00                         HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 8                                                                         
01 Supporting the Kensington Gold Mine project; and commending the United States                                           
02 Forest Service for its environmental change analysis.                                                                   
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:                                                                         
04       WHEREAS, in resolutions passed in 2005 and 2007, the Alaska State Legislature                                 
05 proclaimed strong support for the Coeur Alaska, Inc., Kensington Gold Mine as an                                        
06 environmentally responsible mining project and has encouraged all federal and state agencies                            
07 to complete thorough and timely permitting reviews and issue the necessary permits; and                                 
08       WHEREAS the state has abundant natural resources, particularly mineral resources,                               
09 that the state seeks to develop in an environmentally responsible manner to benefit all                                 
10 residents of the state; and                                                                                             
11       WHEREAS the Kensington Gold Mine would create over 300 jobs during the                                          
12 construction of a tailings facility and over 200 long-term, high-paying, year-round jobs when                           
13 in operation, would have an annual payroll of over $16,000,000, and would help diversify the                            
14 struggling economy of Southeast Alaska while protecting the environment; and                                            
15       WHEREAS the United States Forest Service has completed a thorough analysis of the                               
16 Kensington modified plan of operations, using research and data from three previous                                     

01 environmental impact statements and 1,000 environmental and engineering studies that                                    
02 evaluate a tailings plan that is substantially the same as the tailings plan in the modified plan                       
03 of operations; and                                                                                                      
04       WHEREAS the Juneau district ranger, United States Forest Service, has issued a                                  
05 tentative recommendation that the forest supervisor determine that the modified plan of                                 
06 operations does not constitute a substantial change to the proposed action regarding                                    
07 environmental concerns and has recommended that no further study be required; and                                       
08       WHEREAS Coeur Alaska, Inc., intends to begin construction of a tailings facility                                
09 during fall 2008 after receipt of the remaining federal and state permits;                                              
10       BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives strongly supports the                                          
11 Kensington Gold Mine project of Coeur Alaska, Inc., as environmentally responsible, and                                 
12 commends the United States Forest Service for its competent and thorough environmental                                  
13 change analysis, which satisfies 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. (National Environmental Policy Act of                           
14 1969) and allows the Kensington Gold Mine to move forward in the permitting process and                                 
15 toward production.