Accelerated Infrastructure Development Plan in Alaska Agreed Upon by Federal Authorities
In a significant move to boost Alaska's infrastructure development, Governor Mike Dunleavy recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council. This agreement marks the first time a state has partnered with the council to improve coordination and transparency during the permit process for major infrastructure projects.
The agreement pertains to projects eligible under Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015 (FAST-41). The FAST-41 process, which has been used to complete projects such as a fiber optic segment in the Interior and an electricity transmission project between Kake and Petersburg, applies to a broad range of infrastructure sectors. These sectors include renewable and conventional energy production, electricity transmission, energy storage, carbon capture, high-performance computing, machine learning, data storage, broadband telecommunications, cybersecurity, semiconductors, mining, pipelines, water resources, ports and harbors, aviation, and surface transportation.
The Alaska Interagency Permitting Team (AIPT) will work together with the government of Alaska to facilitate this collaboration. The AIPT will coordinate federal reviews and track projects on its dashboard, while the Office of Project Management and Permitting within the Alaska Department of Natural Resources will continue to coordinate directly with the Permitting Council. This collaboration aims to shorten timelines and add certainty for Alaska's infrastructure projects, as highlighted by Governor Dunleavy.
Graphite One, the company advancing the graphite development north of Nome, was the first to be listed on the dashboard. The company believes that the emphasis on streamlining the permitting process will expedite their efforts to establish a vertically integrated domestic supply chain for graphite. Graphite One CEO Anthony Huston stated, "We are proud to be the first Alaskan mining project listed on the Federal Permitting Dashboard."
Other projects listed as "in progress" on the FAST-41 Permitting Dashboard administered by the council include the NANA Regional Broadband Network, the Alaska LNG pipeline, and the Graphite Creek mine. The dashboard is also tracking exploration at the Red Dog mine and Hecla Greens Creek mine, but they are not formally FAST-41 projects.
Emily Domenech, executive director of the Permitting Council, reiterated her team's readiness to work with Governor Dunleavy to bring Alaska back into the energy spotlight. She stated, "We are excited to partner with Governor Dunleavy and the state of Alaska to streamline the permitting process and bring certainty to infrastructure projects."
With this agreement, Alaska is set to take a significant step forward in its infrastructure development, potentially paving the way for faster and more efficient project completion in the future.
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