00 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 38 am H 01 Expressing support for a cooperative United States-Canada feasibility study on 02 extending the North American rail system through British Columbia and the 03 Yukon Territory to Alaska. 04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 WHEREAS rail transportation is the most cost-effective long distance method of 06 overland transportation; and 07 WHEREAS  rail transportation is an essential component of the North American inter- 08 modal transportation system; and 09 WHEREAS rail transportation is energy efficient, capable of moving goods three to 10 nine times farther per unit of fuel than highway transportation; and 11 WHEREAS rail transportation emits lower levels of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, 12 nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds per ton of freight moved than other modes 13 of freight transportation; and 14 WHEREAS rail transportation systems allow controlled access to and reduced overall 01 effects on environmentally sensitive regions; and 02 WHEREAS rail transportation remains an important component of national and 03 continental defense planning; and 04 WHEREAS the North American rail transportation system will not be complete until 05 it extends to all states, provinces, and territories on the continent; and 06 WHEREAS the State of Alaska recently enacted legislation to reauthorize the 07 delineation and acquisition of a rail transportation corridor from the present terminus of the 08 Alaska Railroad to the border between Alaska and the Yukon Territory; and 09 WHEREAS Senator Frank Murkowski, United States Senator for Alaska, has 10 introduced S. 2253, Rails to Resources Act of 2000, to establish a joint United States-Canada 11 commission to study the feasibility of connecting the rail system in Alaska to the continental 12 rail system of North America; and 13 WHEREAS Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and British Columbia contain extensive oil 14 and gas, mineral, and timber resource reserves that currently are inaccessible, and bilateral 15 cooperation in the development of a freight transportation infrastructure would facilitate the 16 utilization of these resources for the benefit of the United States and Canada; and 17 WHEREAS a northern rail system may significantly benefit the visitor industry by 18 facilitating the comfortable movement of passengers over long distances while minimizing the 19 effect of such movement on the surrounding environment; and 20 WHEREAS ongoing research and advancements in rail technology continue to 21 increase the efficiency of rail transportation and ensure rail safety and decrease the effect of 22 rail transportation on the environment; 23 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the 24 government of the United States and the government of Canada to engage in a cooperative 25 feasibility study to examine the costs and benefits of constructing a rail connection to link 26 Alaska and the Yukon Territory by way of northern British Columbia with the existing North 27 American rail transportation system; and be it 28 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the 29 government of the United States and the government of Canada to establish a bilateral 30 commission representing local governments, business interests, and aboriginal stakeholders to 31 define the goals and objectives for the cooperative feasibility study and to report the results 01 of the study to the appropriate governmental entities of the United States and Canada; and be 02 it 03 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests that 04 funding for operation of the bilateral commission and for the conduct of the cooperative 05 feasibility study be considered a priority for the governments of the United States, Canada, 06 British Columbia, the Yukon Territory, and the State of Alaska. 07 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Jean Chretien, Prime 08 Minister of Canada; the Honorable David Collenette, Minister of Transport, Transport Canada; 09 the Honorable Dan Miller, Premier of the Province of British Columbia; the Honorable Piers 10 McDonald, Government Leader, Yukon Territory; the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the 11 United States; the Honorable Madeleine K. Albright, United States Secretary of State; the 12 Honorable Rodney E. Slater, United States Secretary of Transportation; the Honorable Strom 13 Thurmond, President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Jesse Helms, Chair of 14 the Committee on Foreign Relations of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable John McCain, Chair 15 of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the U.S. Senate; the 16 Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable 17 Benjamin A. Gilman, Chair of the Committee on International Relations of the U.S. House 18 of Representatives; the Honorable Bud Shuster, Chair of the Committee on Transportation and 19 Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Representatives; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the 20 Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. 21 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.