Alaska Power and Telephone’s plan to install a submarine cable for the purpose of boosting Internet service in the Upper Lynn Canal has hit a roadblock and will be delayed until this spring, AP&T chief operating officer Michael Garrett said this week.
Garrett estimated the delay will cost about $600,000.
The Department of Natural Resources informed AP&T in September the proposed route for its 86-mile fiber optic cable runs through the Chilkat Islands State Marine Park. That means the cable, initially expected to be laid in October, won’t be installed until DNR determines whether it can allow the cable to be installed in the park.
The cable would run from Juneau to Haines and Skagway, providing faster Internet access. The Haines-Skagway line will run the same route as an existing submarine cable that interties power grids between the two communities.
Chilkat Islands State Marine Park, a group of islands just south of Chilkat State Park covering about 6,560 acres, was created by the Alaska Legislature in 1983. According to law, marine parks are intended to maintain natural, cultural and scenic values, maintain fish and wildlife resources, and promote recreation and tourism in the state.
DNR’s Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation chief of field operations Claire LeClair said AP&T applied for an easement from DNR’s Division of Mining, Land and Water in September 2014, but DNR staff did not determine the route went through the park until August 2015.
“That is when we advised folks in Mining, Land and Water that there was potentially an issue with the state’s ability to provide an easement for the fiber optic cable through a state marine park,” LeClair said.
The creation of the park in 1983 “basically put that land and water off limits to multiple use,” LeClair said. “Think about it like those are now special purpose public lands, so you can’t just go in and have the state make a disposal of those lands to private interest.”
The Chilkat Islands State Marine Park is protected in much the same way the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is, she said.
AP&T’s Garrett said National Oceanic Atmospheric Association charts identify a “cable area” in the park, and the company is claiming that historical use could establish a precedent for laying cable there.
“They are looking at the legality issues on whether there is an opportunity to give us permission because of historical considerations for other cables that have already been placed there,” Garrett said.
The company is not considering a different cable route at this time, he added.
The delay is costing the company money in storage fees and transportation costs, Garrett said. The cable was in Tacoma, Wash., ready to be loaded on a ship when news of the delay arrived, forcing the company to transport the cable to a storage facility about 17 miles outside of Tacoma.
Transportation involves renting a special crane, special trailer, special escorts, obtaining permits for use of the freeway and other costs, Garrett said. “It’s not cheap.”
DNR’s LeClair said she expects legal review to be complete in the next couple of weeks. “Essentially, I think we will get a thumbs up or a thumbs down,” LeClair said.
Garrett said AP&T is “confident” the company can work cooperatively with the state. “We think we can work it out,” he said.