Alaska Statutes Title 29. Municipal Government § 29.60.500. Purpose and policy

(a) The legislature finds and declares that a major release of oil or hazardous substances into the environment presents a real and substantial threat to the economy and public welfare of the municipalities, villages, and school districts that are affected by the release and the resultant activities to contain and clean up the release.

(b) The legislature concludes that it is in the best interest of the state and its citizens to provide a readily available fund for the payment of the expenses incurred by municipalities, villages, and school districts to mitigate the social and economic effects that arise out of a major release of oil or hazardous substances and resultant cleanup activities.

(c) It is the intent of the legislature and declared to be the public policy of the state that money to defray the cost of social and economic effects on municipalities, villages, and school districts arising from a major release of oil or a hazardous substance and resultant cleanup activities and to pay for efforts to abate that release will be immediately available upon a determination that the release was sudden and that it exceeds 2,500 barrels of oil, or exceeds an amount of a hazardous substance that when released into the environment presents a real and substantial threat to the economy and public welfare of the municipalities, villages, or school districts affected by it.