July 9, 2018 — The following was released by Rep. Louise Stutes:
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I wanted to provide you with a short update regarding the 2016 pink salmon disaster relief funding distribution.
It was recently announced that over $56 million of the $200 million appropriated for fisheries disasters will be allocated to Alaska. Naturally, I am pleased that out of the nine West Coast disasters and three hurricanes, we received such a large proportion of the funding.
Cordova has been awaiting the arrival of this funding for almost two years and it is critical that the distribution is executed correctly with as little delay as possible.
What types of entities will be eligible and how much each category will receive remains unknown. Currently, the governor’s office, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG), and the Department of Commerce are working with NOAA to make those determinations through a spending plan.
One of my main concerns is who will be eligible. NOAA identified shoreside infrastructure as a potential recipient category and I am working with the State to ensure that, along with our hard-working fishermen, processing workers and direct-support businesses are afforded the relief that they are entitled to. I am in daily communication with the Governor’s Office and DFG to offer input and stay as up-to-date as possible about the timeline and details.