All hail the Biden administration’s infrastructure investments! At least that’s the intent of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, according to his office, as he was dispatched to Alaska to discuss unique transportation needs with rural and indigenous folks. The three-day foray into the last frontier began in Kotzebue with Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) tagging along, followed by a meet and greet in Anchorage, and finally wrapping up in the cruise ship tourist mecca of Juneau.
It’s another “Investing in America” tour. So far, the Biden administration has committed $2.5 billion to Alaska, spread out over 885 infrastructure projects. For instance, a good chunk of change ($286 million) is going toward upgrades to the Alaska Marine Highway System. For those in the lower 48, this is crucial for coastal communities: It is the “only marine route recognized as a National Scenic Byway and All-American Road. The system currently extends across 3,500 miles of scenic coastline and provides service to over 30 communities, each with their own unique intrinsic qualities,” according to the website.
And for good measure, $300,000 was handed out to the village of Klukwan for a climate resiliency plan. For an enclave of 90 folks, give or take one or two, even remedial math skills can compute the per capita price. If you don’t know what a climate resiliency plan might be, listen up: “Five pillars that include threshold capacity, coping capacity, recovery capacity, adaptive capacity, and transformative capacity,” according to the Office of the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer.
Buttigieg in Alaska
The former Midwest town mayor was polished and suited as he appeared with Sullivan in Kotzebue at the youth center. The public community bulletins read: “Meet and greet and hot dog feed” for an hour before the question-and-answer session. It turned out to be mostly a pep rally for the Big Guy in the Oval Office.
Pete Buttigieg (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
After his brief tour, Buttigieg told reporters, “It was a helpful understanding of what it takes to get goods and humans where they need to be.” And Pete did notice the “unique” scenery and warm hospitality while learning about “the number of transfers involved in barging.” Clearly, the vastness of Alaska and the daily requirements to transport people and goods made an impact on the up-and-coming politician.
Tuesday rolled around, and the secretary, again sporting suit and tie, appeared on the CBS local affiliate in Anchorage. After summing up his previous day and expressing the same constant phrase of “bipartisan infrastructure” that all administration folks like to repeat, Pete was off to meet with local leaders and talk about airport infrastructure funding – which had landed $1 million from the pot.
Buttigieg wraps up his tour today with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and a visit to the borough of Haines to listen and learn from local pilots about the needs of Alaska seaplanes. The Lutak Dock, awarded $20 million from the Department of Transportation, is an interconnected transportation hub. The project website states, “Lutak Dock is a critical link in Haines’ transportation infrastructure and an integral part of the supply chains that service the Haines Borough, Southeast Alaska, the Interior, and the Yukon.” After the tour, Buttigieg and Murkowski will meet with community and tribal leaders.
Is This All the Biden Administration Cares About?
Joe Biden (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Biden handlers have sent administration mouthpieces nationwide to tout to people in rural areas the “bipartisan” billion-dollar taxpayer-funded infrastructure bonanza; these folks may have different priorities, such as less inflation, lower housing and fuel prices, and full-time jobs. First Lady Jill Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland winged into Bethel last May to talk about broadband investment. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy followed in June to discuss the youth mental health crisis.
And although the administration made big noise with executive orders and proclamations early on about the tragic numbers of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women, apparently there are no accomplishments by the federal agencies in charge to boast about. Perhaps the Department of Justice and its minion bureaus are too busy in an all-encompassing quest to dispose of a political rival?
For the adventurous Pete tooling around the last frontier, the likable politician must have picked up a fact or two and a smidgen of gratitude from those who benefit financially from the infrastructure plans put in place. But will that translate to votes? Not today, it won’t.
