AMH) system serves both residents of Alaska and visitors to Alaska. For residents of Alaska, in Southeast communities outside of Juneau and elsewhere, AMH ferries provide safe, reliable transportation to major urban centers where airports are located and where medical facilities are located. Therefore, ferries easily qualify as "public transportation"--and are absolutely an essential service where there can be few roads, if any.
AMH ferries are a primary transportation route for visitors to Alaska with and without vehicles. As such, an investment in ferries is an investment in sustainable economies in Alaskan communities.
Over the last twenty years or so, original mainline ferries have begun to deteriorate. They are in serious need of repairs and/or replacement. Schedules have become less reliable and important ferry runs have been dropped. For example, there is now only a ferry from Bellingham, Washington, to Alaska once every other week instead of one every week. The fast ferry catamaran, the Chenega, has been put on the upper Lynn Canal run where this past season it has already had to be canceled nine times (over 50% of the time) due to high winds.
The managers in charge, currently Sarah Palin and her appointees, have forgotten that ferries are a public service, not a private business meant to make a profit at all times. Because of bad pricing and bad scheduling and inadequate planning and commitment to the system, ferry use has actually dropped. With new ferries, improved schedules, and smarter price structures, Alaska's ferries could once again serve the role of public transportation for both residents and visitors, as it has in the past.
There are strong arguments for providing stimulus money for new AMH ferries in the category of public transportation. Three new mainline ferries between the size of the LeConte and the Taku would probably do the job. We could build one a year for the next three years. That would be an investment in infrastructure that Alaskans would support. Ferries also provide good jobs and transportation that is safe and reliable.