Timeline slips for Arctic port report

The target date has been pushed back for release of a draft report with a recommendation for development of a seaport to support rising activity in the Arctic Ocean.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities have been working together to study the idea of a deep-draft port.

“The Corps is anticipating a release of the draft report by the end of the calendar year,” the Corps said in an April 1 email.

The Corps previously had aimed to release the report in March.

“Much is unknown about conditions of navigation in the Arctic and the ADOT&PF and USACE team is completing the evaluations necessary to develop a sound and justifiable recommendation,” the email said.

In January 2013, the Army Corps issued a study that picked two sites for port feasibility analysis: Nome and nearby Port Clarence. Both sites are south of the Bering Strait, gateway to the polar ocean.

The forthcoming draft feasibility report and environmental impact statement is expected to examine the costs and benefits of a number of port “configurations,” weighing options on dock length, port depth and so forth.

It will be up to Congress to authorize and fund the recommended project.

—Wesley Loy