00 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 19 am 01 Supporting the completion of the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension and the Northern Rail 02 Extension; supporting the increase in defensive capabilities at Fort Greely, Alaska; 03 encouraging a renewed commitment by the Alaska Railroad to a community-minded 04 approach to future rail expansion; and encouraging the development of critical Arctic 05 infrastructure. 06 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 07 WHEREAS Alaska is the only state in the United States that borders the Arctic 08 Ocean; and 09 WHEREAS the United States Department of Defense has expanded the anti-ballistic 10 missile facility at Fort Greely, Alaska; and 11 WHEREAS the United States Army has developed new training range areas to 12 support the Arctic Mission; and 13 WHEREAS Fort Greely is the only military base that is not currently connected to the 14 railroad system in the state; and 15 WHEREAS a railroad is well suited to provide the transportation support required to 01 sustain military operations; and 02 WHEREAS a cost-efficient transportation system would benefit the world-class 03 mining operations located near Delta Junction and projected mining operations near Tetlin; 04 and 05 WHEREAS a cost-efficient transportation system would benefit the agricultural 06 industry in the Delta Junction area, allowing the agricultural industry to become more cost- 07 efficient and competitive and increasing its ability to expand; and 08 WHEREAS a railroad would provide a cost-efficient method of transporting goods 09 and services for both mining and agricultural activities in the Delta Junction region; and 10 WHEREAS the Alaska Railroad system has the capacity to provide efficient 11 transportation services for heavy cargo and large quantities of supplies to the Delta Junction 12 region from the ports of Port MacKenzie, Seward, Whittier, and Anchorage and to 13 economically deliver mining and agricultural products from the region to market; and 14 WHEREAS the extension of the Alaska Railroad from Port MacKenzie to Houston, 15 Delta Junction, and Fort Greely is consistent with the long-term goals of the Alaska Railroad 16 Corporation and the State of Alaska to extend rail service to the contiguous United States; and 17 WHEREAS the Alaska Railroad has already completed phase 1 of the Northern Rail 18 Extension project by crossing the Tanana River, which brings the rail line within 70 miles of 19 Delta Junction and Fort Greely; and 20 WHEREAS the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and the Alaska Railroad have already 21 completed nearly two-thirds of the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension, which brings Port 22 MacKenzie within 33 miles of the Alaska Railroad rail line, which is in Houston and extends 23 on to Fairbanks and the Northern Rail Extension project; and 24 WHEREAS the completion of the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension will reduce energy 25 and transportation costs, improve air quality, increase the efficiency of shipping bulk 26 commodities and materials to and from Interior Alaska, and provide direct rail access for 27 shipments of liquefied natural gas from Cook Inlet to Fairbanks, North Pole, and beyond; and 28 WHEREAS the completion of the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension will increase the 29 available supply of natural gas and reduce energy costs for industry and residential customers 30 in many Interior Alaska communities; with increased natural gas supply, that region will 31 realize additional opportunities for natural gas conversion, which will aid in achieving air 01 quality attainment; and 02 WHEREAS the communities, neighborhoods, and individuals served and affected by 03 rail expansions should have an active role in planning, considering alternatives, and 04 confirming decisions made by the Alaska Railroad regarding rail expansions; 05 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the completion of the 06 Port MacKenzie Rail Extension and the Northern Rail Extension; and be it 07 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the urgency of 08 developing key infrastructure and defense capabilities, considering the investments other 09 nations have committed to the Arctic as well as the increased amount of time needed for those 10 types of projects because of the extreme weather of the region; and be it 11 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages the Alaska 12 Railroad to renew its commitment to a community-minded approach to future rail expansions, 13 including reporting to the legislature regarding the railroad's efforts to improve relations with 14 private landowners, communities, and neighborhoods impacted by past and current 15 operations; and be it 16 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Alaska 17 delegation in Congress to pursue the completion of the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension and 18 the Northern Rail Extension for the purpose of securing the critical infrastructure that is 19 necessary to improve defense capabilities in the state. 20 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, President 21 of the United States; the Honorable Kamala D. Harris, Vice President of the United States and 22 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of 23 Representatives; the Honorable Patty Murray, President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate; the 24 Honorable Lloyd Austin, United States Secretary of Defense; the Honorable Deb Haaland, 25 United States Secretary of the Interior; the Honorable Pete Buttigieg, United States Secretary 26 of Transportation; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. 27 Senators, and the Honorable Mary Peltola, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska 28 delegation in Congress.