HJR 26: Relating to establishing maritime boundaries with Canada.
00HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 26 01 Relating to establishing maritime boundaries with Canada. 02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 WHEREAS Alaska has extensive boundaries with Canada; and 04 WHEREAS Alaska has an abiding interest in promoting ongoing friendship with 05 Canada in commerce, tourism, transportation, culture, resource utilization, and other matters; 06 and 07 WHEREAS the concept of maritime boundaries between countries was established for 08 the United States in 1976 for fishery zones and in 1983 for exclusive economic zones; and 09 WHEREAS Alaska has the potential to have coterminous maritime boundaries with 10 the federal government at the northern coastal boundary in the Arctic Ocean, the seaward 11 boundary with the Plover Islands in the Arctic Ocean, and the southern coastal boundary in 12 the Pacific Ocean, including Dixon Entrance; and 13 WHEREAS Alaska has property rights to seabeds off the coast under the United States 14 Submerged Lands Act of 1953; and
01 WHEREAS a maritime boundary agreement has not been established with Canada for 02 these coastal boundaries or for the Pacific Ocean coastal boundary between Washington and 03 Canada; and 04 WHEREAS the absence of maritime boundaries results in the unfortunate potential for 05 disputes over fishing rights, mineral rights, transportation rights, commercial rights, and other 06 rights of the parties involved due to the ongoing uncertainties; and 07 WHEREAS the federal government has for many years established maritime 08 boundaries with other surrounding countries, including Mexico in 1976, Cuba in 1978, 09 Venezuela in 1980, and Russia in 1990; and 10 WHEREAS the federal government has established a maritime boundary with Canada 11 between Maine and Nova Scotia under a legal case decided by the International Court of 12 Justice in 1984; and 13 WHEREAS active negotiations have not been announced by the federal government 14 for establishing maritime boundaries with Canada for the coastal boundaries with Alaska or 15 Washington; and 16 WHEREAS, in any negotiation of a maritime boundary with Canada that affects the 17 sovereignty, territory, jurisdiction, or property of Alaska, representatives of Alaska must 18 participate in the negotiations and Alaska must have the right to approve the provisions; 19 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges 20 (1) the federal government to initiate discussions with the government of 21 Canada for the purpose of establishing maritime boundaries with Alaska; and 22 (2) the federal government to include, in any negotiations over these maritime 23 boundaries, representatives of Alaska on the negotiating team, and, for any agreement 24 affecting the sovereignty, territory, jurisdiction, or property of Alaska, to recognize the right 25 of Alaska to approve the provisions; and 26 (3) the federal government to ensure that, in order to pursue the public interest, 27 provisions be made for public input and hearings during the negotiating process; and 28 (4) the Governor of Alaska and the Alaska delegation in Congress to pursue 29 the sentiments of this resolution vigorously with the executive branch of the federal 30 government. 31 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the
01 United States; the Honorable Madeleine K. Albright, U.S. Secretary of State; the Honorable 02 Jesse Helms, Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; the Honorable 03 Benjamin A. Gilman, Chair of the U.S. House Committee on International Relations; the 04 Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Ranking Minority Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on 05 Foreign Relations; the Honorable Sam Gejdenson, Ranking Minority Member of the U.S. 06 House Committee on International Relations; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the 07 Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. 08 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.