March 1, 2023 — Meeting with Wrangell community members at the Nolan Center, Senator Dan Sullivan focused on infrastructure needs and development, both on Wrangell Island and throughout Alaska.
“I got a tour here today,” Sullivan related, “I know there are some big plans, but we’re going to need more ships – Navy vessels are my bigger goal – and I think what you guys are doing here in Wrangell has enormous potential, particularly with the mill site that we were at today that the borough just bought. So that’s very exciting.”
The former Wrangell lumber mill site is one of – if not the only – remaining undeveloped deepwater ports in Southeast Alaska. The borough bought the $2.5 million property last year, with the hope that with some new development, the former beating heart of Wrangell’s economy could prove an economic cornerstone once again.
During a question-and-answer meeting with Wrangell constituents, Sullivan spoke out against what he called the “latest ping-pong” with the reinstatement of the Clinton-era Roadless Rule in Tongass National Forest earlier this year. He told attendees it runs counter to his pro-development stance for the state, and said the Roadless designation also hampers tourism and growth.