00                CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 27(MLV)                                                               
01 Requesting the United States Department of Defense to invest in the Port of Alaska.                                     
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS the Port of Alaska is one of 17 seaports designated as commercial                                       
04 strategic seaports by the United States Department of Defense; and                                                      
05       WHEREAS commercial strategic seaports are significant transportation hubs that are                              
06 important to the readiness and cargo handling capacity of the United States Department of                               
07 Defense; and                                                                                                            
08       WHEREAS the Port of Alaska is one of only two commercial strategic seaports                                     
09 located outside of the contiguous United States, and is strategically located near Arctic                               
10 shipping channels; and                                                                                                  
11       WHEREAS the designation of the Port of Alaska as a Commercial Strategic Seaport                                 
12 includes a port readiness committee to provide the means to coordinate efficient port                                   
13 operations during peacetime and actual national defense emergencies; and                                                
14 WHEREAS the port readiness committee for the Port of Alaska includes                                                  
15 representatives from nine federal agencies and organizations, including the United States                               
16 Maritime Administration, the United States Coast Guard, the Military Sealift Command, the                               

01 United States Transportation Command, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the                                    
02 United States Northern Command, the Transportation Security Administration, and the                                     
03 Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command; and                                                               
04 WHEREAS the Port of Alaska supports four major United States Department of                                            
05 Defense installations, including Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Fort Wainwright, Eielson                              
06 Air Force Base, and Fort Greely; and                                                                                    
07 WHEREAS Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Fort Wainwright, Eielson Air Force                                           
08 Base, and Fort Greely are undergoing critical expansions for fighter jet and missile defense                            
09 capacity, and the necessary material for these projects is entering the state primarily through                         
10 the Port of Alaska; and                                                                                                 
11 WHEREAS the Port of Alaska provides the only fully operational port for handling                                      
12 containers and roll-on-roll-off cargo twice a week and provides goods and commodities that                              
13 are necessary for base operations and the daily needs of service members; and                                           
14 WHEREAS the Port of Alaska is the critical fuel distribution hub for aviation fuel for                                
15 operations at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base; and                                           
16 WHEREAS the Port of Alaska is already implementing significant tariff increases to                                    
17 maximize consumer and business contributions to port infrastructure improvements, and the                               
18 tariffs will not be adequate to fund the critical maintenance that is essential to replace                              
19 corroded and earthquake-damaged components of the Port of Alaska; and                                                   
20 WHEREAS, in November of 2019, the Port of Alaska suffered infrastructure damage                                       
21 in a major earthquake, which exacerbated preexisting damage from corrosion; and                                         
22 WHEREAS the state's fiscal situation prevents the state from being the sole or                                        
23 primary funder of upgrades to the Port of Alaska;                                                                       
24 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature requests that the United States                                      
25 Department of Defense augment existing public and private funding of the Port of Alaska to                              
26 ensure that the Port of Alaska remains operational and can withstand potential future                                   
27 earthquakes and to guarantee continued support of operations at Joint Base Elmendorf-                                   
28 Richardson, Fort Wainwright, Eielson Air Force Base, and Fort Greely.                                                   
29 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President                                   
30 of the United States; the Honorable Michael R. Pence, Vice President of the United States and                           
31 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of                                  

01 Representatives; the Honorable Mark Esper, United States Secretary of the Department of                                 
02 Defense; the Honorable Elaine L. Chao, United States Secretary of Transportation; and the                               
03 Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the                                         
04 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.