U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg traveled to Haines on Wednesday. He came to speak with town officials and residents, and to see infrastructure projects that have been funded by the agency he leads. He also took a few minutes to chat with residents who came to protest the funding of a controversial dock renovation project.
Pete Buttigieg got a taste of the difficulties of traveling in Southeast Alaska during his visit. He and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski had intended to travel to Haines from Juneau using a regional airline company. The flight was canceled due to low cloud cover. So, Buttigieg, Murkowski and their staff hopped on a ferry, and arrived in Haines a couple hours behind schedule. Buttigieg said the experience showed him how important the ferry system is for residents.
Buttigieg: “This experience really demonstrates I think the unique conditions that folks in rural Alaska live with every day. The kinds of road connections that you would take for granted just aren’t part of the story here. So it really points out the importance of making good use of the ferry dollars that we have.”
Buttigieg and Murkowski spent some time at the ferry terminal speaking with workers there. They spoke of the jobs, the service to the communities, and the aging fleet.
Murkowski: “With the Tusty, she is about 54, 59, she is mature.”
About 25 residents met the delegation with protest signs. They came to oppose renovation plans for the Lutak dock. An arm of the Department of Transportation has agreed to fund the project. Protesters claim the renovation would attract ore truck traffic that would drive through downtown Haines. They also say funding the dock would act as a subsidy to the Palmer Project, a mine prospect in the Chilkat watershed they fear would destroy the valley’s salmon runs.
Resident Thom Ely summarized the situation.
Ely: “You probably wonder why we are all here with our little signs.”
Buttigieg: “I think I got the general idea.”
Ely: “We have some concerns about the infrastructure bill that a lot of this money for Haines in particular is going to benefit the mining industry, and put in an ore terminal where our salmon spawn right out the door here.”
Buttigieg listened to the resident’s concerns, and went on to visit the dock in questtion with local officials. He asked what the dock renovation would enable that cannot already be accomplished by the current facilities. Officials said the current dock is decaying. And the barge must still use the far corner of the dock to tie up and use a new ramp.
Haines Mayor Doug Olerud acknowledged resident’s opposition to the project.
Olerud: “A lot of that came about because there is a group of mining executives from the Yukon who attended a Ports and Harbor’ meeting telephonically and they proposed bringing ore from the Yukon down.”
Olerud said he doesn’t think the miners’ plan was feasible.
Olerud: “That would have required at the low end about a thousand containers, and so we would need about two acres of storage just for those containers.”
Buttigieg: “It’s a pretty different scope from what you were talking about.”
Olerud: “It’s a pretty different scope than what we are looking at here, and even if those were stored offsite, to have trucks bringing those, even if it’s a half mile down, I just think the cost of doing that is going to be prohibitive for anybody and that it’s going to be more likely that they are going to go to Stewart, BC.”
One of the highlights for the visit was seeing a hole in the ground. Sink holes have developed on the dock. Borough officials say this shows the need to perform the dock renovations soon.
When asked about the local opposition to the project, Buttigieg remembers his previous job.
Buttigieg: “You know, I used to be a mayor, and I have a lot of respect for those local processes and the fact that there are strongly held views about every project.”
But he says it is not his role to intervene in local politics.
Buttigieg: “We,a s the department of transportation, aren’t involved in discussions or debates about the future of mining for example. Our focus really is on the quality of the infrastructure and the application that came in with regards to the plans for cargo. But you know as part of the permitting process, part of that everybody’s voices are heard, we are committed to that. And also to make sure that we make the right kind of investments to support the needs of this community.”
The Secretary and the Senator went on to tour around Haines, and meet with local tribal leaders. That meeting was not open to the press.
In the afternoon the sky had cleared, and the visitors were able to catch a flight back to Juneau.
Buttigieg said this may not be his last visit.
Buttigieg: “I’d love to come back with my family, it’s such a remarkable place. So both professionally and personally, I feel like we’ve seen a lot and there is a lot more to see.”
Plans for the Lutak dock have been approved, the borough hopes to complete the $25 million project by the end of 2024.
