Kenai Peninsula Borough seeks about $22 million in federal funding for injection well at Central Peninsula Landfill

The Kenai Peninsula Borough legislative committee heard a presentation on a resolution seeking assembly approval for a FY2027 congressional directed spending request to build a Class I injection well at the Central Peninsula Landfill.

Mayor Michicky called the project "very important" and said contractors and consultants reported favorable conditions. Borough staff member Heather told the chair the borough submitted the request to Senator Lisa Murkowski's office through the congressional directed spending grant program and that the request was submitted "at the high end" of the contractor quote — approximately $22,000,000 — to allow for the most expensive contingency.

The resolution seeks assembly support for the federal funding request; Heather said an accompanying resolution demonstrates project support. During questioning, assembly members asked what kinds of waste the well would accept. Mayor Michicky said these are "highly regulated" wastes that require pretreatment and gave examples including cuttings and fluids, adding that the geology at the site includes required sealed clay layers and is suitable for deep-well injection. He also said existing concentrator facilities could be repurposed for pretreatment work, which has helped lower initial cost estimates.

Speakers emphasized regulatory controls and pretreatment: "Pretreatment is required," Mayor Michicky said, and staff noted operators would need to meet required composition standards before injection.

The committee did not record a vote on the resolution in the transcript. The presentation concluded and the committee moved on to other business; staff indicated the request had already been submitted to the senator's office and sought assembly endorsement.

Next steps: the transcript records discussion and the staff request for assembly approval, but no recorded committee vote occurred in the provided segment.