On June 27, 2024, the City and Borough of Wrangell sent out a press release announcing it had received a $25 million grant to help rebuild its harbor through the Harbor Basin Revitalization and Transportation Resiliency Project. The grant is part of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program (RAISE).
Now, over a year later, what has become of Wrangell’s harbor revitalization project? Well, there has been little progress. In a meeting with Senator Dan Sullivan on Oct. 4 this year, city officials blamed the project’s slow progress on the National Environmental Policy Act’s (NEPA) inefficient processing.
Senator Sullivan said the project piqued his interest because it helps serve the executive order titled “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential” which President Trump signed on his first day of office. Trump’s order states: “The State of Alaska holds an abundant and largely untapped supply of natural resources including, among others, energy, mineral, timber, and seafood. Unlocking this bounty of natural wealth will raise the prosperity of our citizens while helping to enhance our Nation’s economic and national security for generations to come.” Revitalizing Wrangell’s harbor helps accomplish these aims by significantly supporting the backbone of Wrangell’s commercial life.
“This is giant for this community,” Sullivan said. “We don’t want to waste a day, we don’t want a 10-year NEPA, we don’t even want a two-year NEPA. We want a six-month NEPA.”
With Sullivan’s attention to the project, city officials gain hope that the harbor revitalization effort will not only get off the ground but soon be completed, creating great benefits for Wrangell citizens and Alaskan commerce.
Natalie Spaulding, a 2025 Hillsdale College graduate, recently joined the Must Read Alaska team.