Due to many factors, and exacerbated by the state’s fiscal crisis, the Alaska Marine Highway System reached a critical juncture and was at risk of failure. The AMHS Reform initiative was a statewide collaboration of stakeholders, including ARDORs, businesses, communities and Tribes seeking to reform and revitalize the state’s ferry system in order to improve its efficacy and ensure AMHS’ long-term sustainability. Following Governor Dunleavy’s Administrative Order No. 313, the effort, managed by Southeast Conference throughout 2019 and 2020, was led by the 12-member Alaska Marine Highway (AMH) Reshaping Work Group steering committee. AMH Reshaping Work Group information can be found here.
After months of information gathering and deliberations, the AMH Reshaping Working Group released a final report of findings and recommendations regarding the future financing, governance, and service levels of the AMHS. The final report and all associated documents can be found here. Areas addressed by the report’s recommendations are:
- Strengthening AMHS Governance
- Strengthening Governance Support
- Improving System Reliability
- Stabilizing Budget Planning
- Reducing System Costs
- Renegotiation of Marine Union Labor Agreements
- Increasing System Revenue
- Leveraging Road Infrastructure
Now SEC utilizes what was learned through the AMHS Reform project to inform the development of the AMHS Long-Range Transportation Plan and other AMHS activities.