Alaska News

Feds roll out another $20 million in rural funding grants for Alaska

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is sending more than $20 million to help with heating, transportation and other needs in rural areas as part of funding announced by three federal agencies in the last week.

Rural communities in Alaska will get $2.2 million from the Interior Department as part of a Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. The funds come in addition to $26.2 million Alaska communities received in June.

The PILT program doles out federal money to mostly rural local governments to offset losses in property taxes for nontaxable federal lands.

"Rural communities help define the character of our diverse and beautiful country, contributing significantly to our nation's economy," said Interior Deputy Secretary Michael L. Connor. The program's funding goes to rural public services like housing, transportation, emergency services and outdoor recreation, Connor said.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the PILT program payments are "essential to local communities with federal lands within their jurisdictions. In Alaska, over 60 percent of land in Alaska managed by the federal government."

Murkowski, who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee overseeing Interior funding, said she ensured the funds were part of this year's funding. The state has garnered $28.4 million in PILT payments in 2015, Murkowski said.

The PILT payout follows $15 million in low-income heating assistance paid to the state as of Oct. 23 via a program run by the Department of Health and Human Services.

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More than $9 million of that funding came from the department's Division of Public Assistance and another $6.5 million went directly to Native tribes and tribal associations.

Murkowski pledged to use her spot as chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to implement energy saving programs that keep Alaskans from needing the federal assistance.

And on Thursday, the White House and the Department of Transportation announced this year's winners of 39 "TIGER" grants -- $500 million in funding for innovative transportation projects. Point Hope was among the winners selected from 627 applications.

"In this round of TIGER, we selected projects that focus on where the country's transportation infrastructure needs to be in the future; ever safer, ever more innovative, and ever more targeted to open the floodgates of opportunity across America," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. The program has awarded $4.6 billion to 381 projects since 2009, according to the Department of Transportation.

The Native Village of Point Hope Council will receive $2,899,922 to cover 100 percent of the cost of a project to redesign and build five "critical" roads, build sidewalks and improve access for pedestrians, bicyclists and handicapped people.

Erica Martinson

Erica Martinson is Alaska Dispatch News' Washington, DC reporter, and she covers the legislation, regulation and litigation that impact the Last Frontier.  Erica came to ADN after years as a reporter covering energy at POLITICO. Before that, she covered environmental policy at a DC trade publication and worked at several New York dailies.

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