00                       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 7                                                                     
01 Opposing the proposed designation of an Aleutian Islands National Marine Sanctuary.                                     
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS, in June 2014, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration                                      
04 reestablished the process by which communities may submit applications to have the National                             
05 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration consider nominations of areas of the marine and                                  
06 Great Lakes environments as national marine sanctuaries; and                                                            
07       WHEREAS the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has stated that                                     
08 "every nomination starts at the community level"; and                                                                   
09       WHEREAS, while the Sanctuary Nomination Process Guide published by the                                      
10 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls for "community-based support for                                  
11 the nomination," it also includes a definition of "communities" that is so broad it is essentially                      
12 meaningless; and                                                                                                        
13       WHEREAS a collection of predominantly non-Alaska organizations led by the                                       
14 Washington, D.C., based Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has nominated                                 
15 an area of approximately 554,000 square nautical miles--nearly equal to the entire landmass                             
16 of the state--to be designated as the Aleutian Islands National Marine Sanctuary; and                                   

01       WHEREAS the designation of the proposed Aleutian Islands National Marine                                        
02 Sanctuary would make permanent all current restrictions on fishing and other commerce and                               
03 would potentially authorize additional permanent restrictions that would prove burdensome to                            
04 present and future economic activity in the region; and                                                                 
05       WHEREAS concerns noted in the nomination have been and are currently being                                      
06 vigorously addressed through a variety of institutions and measures; and                                                
07       WHEREAS 277,100 square nautical miles of the Aleutian Islands are already                                       
08 designated as a habitat conservation area; and                                                                          
09       WHEREAS fishing in the region has long been under the conscientious, effective                                  
10 stewardship of local residents, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the Alaska                                
11 Board of Fisheries, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Alaska Department of Fish                            
12 and Game; and                                                                                                           
13       WHEREAS the Aleutian Islands are subject to the North Pacific Fishery Management                                
14 Council's Aleutian Islands Fishery Ecosystem Plan, which provides for heightened scientific                             
15 scrutiny to assess and enrich the health of the ecosystem, the sustainability of fisheries, and                         
16 the well-being of communities in the region; and                                                                        
17       WHEREAS risks associated with shipping are being addressed through the ongoing                                  
18 Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment, which includes the development of the Optimal Response                                
19 System to increase towing, salvage, and spill response capabilities in the region; and                                  
20       WHEREAS, in December 2014, President Obama withdrew the 32,500,000-acre                                         
21 North Aleutian Basin Planning Area from oil and gas leasing, and, in any case, oil and gas                              
22 development in the region is not feasible in the foreseeable future; and                                                
23       WHEREAS strong Environmental Protection Agency regulations are already in place                                 
24 to address potential issues involving invasive species; and                                                             
25       WHEREAS, at this time, the legislature is unaware of any support from local                                     
26 communities, local tribes, or other local groups for this nomination; and                                               
27       WHEREAS, in the wake of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility                                   
28 nomination, the Aleutians East Borough Assembly, the federally recognized Agdaagux Tribe                                
29 of King Cove, and the Akutan Traditional Council have published official declarations of                                
30 their strong opposition to the creation of an Aleutian Islands National Marine Sanctuary;                               
31       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature is vehemently opposed to the                                   

01 nomination by the Washington, D.C., based Public Employees for Environmental                                            
02 Responsibility for the creation of an Aleutian Islands National Marine Sanctuary.                                       
03       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Penny Pritzker, United                                 
04 States Secretary of Commerce; the Honorable Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D., Under Secretary of                                 
05 Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and National Oceanic and Atmospheric                                                 
06 Administration Administrator; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan                                    
07 Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the                               
08 Alaska delegation in Congress.