Legislature(2013 - 2014)BUTROVICH 205
02/08/2014 09:00 AM Senate RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB146 | |
| SB109 | |
| SJR15 | |
| SJR16 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 146 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 109 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SJR 15 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SJR 16 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SJR 15-OPPOSE INTERNATIONAL DESIGNATING OF LAND
10:32:46 AM
CHAIR GIESSEL announced SJR 15 to be up for consideration and as
the sponsor, related that it is a resolution related to an
international transboundary area in the Bering Straits region.
She said that Beringia is a designated area that recognizes the
cultural connections between areas in Russia and areas on the
west coast of Alaska around Nome and Kotzebue. The intent that
has been going forward for the past approximately 25 or 30 years
is to declare this area an international park, the definition of
which would designate a protected area in two countries that
would result in sharing information, joint studies, and
promoting joint activities.
Other designations are related to international parks: Ramsar
sites in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, biosphere
reserves in Denali National Park, and World Heritage Sites in
Glacier Bay and Wrangell St. Elias National Parks. Around these
areas often the National Park Service and federal government
wish to designate buffer zones, an ongoing effort in Denali
National Park.
CHAIR GIESSEL said the concern about designating Beringia as an
international park is how it will affect resource development
and subsistence use on in the area. One of the recommendations
coming from the Citizen's Advisory Commission on Federal Areas
(CACFA) is to avoid spending scarce federal funds and resources
on special non designated areas such as Beringia International
Park.
10:34:09 AM
JANE CONWAY, staff to Senator Giessel, explained that SJR 15
urges the federal government to cease pursuing the creation of
the Beringia International Park. This idea has been floating
around since the 80s where it has languished, gained momentum
and then languished again. It gained momentum recently and a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) came about in October 28,
2013.
She said the MOU doesn't actually create the park; however it
symbolically links national parks in Alaska and Russia with a
focus on environmental protection. While it sounds harmless
enough, those phrases can take on entirely different meanings
when used in a campaign opposing building of resource
development projects. They are leery of any formal agreement
regarding these related areas in the Bering Strait region that
could affect Alaskan's ability to develop its resources in that
economically challenged region (which encompasses the Red Dog
Mine).
MS. CONWAY said the resolution is a violation of Section 101 of
ANILCA and the MOU between the U.S. Department of State and
Russia is proceeding with zero input from the state government.
These international designations come through United Nations
Educational Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO). The
Ramsar site in the Izembek Lagoon National Wildlife Refuge was
cited as one of the reasons Secretary Jewell made the decision
she did to deny the Izembek Road.
10:37:13 AM
MS. CONWAY said besides Glacier Bay and Wrangell St. Elias
National Park and Preserve seven others are on the tentative
list to be considered as World Heritage Sites in Alaska. While
Alaska does not have an official designation of a buffer zone
now, one has been discussed around Denali National Park having
to do with restricting wolf hunting and trapping since 2000.
These international designations have affected multiple projects
around the world: the New World Mine in Montana, the uranium
mine in Australia, the Aginskoya Mine in Russia and the list
goes on.
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if the list of Alaskan sites was in their
packets.
MS. CONWAY read them: Glacier Bay in 1992, Wrangell St. Elias in
1979, Aleutian Islands Unit of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife
Refuge, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Krusenstern
Archaeological District, Denali National Park, Gates of the
Arctic National Park, and Katmai National Park.
10:39:52 AM
CHAIR GIESSEL opened public testimony.
STEVE BORELL, representing himself, Anchorage, Alaska, supported
SJR 15. He related that he first learned about something called
Beringia and the concept of an international park between parts
of western Alaska and the Russian side in the early 90s. Then he
heard later that it was actually supposed to go from the
Mackenzie River all the way over to the Kolyma River, in the
Magadan Region. When he was preparing for testimony at the
federal overreach CACFA summit he learned that it actually goes
from the Mackenzie River as far as the Elena River, another
1,000 kilometers further west in Russia; he also learned that it
goes from 70 N latitude (above Barrow) down to the southern tip
of Kamchatka, which he guess was about the latitude of Juneau:
nearly all of Alaska is included in what they have defined as
Beringia. He had not recently checked to see if it had been
drawn further.
He said when in the early 1990s an Alaskan geologist Joe
Dressler was working in the Russian Far East first learned about
Beringia International Park, he went on a radio call-in program
in Magadan; several callers complained that the U.S. and
Canadian companies would come over and just take the metals and
leave a big mess and nothing to benefit the Russian people. At
that time just a few U.S. and Canadian companies were exploring
there and none of them had an operating mine. Joe finally asked
one of the callers who told him that and the answer he received
was that the National Park Service and the Audubon Society had
visited many of the villages and were saying that they needed
this national park to protect their land.
Part of the purpose of the shared Beringia Program is to
reconnect the peoples and that is a great goal, however, they
are using reconnection of the peoples as a way to build
financial support to save the National Park Service from paying
for their traveling back and forth.
He learned that three things are being proposed for Western
Alaska: 1. the International Park, 2. a World Heritage Site, and
3. a Marine Biosphere Reserve. The International Park is just
step one of the plan and if one had been in place when the Red
Dog was being proposed, the Rainbow Warrior and every other kind
of environmental group would have been attacking and trying to
stop it.
