Minerals Management
Service Approves Alaska’s CIAP Plan
Paves Way For Up To $80 Million In Funding
Anchorage, Alaska The State of Alaska
will receive up to $80 million through the Coastal Impact Assistance
Program (CIAP) implemented by the Department of the Interior’s
Minerals Management Service (MMS).
“Alaska plays a vital role in supporting our
Nation’s offshore energy program,” said MMS Director Randall Luthi.
“The Coastal Impact Assistance Program provides a means of sharing
oil and gas revenues with local communities that are engaged in the
hard work of supplying America’s energy needs.”
The CIAP was established under section 384 of the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 and authorizes the Secretary of the
Interior, through MMS, to distribute $250 million annually to six
states Alabama, Alaska, California, Louisiana, Mississippi and
Texas all Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas producing
states, in fiscal years 2007 through 2010.
The Act requires that all CIAP funding be used for
projects and activities for the conservation, protection, or
restoration of coastal areas, including wetlands; mitigation of
damage to fish, wildlife, or natural resources; planning assistance
and the administrative costs of complying with CIAP legislation;
implementation of a federally-approved marine, coastal, or
comprehensive conservation management plan; or mitigation of the
impact of OCS activities through funding of onshore infrastructure
projects and public service needs.
The funding for Alaska will be shared between the
state and eight eligible boroughs. During the first two years of the
program, $ 2.5 million will be distributed for each of the fiscal
years 2007 and 2008. For the last two years of the program, funding
will rise dramatically, to between $30 and $40 million for each of
fiscal years 2009 and 2010. The funding levels are determined by the
amount of revenue generated by OCS activities, with the first two
years based upon FY 2006 revenues and the last two years based upon
FY 2008 revenues. Alaska’s funding levels rose significantly as a
result of Chukchi Sea Sale 193, held in February 2008.
The allocation of CIAP dollars will be divided
with 65 percent of the funding going to the State of Alaska and 35
percent going to eligible boroughs. The amount that each borough
will receive is dependent upon a formula within the EPAct
establishing the Coastal Impact Assistance Program. See below table
for borough distribution.
Eligible Boroughs |
%
Allocation |
Anchorage |
16.23% |
Bristol Bay Borough |
0.08% |
Kenai
Peninsula |
7.00% |
Kodiak Island |
8.62% |
Lake
& Peninsula |
4.07% |
Matanuska-Susitna |
3.70% |
North
Slope |
32.57% |
Northwest Arctic |
27.73% |
Total Alaska |
100.00% |
Alaska is the second of the six eligible states
included in the program to receive approval of its final plan. The
approval of Alaska’s plan allows the state to submit grant proposals
for CIAP projects. MMS will post Alaska’s Grant Program Announcement
on
www.grants.gov. The announcement provides instructions and
guidance on the submittal process for CIAP grant applications.
Funding is made available to the State and eligible boroughs when
the grants are awarded.
Alaska’s plan currently contains 51 projects
covering all four years of the program. The plan, however, was
developed before the results of Chukchi Sea Sale 193 were known. As
a result of the significant rise in CIAP funding Alaska will receive
in 2009 and 2010, the State will be amending its plan to consider a
much broader array of projects. Additional information about
possible future CIAP projects may be obtained by contacting the
Alaska Division of Coastal and Ocean Management, Alaska Department
of Natural Resources.
Contact:
Robin Cacy,
907-334-5208
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Last Updated:
10/27/2008,
07:11 AM
Central Time