Alaska’s Coastal Management program officially ends today after operating in Alaska for 34 years, providing a powerful state voice on federal development in its waters.
Some legislators who fought to save the program say they hope to bring it back in future years, and legislation to do that is expected to be introduced when the Legislature returns to Juneau next January.
Rep. Cathy Muñoz, R-Juneau, said she was one of those who supports bringing back Coastal Management.
She is “committed to continue working with members of the Juneau delegation, Senator Dennis Egan and Representative Beth Kerttula, to find a way to create a new program that respects and accommodates local input and provides prospective developers an easier path to securing state and federal permits for their projects,” she said in a blog post after the vote earlier this week.
“That’s just a topic that’s not going to be over,” Kerttula, D-Juneau, said, given the importance of coastal issues to so much of the state.
Rep. Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, said he worked hard to craft a deal to keep the program alive, and said he expects those efforts to resume when the Legislature returns.
“I absolutely expect to see legislation proposed in the coming session that would reconstitute the program,” Hawker said.
Legislators more than once thought they had an agreement to keep the program going, including after a unanimous House of Representatives vote on a modified Coastal Management program.
Legislators said they were close to reaching an agreement several times, first in the regular session and then in two special sessions during which Coastal Management was under discussion.
If a new program is adopted by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor, it could take a year or more to get staff hired and up to speed, Parnell administration officials told legislators recently. And adopting new coastal plans and winning appropriate approvals could take another year or two, they said.
In the meantime, Alaska would remain the only coastal state not using the federal Coastal Zone Management law to influence federal actions on its coasts.
Most legislators who voted against continuing the program said they could have backed one of the many various forms the plan to continue the program took in 2011, but not the bill debated this week.
• Contact reporter Pat Forgey at 523-2250 or at patrick.forgey@juneauempire.com
Comments (9)
Add commentSomeone had to take the fall
Regardless of what happened in the house, Parnell was going to veto the program. Seems he wanted someone (or in this case, some group) to take the fall for him. How shameful and cowardly.
And LAZY! The jobs of nearly 40 people are worth much more than the logistics it takes to put them back to work.
Thanks to those legislators, and to the senate, who fought to keep it alive.
I hope Parnell doesn't get a chance to spend much time in the newly remodeled governor's mansion ...
I agree with LupineLady
Special session pay should be denied to the legislators. Shame on Parnell for allowing session to convene when he planned to veto the program anyway and could have said it would be a waste of time--and what a waste of money.
The proposed CZM plan was outlined before the polling of legislators to call a special session--they knew what the proposed plan entailed in advance. Shame on the 18 House legislators who killed the bill for not just saying no to a special session.
I don't want to hear any political posturing out of Parnell's mouth when the Feds take over, or threats of another lawsuit from our litigious governor. I hope voters remember this when those 18 House members and Parnell are up for re-election.
My thanks to Senate and 18 House members who voted to save the CZM program.
Dump Parnell
That boy is owned by Big Oil. His actions in this matter are disgraceful. There should be consequences for this monumental failure on Parnell's part, and the detriment it brings to Alaska.
I'm not sure that's accurate, LupineLady
Actually, I believe the Administration supported the compromise bill to extend the ACMP, approved 40 to 0 in the House and forwarded to the Senate during the first special session.
The Governor did not support the last ditch effort in the second special session because the program had been dismantled and most of the ACMP employees had found other jobs.
I can't say that I blame the ACMP employees at all. If you were in their shoes and had received a layoff notice and thought the program was ending two months ago at the end of the first special session, you would have thought of your family first and already lined up another job.
@mediawatchdog
Fair enough mediawatchdog. It is possible some (former) staff members of the ACMP have already found employment elsewhere. However, according to recent reporting at the Empire and elsewhere, not all have been successful. There are still those left without a job. We really don't know if "most" ACMP employees have found a job.
I must pose this question: Do you really know Parnell did not support the last ditch effort in the second special session because the program had already been dismantled? In the end, isn't protecting Alaska's resources — the same ones that have made this state rich — more important than a few logistical hurdles?
Votes
Whenever the Empire publishes things like this, how hard would it be to include a link that shows who voted how?
I would bet $100 that most of the 'no' votes came from republicans. And Parnell probably killed this bill subversively.
Big oil didn't want it. Do you honestly think Parnell would support something big oil didn't?
Big oil probably saw it as a threat or a road bump to off-shore drilling and told Parnell to axe it.
See what happens when Alaskans vote for people like Palin and Parnell?
Rep. Cathy Muñoz can't decide
Rep. Cathy Muñoz can't decide who's side she is on...
Let's not waste time during the next legislative session!
Fine. Let's be prepared to make Captain Zero angry and bring back an effective version of Coastal Zone Management. Next time around, legislators, please do not waste legislative time dealing with the unnecessary legislation like the state marmot, state gun, various license plates (for the Hmong people, for example), etc..
Complete the important and required legislation first. And then see if there is time for the hair-brained ideas.
Representative Munoz
It's very easy to always know where Representative Munoz stands on an issue. She stands up for Juneau every time. If there is a job in Juneau at stake then you know exactly how she is going to vote. It's impossible to find one vote she has taken in which the welfare of Juneau was not the reason for her vote.