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Opportunity Knocks in Alaska
a group of USDA, State
and local officials toured the Port MacKenzie operations last week in
Alaska. (from left) Dean Brown, State of Alaska; Dean Stewart, USDA Rural
Development; Terry Nininger, NPI LLC; Greg Bell, Mat-Su RC&D; Gerald
Willis and Al White, NRCS; and Andy Mason, USDA Forest Service |
NRCS special assistant to the Chief, Gerald Willis traveled to Alaska last
week to learn about the natural resource development opportunities provided by
the the newly operational Port MacKenzie. The group of
USDA and State representatives learned about the wood chip logging,
manufacturing, and transporting processes of the new port. The tour was conducted
by the Matanuska Susitna Borough and NPI LLC, a wood chipping and exporting
company that partnered with the Alaksa borough to construct and operate the port’s
conveyer system.
The group also learned about the port's potential for exporting Alaska
coal and gravel. The group then went aboard the 780-foot Korean wood chip vessel
Keoyang Majesty
— loaded with more 24,000 tons of Alaska woodchips — to view the chip loading
process first hand.
Your contact is Cassandra Stalzer,
NRCS public affairs specialist, at 907-761-7749.
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