00             CS FOR HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 2(MLV)                                                              
01 Relating to the extension of the Alaska Railroad to Fort Greely to serve the anti-ballistic                             
02 missile launch facility.                                                                                                
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS the United States Department of Defense has begun to construct an anti-                                 
05 ballistic missile launch facility at Fort Greely, Alaska; and                                                           
06       WHEREAS the Fort Greely anti-ballistic missile launch facility is an initial                                    
07 component of an expansive missile defense shield that will include sea-based missiles,                                  
08 airborne lasers, and space-based defense satellites; and                                                                
09       WHEREAS the Fort Greely facility will be used for ground testing of the anti-                                   
10 ballistic missile system and for training of personnel for the national anti-ballistic missile                          
11 system; and                                                                                                             
12       WHEREAS the construction and operation of the Fort Greely anti-ballistic missile                                
13 system will require substantial quantities of supplies and materials over the lifetime of the                           
14 facility; and                                                                                                           
15       WHEREAS a railroad is well suited to providing the quantities of supplies and                                   
16 materials needed to construct, operate, and maintain the Fort Greely anti-ballistic missile                             

01 launch facility; and                                                                                                    
02       WHEREAS the Alaska Railroad already has rail lines extending to Eielson Air Force                               
03 Base, which is within 70 miles of Fort Greely; and                                                                      
04       WHEREAS the Alaska Railroad has a long and proud history of providing                                           
05 transportation services to the armed forces of the United States; and                                                   
06       WHEREAS the Alaska Railroad can efficiently provide transportation services for                                 
07 heavy cargo and large quantities of supplies to Fort Greely from ports at Seward, Whittier,                             
08 and Anchorage; and                                                                                                      
09       WHEREAS the extension of the Alaska Railroad to Fort Greely is consistent with the                              
10 long-term goals of the Alaska Railroad Corporation and the State of Alaska to extend rail                               
11 service through Canada to the lower 48 states;                                                                          
12       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests Governor                                 
13 Frank Murkowski to direct the Alaska Railroad Corporation to undertake the extension of the                             
14 Alaska Railroad to Fort Greely in order to provide rail service to Fort Greely and the anti-                            
15 ballistic missile launch facility.                                                                                      
16       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable George W. Bush, President                              
17 of the United States; the Honorable Donald Rumsfeld, United States Secretary of Defense;                                
18 Patrick Gamble, President and Chief Executive Officer, Alaska Railroad Corporation; and to                              
19 the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the                                      
20 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.