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Kenai Peninsula Borough committee backs resolution urging action on National Data Buoy outages
Summary
The Kenai Peninsula Borough legislative committee voiced support for Resolution 2025-18, calling on the U.S. Congress and NOAA to address multi-year outages at National Data Buoy Center stations over concerns about oil-spill response, commercial fishing safety and mariner life‑safety.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Legislative Committee discussed and lent its support to a resolution urging the U.S. Congress and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to address outages at National Data Buoy Center stations.
Ms. Morton, Assembly member, said she brought the resolution after learning during “Mako’s presentation” that the buoys “had not been functioning for several years” and that she was “stunned,” citing her experience living through a major oil spill in Alaska as a reason for concern. “I just wanted to encourage the NOAA and to go ahead and actually get them functioning again,” she said.
Mr. Dunn, Assembly member (attending via Zoom), said he was “happy to be a cosponsor” and told the committee the buoys serve multiple roles beyond spill prevention, including warning of marine traffic hazards and supporting commercial fishing. “There’s also, life and safety issues and, access issues for our commercial fishing fleets that are, extremely important, and these buoys really are are very valuable for that,” he said, referencing safety concerns raised earlier by Mr. Haggerty from RCAC at a previous meeting.
Other committee members asked to be listed as co-sponsors. Mr. Johnson, Assembly member, said he had also become aware of the problem through his work with the Regional Citizens’ Advisory Committee and asked to be added as a co-sponsor. Ms. Eklund, Assembly member, likewise asked to be added. The acting chair asked if Morton and Dunn would permit additional co-sponsors; the transcript records no objection from the primary sponsors.
The item was presented as one agenda item at the committee meeting; no formal roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript. The committee discussion emphasized three points: (1) the buoys’ role in oil-spill detection and response, (2) their use in navigation and marine-traffic safety, and (3) their importance to commercial fishing and life‑safety for mariners. Committee members described the outages as lasting multiple years but did not provide a technical cause or a NOAA timeline for repairs.
The transcript does not record subsequent procedural steps, such as referral to full assembly, transmission of the resolution to Congress or NOAA, or any scheduled vote date. The meeting adjourned after the single agenda item.
