Alaska wins grant for massive Anchorage Airport project that will bring jobs

By
Suzanne Downing
-
13

The Alaska Energy Authority has been awarded a $21 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation to jumpstart construction of a massive cargo storage and warehouse facility at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

The entire project is expected to cost as much as $270 million and will ultimately be a 715,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility.

When completed, will be a cornerstone of the airport’s evolution into a leading global logistics hub that receives, stores, and ships fresh food and critical, temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals in the U.S. and globally.

The project is known as “Alaska Cargo and Cold Storage” and is a business partnership with McKinley Capital Management of Anchorage, and Rocky Mountain Resources.

The grant, coming from USDOT’s BUILD program, will fund AEA’s participation in Phase 1.

“AEA’s role in the project calls upon its expertise to assure that the best of, cutting-edge technology will make the building a showpiece in energy-efficiency,” said AEA Executive Director Curtis W. Thayer. “The BUILD grant program is highly competitive and this award is recognition of AEA’s in-depth knowledge of innovative design, engineering, and project delivery.”

Thayer thanked Alaska’s congressional delegation and the governor for their strong support of the application by advocating for the grant, which he said will greatly enhance ANC’s shipping infrastructure, improve Alaska’s supply chain security, and create jobs for Alaskans.

Phase I construction is anticipated to generate 830 jobs, $56.9 million in labor income, and $147.6 million in Alaska expenditures.

Phase 2 construction is projected to generate an additional 1,245 jobs, $75.6 million in labor income, and $220.5 million in Alaska expenditures.

Once operational, ACCS expects to employ approximately 120 full-time employees and generate $9.1 million in labor income.

The Alaska Energy Authority is a public corporation of the state and is run by the same board that oversees the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority.

A majority of the public members of AEA/AIDEA’s board of directors that were appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy are serving in terms that expired this summer and are awaiting reappointment: Julie Sande, Bill Kendig, and Al Fogle all are riding on expired terms.

13 COMMENTS

  1. boon·dog·gle

    /ˈbo͞onˌdäɡəl/

    INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN

    noun

    noun: boondoggle; plural noun: boondoggles

    work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value.

  2. Nothing like Big Government largesse to keep the Alaskan economy ticking over. Happy Days!

    Government is great when it’s giving handouts that benefit you, but pure evil when it’s giving them to those in need (dare I say the homeless?).

    Such hypocrisy lives here on MRAK.

    Geez.

  3. Wow!! The cold storage unit sounds like it might almost be large enough to store Nancy Pelosi’s ice-cream.

  4. Anchorage is the center of half the world. Past foot dragging about expanding the airports footprint and functionality has been short sighted. Embrace the exceptional opportunity unless you believe that lower orbit point to point space planes are about to bypass us completely.

  6. Just remember this “Republican” administration and delegation to DC is touting a program which was passed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This act did not receive a single House Republican vote and only 3 GOP yeas in the Senate. Murkowski and Begich split Nay and Yea respectively. The act was signed by President Obama in February 2009. The act was one of many events which led to the Tea Party. Oh how soon we forget. But keep pretending that this is in the purview of smaller government, because with any grant from the Feds you better be ready for whole mess of regulations.

  7. Doesn’t use of a facility of this type require that airlines become poor planners?

    As it sits now there is a significant disincentive for delay. This sounds like it would introduce delays, add cost, and require a more lax view toward logistical planning in order for it to have value. And it sounds a little like Bill Sheffield’s rail spur.

  8. This is a win win situation for our community. When the transportation industry begins using jets that will fly 30 hours without refueling, the Anchorage stop will no longer be necessary. This huge building can then become a homeless shelter for the thousands of hungry families who will no longer be able to rely on the big PFD checks to get by. So the poor folks should thank President Trump for this “free stuff”. But remember, real Alaskans refuse to pay taxes. Obviously, free things provided by conservative republican politicians are good. And free things provided by liberals are bad. We all know this to be true.

    • In economics, moral hazard occurs when an entity has an incentive to increase its exposure to risk because it does not bear the full costs of that risk

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