00Enrolled SJR 25                                                                                                         
01 Recommending that certain federal funding restrictions be eased so that more villages in                                
02 Alaska would qualify for assistance relating to flooding and erosion.                                                   
03                                         _______________                                                                 
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                             
05      WHEREAS Alaska is bordered by the Pacific and Arctic Oceans along 33,000 miles                                     
06 of coastline, and an estimated 12,000 rivers flow across the state, providing an abundant                               
07 source of food, jobs, and recreational opportunities; and                                                               
08      WHEREAS many Alaska communities have been established near these bodies of                                         
09 water, affording easier commerce and access, but also increasing the chances that lives and                             
10 property can be threatened by erosion and floods; and                                                                   
11      WHEREAS the United States General Accounting Office published a report in                                          
12 December 2003 entitled, "Alaska Native Villages:  Most Are Affected by Erosion, but Few                                 
13 Qualify for Federal Assistance," in which the office reported that 184 communities in the state                         
14 experience some level of erosion and flooding; and                                                                      
15      WHEREAS the General Accounting Office finds that villages that seek funding for                                    
16 projects to address flooding and erosion from the United States Army Corps of Engineers                                 
17 often fail to qualify for assistance because economic costs exceed the expected benefits under                          

01 the applicable guidelines; and                                                                                          
02      WHEREAS the General Accounting Office finds that four communities--Kivalina,                                       
03 Koyukuk, Newtok, and Shishmaref--"are in imminent danger from flooding and erosion and                                  
04 are making plans to relocate" at a cost of several hundred million dollars; and                                         
05      WHEREAS the General Accounting Office describes the relocation process as                                          
06 "daunting" and recommends that the United States Congress consider alternatives that would                              
07 enhance existing federal programs for control and prevention of erosion and flooding; and                               
08      WHEREAS the General Accounting Office suggests that the federal government                                         
09 should consider waiving cost-sharing requirements for some projects and should authorize the                            
10 bundling of funds from various federal agencies to help endangered communities; and                                     
11      WHEREAS many communities in the state that are endangered by erosion and floods                                    
12 have a wealth of public investments that should be protected, including schools, roads,                                 
13 airports, harbors, military installations, and communications facilities;                                               
14      BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the federal government to                                   
15 ease the strict cost and benefit analysis rules associated with federal assistance for flood and                        
16 erosion damage, as discussed by the United States General Accounting Office in its report,                              
17 and expeditiously move to help communities in the state that are threatened by erosion and                              
18 flooding.                                                                                                               
19      COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable John Paul Woodley, Jr.,                                   
20 Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works); the Honorable P. Lynn Scarlett, Assistant                                
21 Secretary, Policy Management and Budget, U.S. Department of the Interior; the Honorable                                 
22 Michael Liu, Assistant Secretary, Public and Indian Housing, U.S. Department of Housing                                 
23 and Urban Development; and the Honorable Jeffrey Staser, Federal Co-Chair, Denali                                       
24 Commission; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski, U.S.                                     
25 Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                       
26 delegation in Congress.