Alaska Delegation Announces Grants to Alaska Programs

Washington, D.C. - The Alaska Congressional Delegation is pleased to announce the following grants awarded to communities in the State of Alaska:

U.S. Department of Agriculture:

$57,610 to the University of Alaska Fairbanks
$150,000 to Tanana Chiefs Conference to provide six classroom trainings to utility operators, utility managers, and/or council members in low-income rural interior native villages. The program will help improve local operation, maintenance and management capacity of rural drinking and wastewater facilities.
$258,000 to Tanana Chiefs Conference to provide technical assistance and training to improve local operation, maintenance and management capacity of rural solid waste management facilitates in interior Alaska.
$633,022 to the city of Shageluk for the preliminary cost and analysis associated with the preparation of a preliminary engineering and environmental report for a proposed water and sewer improvement project.

U.S. Department of Commerce – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

$189,810 to the Bering Sea fisherman’s Association for western Alaska marine salmon studies in the Bering Sea and Yukon River.
$199,800 to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to continue work on aquaculture and enhancement for red king crab.

U.S. Department of Defense:

$15,000,000 contract has been awarded to Bristol Construction Services to design/build, miscellaneous maintenance, repair and minor construction on real property at Fort Lewis, Washington, and its sub-installations. Contract completion date is July 2014.

U.S. Department of Education:

$1,459,000 Cultural, Apprenticeship and Exchange Program grant for the North Slope Borough Inupiat Heritage Center.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

$15,000 to the Copper River Watershed Project for the Watershed Stewardship campaign, which will promote the health of the Copper River Watershed by educating residents and visitors about the watershed.
$31,000 to the Alaska Bird Observatory/Creamer’s Refuge to increase education opportunities at the Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in Fairbanks.

U.S. Forest Service:

$625,000 to the Iditarod National Historic Trail to construct five snow machine bridges. These bridges will increase safety and provide a travel route generally outside of avalanche zones.
$900,000 to the Alaganik Slough Boardwalk to replace foundation supports and re-level the 850-foot elevated boardwalk.
$1,048,000 for the Admiralty and Misty Fijords National Monument Trail to employ Southeast Alaska Guidance Association youth crews. These crews will replace deteriorated and failed footbridges and resurface trails.
$1,264,000 to Wrangell Boardwalk Trails to install new planks, new crushed rock surface and anti-slip tread on planks. Funds will also be used to replace four failing trail bridges.
$1,640,000 to the Petersburg Mountain Trail to install new planks and crushed rock surfacing. Funds will also be used to add anti-slip tread material, replace failing trail bridges and rebuild failed sections of the trail.
$2,630,000 for the Iditarod National Historical Trail to install or replace seven interpretive information kiosks at trailheads. Funds will also be used to complete two priority segments from Johnson Pass through Turnagain pass and from Primrose north to Vagt Lake.
$3,375,000 to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center to provide accessible routes to historic overlook sites for people of all ages and abilities.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):

$757,790 Housing Opportunity for People with AIDS (HOPWA) grant to the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. Funds from this grant will be used to continue providing 32 units of housing for persons living with HIV/AIDS in Anchorage and areas in the south central, southwestern and western regions of Alaska.

U.S. Department of Interior – Minerals Management Service:

$32,722 to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources for monitoring Steller sea lions at remote sites in the Bering Sea. Funds will be used to collect baseline data such as counts, sex and age composition, identification of branded or tagged animals on endangered Steller sea lions’ use of remote, rarely-surveyed sites in the Bering Sea.
$700,000 to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources for environmental contaminant monitoring in Alaska fish. This grant will be used to assess the impact of environmental contaminants on the coastal and marine ecosystems in Alaska’s oceans by testing muscle tissue and homogenized whole fish from a variety of fish species.

U.S. Department of Transportation:

$340,000 to the State of Alaska to conduct an airport master plan study for the relocated village of Newtok. An update to the master plan is needed to assist in directing future airport development and to continue an airport study to identify possible airport locations, gather additional data and fund the development of an airport layout plan.
$600,000 to the State of Alaska to update the airport master plan for the village communities of Nanwalek and Port Graham. The existing airport in each of the villages does not conform to FAA standards and needs to be improved. Prior planning analysis indicates that a regional airport could provide better service than two individual airports. This study will identify and gather information for a preferred airport location.

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