Southwest Alaska Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2009-2014
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Southwest Alaska Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2009-2014 Southwest Alaska Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy prepared for the United States Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration by Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference May 2010 Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction .................................. 1 5.0 Population Trends & Future ..................................... 88 Characteristics .................... 36 Renewable Energy........................... 86 2.0 Southwest Alaska Municipal Population Trends ................................ 36 Hydroelectric ......................... 88 Conference ............................ 2 Gender ................................................. 42 Wind ....................................... 88 Mission ......................................... 2 Age ....................................................... 42 Biomas .................................... 89 Organization ................................. 2 Ethnicity ............................................... 42 Geothermal ............................. 89 Board of Directors & Educational Attainment ........................ 53 Solar ....................................... 89 CEDS Committee ........................ 3 Population Density .............................. 53 Hydrokinetic/Tidal.................. 90 SWAMC Staff .............................. 3 Population Projections ........................ 55 Alternative Energy ......................... 90 SWAMC Membership .................. 3 Fish Oil ................................... 90 6.0 Labor Force, Employment 3.0 Physical Geography ...................... 6 & Income ............................. 56 8.0 Infrastructure Profile .................. 94 Location ........................................ 6 Labor Force ......................................... 56 Transportation .................................. 94 Land Area ..................................... 7 Commercial Fishing Permittees .......... 58 The Existing Transportation Geology ........................................ 8 U.S. Coast Guard Personnel ................ 59 System .................................... 95 Ecosystems ................................... 10 Employment ........................................ 59 Corridor Delineation ............. 95 Climate ......................................... 12 Non-resident Employment ................... 62 Alaska Marine Highway Hydrology ...................................... 13 Unemployment .................................... 63 System Improvements ............. 96 Income ................................................. 66 Port and harbor 4.0 Political Geography ...................... 18 Poverty ................................................ 67 improvements ........................ 97 Local Governments .......................... 18 Aviation System Congressional and Legislative 7.0 Natural Resource Profile ............ 72 Improvements ........................ 98 Representation .................................. 19 Fisheries Resources ......................... 72 Land Transportation Education ......................................... 30 Forest Resources .............................. 76 Improvements ........................ 99 ANCSA Corporations ...................... 30 Mineral Fuels ................................... 77 Selected Community Regional Native Nonprofit North Aleutian Basin ........................ 81 Linkages ................................ 99 Associations .................................... 30 Introduction ........................... 81 Intermodal Connections ........ 101 Tribal Governments ......................... 31 History ................................... 82 Water ................................................ 101 Land Ownership ............................... 32 Recent Activity ....................... 82 Water Treatment Systems ....... 101 Federal Lands ....................... 32 Coal ................................................. 83 Wastewater Systems .............. 102 State Lands ............................ 32 Minerals ............................................ 84 Remote Maintenance Native Lands .......................... 33 Worker DEC Officers ............ 102 Trust Lands ............................ 34 Pebble Mine ...................................... 86 Sewer ................................................ 103 Other Private Lands .................. 34 History ................................... 86 Communications .............................. 103 Local Services ....................... 103 Environmental Issues ....................... 149 O II.C: Community Planning . 160 Television, Radio and Air Quality ............................ 149 Goal III: Organizational Newspaper Services ............... 107 Water Quality ........................ 149 Development .................................... 160 Energy .............................................. 107 Hazardous Waste .................. 149 O III.A: Communications ...... 160 Endangered and O B: Policy and Issue 9.0 Southwest Alaska Threatened Species ............. 149 Advocacy ............................... 160 Regional Economy ............................. 91 Cultural Resources .............. 151 O C: Organizational Efficiency Subsistence ....................................... 115 and Effectiveness ................. 160 Commercial Seafood 11.0 CEDS Planning & Performance Harvesting & Processing ................... 116 Evaluation Process .............. 156 Appendix A: Community Improvement Projects Shore Based Processing ......... 117 Participants ....................................... 156 Salmon Fisheries ................... 120 Expectations .................................... 156 Appendix B: CEDS Work Plan EEZ Groundfish Fisheries ..... 123 CEDS Planning Process ....... 142 CDQ’s .................................... 124 2003 CEDS Process ............... 156 Top U.S. Fishing Ports .......... 127 Recommendations to Improve Native Corporations ......................... 127 the CEDS Process ............... 157 Tourism ............................................ 129 History of SWAMC ......................... 143 Timber .............................................. 133 SWAMC’s Purpose Mining .............................................. 133 and Value ............................... 157 Oil & Gas ......................................... 134 Performance Evaluation .................. 157 Aerospace ......................................... 134 12.0 Vision, Goals, Objectives 10.0 Direct & Indirect & Strategies ......................... 159 Economic Performance Factors ....... 136 Goal I: Economic Development ...... 159 Taxation ........................................... 136 O I.A: Fisheries State Taxes ............................ 136 Development ......................... 159 Municipal Taxes .................... 137 O I.B: Tourism Bonding Capacity ............................. 139 Development ........................ 159 Legal Framework ............................. 140 O I.C: Regional Financial Resources ......................... 140 Economic Planning ............... 159 Schools and Educational O I.D: Small Resources ......................................... 141 Business Development .......... 159 Public Schools ....................... 141 O I.E: Other Development ..... 159 Post-secondary and O I.F: Workforce Continuing Education .......... 142 Development ......................... 159 Housing ............................................ 143 Goal II: Community Development .. 160 Health Services ................................ 145 O II.A: Infrastructure Public Safety .................................... 146 Development ......................... 160 Cultural and Recreational O II.B: Health, Education and Facilities ........................................... 146 Public Safety Development .... 160 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Southwest Alaska Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy The Southwest Alaska Comprehensive businesses, and communities of Southwest Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is the Alaska. Other near-term changes in federal 1.0 product of an ongoing regional planning fisheries may alter the volume and pattern of process designed to facilitate sustainable, long- commercial fish harvesting and processing in term, responsible economic development, job some communities, bringing still more change. Introduction creation, and overall improvement in the quality of life in Southwest Alaska. This The CEDS development process has process began in 1991 when the Southwest incorporated a review of local, state and federal Alaska Municipal Conference (SWAMC) first plans from a number of agencies. SWAMC has prepared and submitted an Overall Economic worked with sub-regions to incorporate local Development Plan (OEDP) to the Economic economic planning efforts, infrastructure needs Development Administration (EDA). assessments, and other local knowledge into the CEDS. These documents are referenced herein A thorough review of the Southwest Alaska and enumerated in the references section. Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy is warranted for several reasons. First Throughout the CEDS, the focus has been on off, the existing 2003 – 2008 document is well developing a region-wide orientation. outdated and quotes information from the 2000 However, in order to develop this orientation, and 1990 U.S. Census. Since then, the Census data