00HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 28                                                                                           
01 Supporting increased access near Mt. McKinley through establishment of a visitor                                        
02 activity area at Kantishna.                                                                                             
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04  WHEREAS the Alaska tourism industry recognizes Denali National Park as Alaska's                                        
05 premier visitor attraction because of the majestic view of Mt.McKinley, the opportunity to                              
06 enjoy a wilderness experience, the chance to encounter wildlife in its natural habitat, and the                         
07 relative solitude of the area; and                                                                                      
08  WHEREAS enhancing the Mt. McKinley experience for visitors would enhance the                                           
09 tourist industry statewide through tourist satisfaction and expanded seasons; and                                       
10  WHEREAS insufficient access to premier viewing areas and lack of facilities at these                                   
11 areas are major obstacles to enhancing the wilderness experience; and                                                   
12  WHEREAS the state is uniquely able to obtain rights-of-way into Kantishna through                                      
13 leases, land exchanges, assertion of rights under RS 2477, application for transportation utility                       
14 corridors under Title XI of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA),                               

01 and other legal claims to rights-of-way, and can monitor negotiations that would allow private                          
02 sector development to occur; and                                                                                        
03  WHEREAS the Kantishna area, with its dry interior climate and long daylight hours,                                     
04 offers splendid viewing opportunities and a high potential to promote both summer and winter                            
05 activities; and                                                                                                         
06  WHEREAS access to Kantishna would provide the Alaska private sector with the                                           
07 opportunity to meet the increased demand for tourism facilities while taking advantage of a                             
08 historical transportation route and restricting potentially deleterious environmental effects to                        
09 areas historically used by the mining industry; and                                                                     
10  WHEREAS it is necessary to design and construct these facilities and transportation                                    
11 systems so that they have the least possible negative effect on the environment, the area's                             
12 wildlife, and the state's fiscal resources;                                                                             
13  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully urges the Governor                                       
14 and the executive branch to be aggressive in their resolve to enhance the Mt. McKinley                                  
15 experience for our visitors by developing new environmentally sound access routes into                                  
16 Kantishna and a Kantishna visitor activity area; and be it                                                              
17  FURTHER RESOLVED that appropriate state agencies should work with the National                                         
18 Park Service and interested members of the public and private sectors to thoroughly                                     
19 investigate the potential of establishing a rail utility corridor into Kantishna in which the                           
20 private sector could construct and operate a transportation system and other facilities that                            
21 would serve the public needs; and be it                                                                                 
22  FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature strongly supports the efforts                                       
23 of the Governor of Alaska, the Alaska delegation to the U.S. Congress, and the President of                             
24 the United States in pursuit of the necessary studies, land acquisition processes, and other                            
25 necessary permits that would allow new environmentally sound routes into Kantishna and a                                
26 Kantishna visitor activity area.                                                                                        
27  COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the                                
28 United States; the Honorable Al Gore, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and President                            
29 of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Robert C. Byrd, president Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate;                             
30 the Honorable Thomas S. Foley, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; Director of                                
31 the National Park Service; Jack Moorhead, Regional Director for Alaska, National Park                                   

01 Service; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S.                                       
02 Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                       
03 delegation in Congress.