00      HOUSE CS FOR CS FOR SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1(TRA)                                                       
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, of a road from Iliamna Bay to Pile Bay, and of                                      
05 other roads and highways.                                                                                               
06 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
07       WHEREAS new roads are needed to connect communities with the resources that                                     
08 create the increased potential for commercial, industrial, recreational, and social activities for                      
09 residents and visitors; and                                                                                             
10       WHEREAS new local roads will allow Alaskans to get to local schools and health                                  
11 facilities and to quickly respond to local emergency situations; and                                                    
12       WHEREAS improving the transportation infrastructure in Alaska is vital to the                                   
13 economic growth and prosperity of the state; and                                                                        
14       WHEREAS Alaska is the largest state in the Union, comprising one-fifth of the total                             
15 area of the continental United States, yet Alaska has barely 2,000 miles of roadways, less than                         

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

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

01       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the design and                                      
02 construction of the Knik Arm Crossing and a road from Iliamna Bay to Pile Bay; and be it                                
03       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the continued                                       
04 effort for construction of the Donlin Creek Road; and be it                                                             
05       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the design and                                      
06 construction of a road to Rock Creek, bypassing Moon Light Springs, for development of                                  
07 mineral extraction operations on the Seward Peninsula.                                                                  
08       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Frank Murkowski, Governor                              
09 of Alaska; the Honorable Mike Barton, Commissioner, Department of Transportation and                                    
10 Public Facilities; Al Ewing, Chief of Staff, Denali Commission; Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse,                                  
11 President and Chief Executive Officer, NovaGold Resources Inc.; the mayors of the                                       
12 Municipality of Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star Borough, City of Fairbanks, City of                                     
13 Wrangell, City of Petersburg, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, City of Ketchikan, City of                                     
14 Klawock, City of Craig, Kenai Peninsula Borough, City of Homer, City of Kenai, City of                                  
15 Soldotna, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, City of Wasilla, City of Palmer, Lake and Peninsula                                
16 Borough, and City of Nome; the Postmasters of Central, Circle, Pedro Bay, Iliamna, Crooked                              
17 Creek, and Red Devil; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski,                                
18 U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                  
19 delegation in Congress.