Unalaska city officials headed to the nation’s capital in late March as part of their annual Washington, D.C. lobbying trip. They advocated for the community, addressing Alaska’s congressional representatives, federal agencies, military leaders and more.
City Manager Bil Homka said meeting in person can help secure resources for top projects, like geothermal development, which Unalaska has been pursuing for decades. He described geothermal development as “one of the hardest projects in the world.”
“We’re still just trying to get our feet under us in making sure the resources are there in the capacity that will be worth the investment,” Homka said.
The visit comes as funding shake ups are happening across the country as part of new federal cost-cutting measures. Some groups in Unalaska that use federal funds have seen reduced grants. The city lost roughly $3.4 million in congressionally directed spending for the Captains Bay waterline project, which would update infrastructure along a roadway leading to multiple industrial sites.
Homka said Unalaska’s federal lobbyists — the professional lobbyists that vouch for the city’s needs year-round — have resubmitted requests to get those funds back in the next fiscal year. But in the meantime, he said the projects might need adjusting.
“If that's what we're waiting for, then we have to wait and push back our timelines,” he said. “Out here, that's a big deal because we have a really short construction season.”
Meetings also took place between the Unalaska delegation and representatives for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard. Homka said a meeting planned with the Navy ultimately fell through.
The Aleutians are seeing renewed interest from the military, particularly out on the chain closer to Russia. Adak — the westernmost municipality in the United States — is undergoing something of a renaissance in the eyes of federal-level officials.
In February, Sen. Dan Sullivan said in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that reopening the naval outpost in Adak could help bolster the country’s defense against growing foreign threats. Once a Cold War-era base housing 6,000 troops, Adak currently has about 50 permanent residents and lots of leftover military infrastructure. The city is also expected to be the site of a new launchpad for sending satellites into low Earth orbit.
Unalaska’s relationship with the military is growing. The island’s Coast Guard station was upgraded to a Marine Safety Unit last year. The Navy makes routine stops in Dutch Harbor, and is responding to a rising Russian and Chinese presence in the Bering Sea. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to clear debris and contamination left over from World War II.
Homka said it’s still a question as to what the military’s future in Unalaska might look like.
“We all want to know, right?” he said. “It's our livelihood out here. It’s our community, it’s so many things.”
Homka, Mayor Vince Tutiakoff Sr. and Vice Mayor Alejandro “Bong” Tungul, Councilmember Anthony Longo, lobbyists for the city and Ounalashka Corp. CEO Natalie Cale represented Unalaska on this year’s federal lobbying trip. The D.C. trip is a long-standing tradition, like the state lobbying trip to Juneau. City officials also advocated for local projects in the state capital last month.
