00 SENATE CS FOR CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 56(CRA)                                                               
01 Relating to yttrium mining and transfer of the linear induction motor research                                          
02 vehicle to Alaska.                                                                                                      
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                              
04  WHEREAS yttrium bearing and other rare earth minerals have been identified in large                                  
05 quantities on Prince of Wales Island; and                                                                               
06  WHEREAS the Prince of Wales deposits are the only known deposits of yttrium                                          
07 bearing minerals in North America; and                                                                                  
08  WHEREAS, based on the present world market, one pound of 99.9999 pure yttrium                                        
09 has a market value of $320,000; and                                                                                     
10  WHEREAS the presence of yttrium in the state offers a potential economic                                             
11 development opportunity on Prince of Wales Island and elsewhere in Alaska in the areas of                               
12 mining, refining, research, and manufacturing; and                                                                      
13  WHEREAS the local availability of refined yttrium metal could promote the                                            
14 establishment of a major research and manufacturing facility for yttrium-based products on                              
01 Prince of Wales Island or elsewhere in Alaska, resulting in new career opportunities for                                
02 Alaskans; and                                                                                                           
03  WHEREAS products manufactured using yttrium and technology involving yttrium                                         
04 include powerful frictionless motors and magnetic levitation equipment for use in                                       
05 transportation systems, superconducting fault limiters, electromagnetic mass launchers, and                             
06 yttrium coated tapes and wire; yttrium wire can also be used in medical equipment, including                            
07 field magnets in MRI-scanning machines; and                                                                             
08  WHEREAS the firm of Power Superconductor Applications Corporation, based in                                          
09 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has expressed an interest in working with the state to establish                              
10 manufacturing and research facilities in Alaska using the local workforce and local facilities;                         
11 and                                                                                                                     
12  WHEREAS Power Superconductor Applications Corporation has requested assistance                                       
13 from the state in securing use of a 30-ton linear induction motor research vehicle (LIMRV)                              
14 currently in storage by the Federal Railroad Administration; and                                                        
15  WHEREAS the LIMRV is expected to become part of a four-year based retrofit and                                       
16 research project involving yttrium, yttrium products, and yttrium technology; and                                       
17  WHEREAS the retrofit and research project is expected to start in 1998 and could lead                                
18 to the establishment of a new $3,100,000 yttrium and yttrium products manufacturing facility                            
19 on Prince of Wales Island or elsewhere in Alaska, employing 55 Alaskans; once transfer of                               
20 the LIMRV to the State of Alaska takes place, 15 new jobs for Alaskans are expected to be                               
21 established immediately; and                                                                                            
22  WHEREAS requests for funding to establish new yttrium industrial and research                                        
23 sectors on Prince of Wales Island or elsewhere in Alaska are not currently being made by the                            
24 state; and                                                                                                              
25  WHEREAS current economic opportunities on Prince of Wales Island and throughout                                      
26 Alaska have significantly decreased due to recent declines in the timber and fishing industries;                        
27  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature would welcome a transfer of the                                     
28 linear induction motor research vehicle (LIMRV) to the state as a federal contribution to                               
29 establishment of a new industrial and research sector located in Alaska; and be it                                      
30  FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Federal Railroad                                        
31 Administration, the Alaska Congressional delegation, and the Governor to facilitate transfer                            
01 of the LIMRV to Alaska for a period of at least four years.                                                             
02  COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to Ms. Jolene M. Molitoris, Administrator,                                   
03 Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation; and to the Honorable Ted                            
04 Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young,                                  
05 U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.