Enrolled HJR 12: Supporting the completion of the Northern Rail Extension; supporting the increase in defensive capabilities at Fort Greely, Alaska; and encouraging the development of critical Arctic infrastructure.
00Enrolled HJR 12 01 Supporting the completion of the Northern Rail Extension; supporting the increase in 02 defensive capabilities at Fort Greely, Alaska; and encouraging the development of critical 03 Arctic infrastructure. 04 _______________ 05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 WHEREAS Alaska is the only state in the United States that borders the Arctic 07 Ocean; and 08 WHEREAS the United States Department of Defense has expanded the anti-ballistic 09 missile facility at Fort Greely, Alaska; and 10 WHEREAS the United States Army has developed new training range areas to 11 support the Stryker Brigade; and 12 WHEREAS Fort Greely is the only military base that is not currently connected to the 13 railroad system in the state; and 14 WHEREAS a railroad is well suited to provide the transportation support required to 15 sustain military operations; and 16 WHEREAS a cost-efficient transportation system would benefit the world-class
01 mining operations located near Delta Junction and projected mining operations near Tetlin; 02 and 03 WHEREAS a cost-efficient transportation system would benefit the agricultural 04 industry in the Delta Junction area, allowing the agricultural industry to become more cost- 05 efficient and competitive and increasing its ability to expand; and 06 WHEREAS a railroad would provide a cost-efficient method of transporting goods 07 and services for both mining and agricultural activities in the Delta Junction region; and 08 WHEREAS the Alaska Railroad system has the capacity to provide efficient 09 transportation services for heavy cargo and large quantities of supplies to the Delta Junction 10 region from the ports of Seward, Whittier, and Anchorage and to economically deliver mining 11 and agricultural products from the region to market; and 12 WHEREAS the extension of the Alaska Railroad to Delta Junction and Fort Greely is 13 consistent with the long-term goals of the Alaska Railroad Corporation and the State of 14 Alaska to extend rail service to the contiguous United States; and 15 WHEREAS the Alaska Railroad has already completed phase 1 of the Northern Rail 16 Extension project by crossing the Tanana River, which brings the rail line within 70 miles of 17 Delta Junction and Fort Greely; 18 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the completion of the 19 Northern Rail Extension; and be it 20 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the urgency of 21 developing key infrastructure and defense capabilities, considering the investments other 22 nations have committed to the region as well as the increased amount of time needed for those 23 types of projects because of the extreme weather of the region; and be it 24 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Alaska 25 delegation in Congress to pursue the completion of the Northern Rail Extension for the 26 purpose of securing the critical infrastructure that is necessary to improve defense capabilities 27 in the region. 28 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President 29 of the United States; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of 30 Representatives; the Honorable Chuck Grassley, President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate; the 31 Honorable Patrick M. Shanahan, Acting United States Secretary of Defense; the Honorable
01 David Bernhardt, United States Secretary of the Interior; the Honorable Elaine L. Chao, 02 United States Secretary of Transportation; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 03 Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, 04 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.