Consultation on Financing and Governance Options for the Backhaul Alaska Program
Backhaul Alaska is a cooperative effort, led by the Solid Waste Alaska Task Force with financial assistance from EPA and others federal agencies, to facilitate the backhaul and proper disposal or recycling of hazardous household wastes from remote Alaska communities. Based on an earlier review in 2019 and further discussions at a public meeting in February 2020, EFAB prepared an advisory letter to the EPA Administrator.
EFAB concluded that the challenges posed by the Backhaul Alaska program are indicative of issues that face other small, rural communities which—because of low or declining population levels and/or socio-economic conditions—are unable to pay for critical environmental services. The advisory letter recommends that EPA and the state of Alaska identify additional grant funds to support the start-up of Backhaul Alaska over the first few years of operations until another long-term sustainable funding source is developed.