Governor, lawmakers unveil plan to use $76.8M federal windfall to fund ferries for 18 months

The governor and legislative leaders have agreed on a rough plan to use federal pandemic relief from Congress to help stabilize Alaska’s beleaguered ferry system.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy and lawmakers say a nearly $77 million windfall would allow the state to fund the Alaska Marine Highway System for the next year and a half. The governor visited Ketchikan on Thursday and discussed his proposal.

A $900 billion bill passed by Congress in the final days of 2020 included $14 billion for mass transit. This month, state leaders learned $76.8 million of that could be used for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

Now, Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposes funding the ferry system in next year’s budget for 18 months rather than the usual 12. That means this year’s budget would cover ferry operations from July 1 of this year through the end of 2022 he said during a stop in Ketchikan.

Read more: https://www.alaskapublic.org/2021/04/23/governor-lawmakers-unveil-plan-to-use-76-8m-federal-windfall-to-fund-ferries-for-18-months/