00             CS FOR SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1(STA)                                                             
01 Relating to economic development generated by new road construction and to the design                                   
02 and construction of the Hot Springs Loop Road to connect Chena Hot Springs and                                          
03 Circle Hot Springs, of a highway along the Bradfield/Iskut Rivers transportation                                        
04 corridor, of the Knik Arm Crossing, and of a road from Iliamna Bay to Pile Bay.                                         
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
06       WHEREAS new roads are needed to connect communities with the resources that                                     
07 create the increased potential for commercial, industrial, recreational, and social activities for                      
08 residents and visitors; and                                                                                             
09       WHEREAS new local roads will allow Alaskans to get to local schools and health                                  
10 facilities and to quickly respond to local emergency situations; and                                                    
11       WHEREAS improving the transportation infrastructure in Alaska is vital to the                                   
12 economic growth and prosperity of the state; and                                                                        
13       WHEREAS Alaska is the largest state in the Union, comprising one-fifth of the total                             
14 area of the continental United States, yet Alaska has barely 2,000 miles of roadways, less than                         
15 the state of Vermont; and                                                                                               
16       WHEREAS the proposed Hot Springs Loop Road from Chena Hot Springs to Circle                                     

01 Hot Springs will complete a transportation loop connecting Fairbanks and the two resort areas                           
02 and will open areas of Interior Alaska for residents and visitors to explore, enjoy, and                                
03 develop; and                                                                                                            
04       WHEREAS the Hot Springs Loop Road would connect the Steese Highway with the                                     
05 Chena Hot Springs Road either through or around the Steese National Conservation Area; and                              
06       WHEREAS the Hot Springs Loop Road will allow residents and tourists an                                          
07 opportunity to drive the scenic loop between Fairbanks and the resort areas at Chena Hot                                
08 Springs and Circle Hot Springs; and                                                                                     
09       WHEREAS the Hot Springs Loop Road will foster increased outdoor activities, new                                 
10 tourism ventures, and economic growth in Interior Alaska; and                                                           
11       WHEREAS construction of a highway along the Bradfield/Iskut Rivers transportation                               
12 corridor would increase the traffic flow between Southeast Alaska and the Alaska marine                                 
13 highway to British Columbia by permitting a more efficient flow of travelers into and out of                            
14 the region; and                                                                                                         
15       WHEREAS a transportation corridor between Southeast Alaska and British Columbia                                 
16 would generate recreational growth benefiting Alaskans and British Columbians; and                                      
17       WHEREAS communities in southern Southeast Alaska have suffered immense and                                      
18 catastrophic declines in their economic base due to removal of the timber industry as a key                             
19 component of their economies by the previous national administration; and                                               
20       WHEREAS the Alaska marine highway system is placing severe constraints on the                                   
21 shipment of fresh seafood to United States and Canadian markets because it has a policy to                              
22 maximize revenue in the summer period at the expense of reserved deck space for fresh                                   
23 seafood containers, because the capacity to transport shipping vans has been severely                                   
24 curtailed due to international SOLAS shipping standard requirements, and because the Prince                             
25 Rupert transfer bridge is not of sufficient weight carrying capacity; and                                               
26       WHEREAS the shipment of fresh seafood, both caught and processed domestically,                                  
27 by way of airlines is both capacity constrained and expensive, thus denying efficiencies and                            
28 potential markets for high margin fresh seafood products; and                                                           
29       WHEREAS a land transportation link to the North American highway system could                                   
30 provide viable development of new vocations resulting from new economic growth; and                                     
31       WHEREAS the southern region of Southeast Alaska has been negatively affected in                                 

01 recent years with individual fishery quota (IFQ) landings moving to road-connected                                      
02 communities such as Haines and Prince Rupert; and                                                                       
03       WHEREAS the people of southern Southeast Alaska wish to increase trade with our                                 
04 Canadian neighbors; and                                                                                                 
05       WHEREAS the Knik Arm Crossing project has been identified as a project that                                     
06 would have a profound effect on future development in Southcentral Alaska; and                                          
07       WHEREAS construction of a road from Iliamna Bay to Pile Bay on Lake Iliamna will                                
08 provide a greatly enhanced transportation route to Lake Iliamna, Newhalen, Lake Clark, the                              
09 upper Bristol Bay area, several mineral deposits, and unparalleled recreational opportunities                           
10 and will provide for more economical transportation of food, fuel, and materials to the several                         
11 villages in the area;                                                                                                   
12       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes that the economic                                   
13 development activity generated by the construction of new roads is important to the growth                              
14 and prosperity of the state; and be it                                                                                  
15       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the design and                                      
16 construction of the Hot Springs Loop Road to provide a scenic loop route to connect                                     
17 Fairbanks and the resort areas at Chena Hot Springs and Circle Hot Springs; and be it                                   
18       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the efforts of                                      
19 Governor Frank Murkowski and the City of Wrangell to continue their work with the                                       
20 Province of British Columbia, and Cassiar and Yellowhead Highways communities in their                                  
21 efforts to reach an agreement to construct a highway along the Bradfield/Iskut Rivers                                   
22 transportation corridor; and be it                                                                                      
23       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the pre-National                                    
24 Environmental Policy Act scoping and environmental impact statement process and the                                     
25 design and construction of a highway along the Bradfield/Iskut Rivers transportation corridor                           
26 to connect southern Southeast Alaska to British Columbia; and be it                                                     
27       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the design and                                      
28 construction of the Knik Arm Crossing and a road from Iliamna Bay to Pile Bay.