WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Lisa
Murkowski says today’s designation of over 3,000 square miles of Cook Inlet as
Critical Habitat is far costlier than the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) figures contend. NOAA announced today it is designating
two areas of Alaska’s Cook Inlet as critical habitat for the endangered Cook
Inlet beluga whale, while exempting the Port of Anchorage and Eagle River Flats
Range.
“I understand the Beluga habitat needs
protection, but I have serious concerns with NOAA’s figures to justify it,”
said Sen. Murkowski. The costs involved are 100 times higher than they’re
estimating. Beyond their bad math, I remain extremely concerned the critical
habitat designation will lead to something all too common to Alaska: more
delays in permitting, construction and protracted litigation.”
Scientists estimate there are less than
350 Cook Inlet beluga whales left in the wild – a distinct population segment
listed as endangered in October 2008. The critical habitat comprises 3,016
square miles (7,809 square kilometers) of marine and estuarine environments
considered by scientists to be essential for the whales’ survival.
NOAA’s impact cost estimates average out
to $364,000 over the next decade. But an independent economic analysis
prepared for the Resource Development Council put the cost of varying economic
scenarios between $39 million and $400 million per year.
The designation of more than one-third
of Cook Inlet as Critical Habitat includes all of Anchorage and Mat-Su
Borough’s tidal waters, extending south in Cook Inlet past the city of
Kenai. The designation also includes areas across the inlet from the
Kenai Peninsula and parts of Kachemak Bay.
The Port of Anchorage and Eagle River
Flats Range were excluded from Critical Habitat for reasons of national
security. To this Senator Murkowski commented, “I am pleased that NOAA
excluded these areas under section 4 (b) (2) of the ESA recognizing their vital
role in the national security of the United States.”
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