Initiative to re-establish coastal management program fails

Alaska voters have voted against a proposal to re-establish a coastal management program.

With 97 percent of precincts reporting, 61.84 percent of the vote was against Ballot Measure 2 and 38.16 percent for it.

The fight over Ballot Measure 2 became the most expensive campaign in Alaska this election. More than $1.7 million was raised. Most of that was by the opposition group “Vote No on 2.” Resource development and industry groups largely bankrolled the group’s effort. That caused the group behind the initiative, the Alaska Sea Party, to cast funding for the opposition as being led by outside interests.

Alaska had a coastal management program for decades, but it ended last year, after the Legislature and governor failed to come to terms on its reauthorization.

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