HJR 16: Urging the United States government to continue to work with the government of Canada to refer the issue of transboundary development in the Alaska-British Columbia region to the International Joint Commission, and to use any and all powers under the Boundary Waters Treaty to investigate the long-term, region-wide downstream effects of proposed and existing industrial development and to develop measures to ensure that state resources are not harmed by upstream development in British Columbia.
00 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 16 01 Urging the United States government to continue to work with the government of 02 Canada to refer the issue of transboundary development in the Alaska-British Columbia 03 region to the International Joint Commission, and to use any and all powers under the 04 Boundary Waters Treaty to investigate the long-term, region-wide downstream effects 05 of proposed and existing industrial development and to develop measures to ensure that 06 state resources are not harmed by upstream development in British Columbia. 07 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 08 WHEREAS the transboundary rivers of Northwest British Columbia and Southeast 09 Alaska have tremendous unique economic, ecological, subsistence, cultural, and recreational 10 value; and 11 WHEREAS protecting productive, pristine waters and intact habitats throughout 12 those transboundary river systems is necessary to ensure healthy wild salmon populations and 13 abundant fisheries; and 14 WHEREAS large-scale mining in British Columbia is experiencing unprecedented
01 and rapid expansion within the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk watersheds; and 02 WHEREAS proposed mines in the transboundary area include Tulsequah Chief, New 03 Polaris, and Big Bull in the Taku watershed; Galore Creek, Red Chris, and Schaft Creek in the 04 Stikine watershed; and the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell project in the headwaters of the Unuk 05 River; and 06 WHEREAS large-scale mining and energy development could have significant 07 adverse effects on the environment and fisheries within the transboundary region; and 08 WHEREAS the proposed mines would generate billions of tons of acid-generating 09 tailings, which would be held behind huge dams and could pose the threat of acid rock 10 drainage for centuries, if not in perpetuity; and 11 WHEREAS the tailings would need monitoring, maintenance, water treatment, and 12 possible remediation for centuries, if not in perpetuity; and 13 WHEREAS ongoing acid rock drainage at the Tulsequah Chief mine and the tailings 14 dam failure at the Mount Polley mine demonstrate weaknesses in current monitoring and 15 enforcement efforts in British Columbia; and 16 WHEREAS the federal-provincial environmental assessment process does not 17 address the long-term, cumulative effects of industrial development in the transboundary 18 region; and 19 WHEREAS commercial fishermen, subsistence and recreational users, elected 20 leaders, local communities, and Alaska Native and First Nation tribes on both sides of the 21 Alaska-Canada border have raised concerns about the pace and scope of the proposed 22 industrial development in the headwaters of the transboundary river systems and the potential 23 for harm to water quality, fish and wildlife, and the socio-economic sustainability of local 24 communities in the region; and 25 WHEREAS the Boundary Waters Treaty states, "waters flowing across the boundary 26 shall not be polluted on either side to the injury of health or property on the other," and the 27 treaty establishes the International Joint Commission to address transboundary river concerns; 28 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature strongly urges the United States 29 government to continue to work with the government of Canada to refer the issue of 30 transboundary development in the Alaska-British Columbia region to the International Joint 31 Commission, and to use any and all powers under the Boundary Waters Treaty to investigate
01 the long-term, region-wide downstream effects of proposed and existing industrial 02 development and to develop measures to ensure that state resources are not harmed by 03 upstream development in British Columbia. 04 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable John F. Kerry, United States 05 Secretary of State; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. 06 Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska 07 delegation in Congress.