10:44:53 AM
MARLEANNA HALL, Project Coordinator, Resource Development
Council (RDC), said it is their policy to advocate for access to
and across lands in Alaska for resource and community
development and they supported SJR 15. The MOU for the creation
of Beringia International Park will create another level of
bureaucracy limiting access to areas in Alaska. This bill is
timely, because the MOU has not been signed by the president
yet.
Past federal government promises assured access to allow
resource development in this area and others not set aside
through the ANILCA Act which withdrew 106 million acres of
federal lands in Alaska into conservation system units. Today
Alaska accounts for 70 percent of all national park lands in the
U.S. as well as 54 percent in the federally designated
wilderness.
10:47:01 AM
STAN LEAPHART, Executive Director, Citizen's Advisory Commission
on Federal Areas (CACFA), said a letter in their packets
supported SJR 15. A similar designation is the Ramsar
designation for the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. No one
would dispute the importance of that area and no one wants to
jeopardize it. But everyone is aware of the need for a road
between King Cove and Cold Bay for medical evacuation purposes,
which is the subject of a proposed land exchange in the
legislature. The King Cove Native Corporation made a number of
acres available for it and the purpose was to allow the
construction of the road, but during the analysis of it
conducted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service they decided to not
approve the land exchange or the road. One of the reasons cited
in both the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Secretary
of Interior's decision was the designation of Izembek as a
Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar
convention. While it is not supposed to be binding, it had a
major effect on that decision.
He thought that similar decisions had been made in designating
Glacier Bay a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve that
affected the ultimate elimination of commercial fishing there in
the 1990s. These types of designations heighten the profile of
any activity around them and concerns have been expressed about
the future of the state's ability to manage its own resources on
its land as well as those of the Native corporations.
10:50:17 AM
MIKE COONS, representing himself, Palmer, Alaska, supported SJR
15. He said he had sent a PDF with suggested additions to it as
follows: On page 4, line 2, add a further resolve that:
The Alaska State Legislature request that the U.S.
Department of the State or the U.S. Department of the
Interior nevertheless pursues or proposes the
designation of land or water as an international park,
world heritage site or biosphere reserve, Ramsar site
or classification of land or water than affects the
proper use of the land or water by the state of Alaska
or Alaska Native Corporation, the Congress of the
United States vote against this violation of U.S. and
state sovereignty....
Second, he suggested on page 4, line 7, to delete "and" between
"process and development" and to add "after the development,
oversight, and disapproval" and on line 10 delete "if not
primary". He said this language strengthens an already strong
resolution and he didn't think that Russia would enforce this it
anyhow.
CHAIR GIESSEL, finding no further comments on SJR 15, closed
public testimony. She added that the Ambler Mining district
could potentially be affected by the international park
designation. Since the MOU was constructed as late as October
2013, there seems to be more active movement forward on this
designation. Letter from Representative Don Young and Senator
Lisa Murkowski supported it.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH asked the committee if it would entertain
sending a letter to National Conference of State Legislatures
(NCSL), specifically the Labor and Economic Development
Committee that she is vice chair of, asking the U.S. Trade
representative to communicate with states, because they are
feeling left out of these agreements as they negotiate state law
and allow foreign entities better leverage inside of their
business environment without the states' concurrence.
SENATOR MICCICHE thanked her for bringing the issue forward.
ANILCA clearly says we will not add additional acreage to our
state to remove it from potential development and that has not
been followed through. He thought the federal government was
struggling to maintain the park land they already have and they
should be asked why they should keep adding to it.
10:56:27 AM
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH clarified that we want good international
relationships and this is not a reflection of anything that
Russia or its delegation may have done. The criticism, if there
is one, lies directly at the foot of the U.S. side of this
conversation.
10:57:17 AM
SENATOR DYSON stated that he has three wilderness properties
south of Denali National Park along with scores of other folks
and the federal government might remove property rights for what
could be considered inholdings and extend federal wildlife
management into those areas. However, he didn't think that would
bias him on this issue.
10:58:19 AM
At ease from 10:58:19 to 10:58:55 a.m.
10:58:55 AM
CHAIR GIESSEL said she appreciated Mr. Coons' comments and
suggested amendments, but adopting them at this time it would
slow down the process. She thought the important parts had
already been captured in the resolution.
SENATOR MICCICHE said because many oppose increasing federal
control over our lands in Alaska doesn't mean we aren't
fascinated by the cultural aspects of Beringia and the other
lands. Most of our genetic code can be traced to people as they
walked across the land bridge many thousands of years ago. What
it means is when portions of these lands are developed for
projects that employ potentially thousands of Alaskans, the
impact is on a few acres, a tiny dot, among millions of acres.
That is an important point to remember when they want to lock up
millions of acres and things like ANWR.
11:00:30 AM
CHAIR GIESSEL drew attention to the map in their packets noting
that we already have a Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and
Cape Krusenstern National Monument and Russia has several parks
designated, as well, where cultural preservation and heritage
are addressed. The concern is the increasing take of our lands
which contain resources which help these communities support
themselves. The villages of Norvik, Kiana, Ambler, and Kobuk are
close to resources where energy will be developed along with the
mineral resources there. Extending these international
transboundary areas jeopardizes the economic potential and thus
the sustainability of these communities and the cultures they
represent.
11:01:58 AM
SENATOR DYSON moved to report SJR 15, version 28-LS1192\U, from
committee to the next committee of referral with attached zero
fiscal note and individual recommendations. There were no
objections and it was so ordered.