Alaska Tribal Transportation Workgroup

Julianne Baltar, President Alaska Tribal Transportation Workgroup and

Director of the Bristol Bay Native Association’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Development

ATTWG Board of Directors:

• Julianne Baltar, President• Gerry Hope, Vice President• Larry Bredeman, Secretary/Treasurer• Howard Mermelstein• Michael Jackson• Bruce Baltar• Vacant

Alaska Tribal Transportation Workgroup

The Corporation is organized for the purpose of providing technical support and advocacy for transportation issues that impact Alaska Native villages, and to conduct any other lawful business or endeavor permitted under the laws of the State of Alaska to a corporation incorporated under the Alaska Nonprofit Corporation Act or any successor provision.

ATTWG Board members participate on the NCAI-ITA Transportation

Task Force

-RECENT CHANGES-Tribal Transportation on Indian Reservations and Alaska Native

Villages

Moving ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21)

• Signed into law July 6, 2012• Includes many changes to tribal transportation– Tribal Transportation Program– Tribal High Priority Projects Program– Tribal Transit

MAP-21 Tribal Transportation Program(Section 1119 § 202)

• $450,000,000– 2% set-aside transportation planning– 2% set-aside tribal safety– 2% set-aside bridges

• Changed funding formula– No Population Adjustment Factor– No IRR High Priority Projects

• 100% can be used for maintenance, capped at $500,000 (begins with 2013 funds)

MAP-21 Tribal High Priority ProjectsSec. 1123

• New • Funded out of general budget ( no guarantee

this will be funded)• Capped at $1,000,000 per project• Similar criteria to old IRRHPP

MAP-21 Tribal Transit Funding(§ 5311. Formula grants for rural

areas)• $5,000,000 on a competitive basis• $25,000,000 shall be apportioned as formula

grants, as provided in subsection (j)

Tribal Transit Funding - $25 Million

• ‘‘(i) 50 percent of the total amount shall be apportioned so that each Indian tribe providing public transportation service shall receive an amount equal to the total amount apportioned under this clause multiplied by the ratio of the number of vehicle revenue miles provided by an Indian tribe divided by the total number of vehicle revenue miles provided by all Indian tribes, as reported to the Secretary

Tribal Transit Funding - $25 Million

• reported to the Secretary; ‘‘(ii) 25 percent of the total amount shall be apportioned equally among each Indian tribe providing at least 200,000 vehicle revenue miles of public transportation service annually, as reported to the Secretary; and

Tribal Transit Funding - $25 Million

• ‘‘(iii) 25 percent of the total amount shall be apportioned among each Indian tribe providing public transportation on tribal lands (as defined by the Bureau of the Census) on which more than 1,000 low-income individuals reside (as determined by the Bureau of the Census) so that each Indian tribe shall receive an amount equal to the total amount apportioned under this clause multiplied by the ratio of the number of low-income individuals residing on an Indian tribe’s lands divided by the total number of low-income individuals on tribal lands on which more than 1,000 low income individuals reside.

Federal Transit Administration is:

• Currently accepting comments on the funding formula of the $25 Million.

• And, the $5 Million discretionary portion of the formula.

Rural Alaska Transportation Challenges

• Communities where a traditional transit bus won’t work.

• Limited access to rural villages, many off the road system.

Note: Transit vehicles must be American with Disabilities Act compliant

RemotenessimpactsAccess andMobility

Main form of transportation to Remote AK Villages

Villages connected by winter trails, trails, water ways, and ice roads but no traditional roads

Needs and Issues

• Better access between villages• Better access for freight• Landfills: improvements and access• Loss of population• School closings due to lack of students• Access to subsistence• Infrastructure needed of economic

Development

Additional Changes

• Corrections to RIFDS* data base to be initiated in near future by FHWA and BIA (roll out anticipated at next Tribal Transportation Program Coordinating Committee meeting)

*RIFDS: BIA’s Road Inventory Field Data System

Important Upcoming Meetings

• Intertribal Transportation Association Annual Meeting– December 10-13, 2012 – Las Vegas, NV • See Howard Mermelstein, AK ITA Representative• http://www.itaalaska.com/

• Alaska Tribal Transportation Symposium–March 25-29, Anchorage• More info will be available at www.attwg.org

MAP-21 is a two-year bill

We are seeking people interested in working on developing a unified

tribal position for the next authorization effort.

ATTWG is a member of:

• The Intertribal Transportation Association (ITA)• Alaska Mobility Coalition

We have one vacancy on our ATTWG Board of Directors and are seeking the names of individuals

who are interested in serving.

Contact Info• www.attwg.org• Jbaltar@bbna.com or

chair@attwg.org