00      HCS FOR CS FOR SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1(TRA) am H                                                       
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; and                              
17       WHEREAS the Ralph M. Bartholomew Veterans' Memorial Bridge connecting the                                       
18 City of Ketchikan to Gravina Island has been identified as a project that will provide needed                           
19 access to the Ketchikan International Airport and foster future development of Gravina Island;                          
20 and                                                                                                                     
21       WHEREAS the East Lynn Canal Road connecting the City of Juneau with northern                                    
22 Southeast Alaska communities would have a profound impact on the economy of Juneau and                                  
23 enhance regional development and transportation infrastructure;                                                         
24       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes that the economic                                   
25 development activity generated by the construction of new roads is important to the growth                              
26 and prosperity of the state; and be it                                                                                  
27       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the design and                                      
28 construction of the Hot Springs Loop Road to provide a scenic loop route to connect                                     
29 Fairbanks and the resort areas at Chena Hot Springs and Circle Hot Springs; and be it                                   
30       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the efforts of                                      
31 Governor Frank Murkowski and the City of Wrangell to continue their work with the                                       

01 Province of British Columbia, and Cassiar and Yellowhead Highways communities in their                                  
02 efforts to reach an agreement to construct a highway along the Bradfield/Iskut Rivers                                   
03 transportation corridor; and be it                                                                                      
04       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the pre-National                                    
05 Environmental Policy Act scoping and environmental impact statement process and the                                     
06 design and construction of a highway along the Bradfield/Iskut Rivers transportation corridor                           
07 to connect southern Southeast Alaska to British Columbia; and be it                                                     
08       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the design and                                      
09 construction of the Knik Arm Crossing and a road from Iliamna Bay to Pile Bay; and be it                                
10       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the continued                                       
11 effort for construction of the Donlin Creek Road; and be it                                                             
12       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the design and                                      
13 construction of a road to Rock Creek, bypassing Moon Light Springs, for development of                                  
14 mineral extraction operations on the Seward Peninsula; and be it                                                        
15       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the design and                                      
16 construction of the Ralph M. Bartholomew Veterans' Memorial Bridge to connect the City of                               
17 Ketchikan and Gravina Island and the East Lynn Canal Road alignment connecting the City                                 
18 of Juneau to northern Southeast Alaska.                                                                                 
19       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Frank Murkowski, Governor                              
20 of Alaska; the Honorable Mike Barton, Commissioner, Department of Transportation and                                    
21 Public Facilities; Al Ewing, Chief of Staff, Denali Commission; Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse,                                  
22 President and Chief Executive Officer, NovaGold Resources Inc.; the mayors of the                                       
23 Municipality of Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star Borough, City of Fairbanks, City and                                    
24 Borough of Juneau, City of Wrangell, City of Petersburg, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, City                                
25 of Ketchikan, City of Klawock, City of Craig, Kenai Peninsula Borough, City of Homer, City                              
26 of Kenai, City of Soldotna, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, City of Wasilla, City of Palmer,                                 
27 Lake and Peninsula Borough, and City of Nome; the Postmasters of Central, Circle, Pedro                                 
28 Bay, Iliamna, Crooked Creek, and Red Devil; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the                                    
29 Honorable Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S.                                              
30 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.