00                CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 35(TRA)                                                               
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 Stryker Brigade; 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 Alaska State Legislature supports returning to private landowners the                                       
03 ownership rights of formerly private land previously conveyed to the Alaska Railroad that is                            
04 no longer in use by the railroad, or for affected landowners to receive compensation,                                   
05 including a share of all revenue derived from easements, utility rights-of-way, or other                                
06 financial arrangements executed by the railroad; and                                                                    
07       WHEREAS the communities, neighborhoods, and individuals served and affected by                                    
08 rail expansions should have an active role in planning, considering alternatives, and                                   
09 confirming decisions made by the Alaska Railroad regarding rail expansions;                                             
10 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the completion of the                                         
11 Port MacKenzie Rail Extension and the Northern Rail Extension; and be it                                                
12 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the urgency of                                            
13 developing key infrastructure and defense capabilities, considering the investments other                               
14 nations have committed to the Arctic as well as the increased amount of time needed for those                           
15 types of projects because of the extreme weather of the region; and be it                                               
16 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages the Alaska                                                
17 Railroad to renew its commitment to a community-minded approach to future rail expansions,                              
18 including reporting to the legislature regarding the railroad's efforts to improve relations with                       
19 private landowners, communities, and neighborhoods impacted by past and current                                         
20 operations; and be it                                                                                                   
21 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Alaska                                                     
22 delegation in Congress to pursue the completion of the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension and                                
23 the Northern Rail Extension for the purpose of securing the critical infrastructure that is                             
24 necessary to improve defense capabilities in the state.                                                                 
25 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, President                                     
26 of the United States; the Honorable Kamala D. Harris, Vice President of the United States and                           
27 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of                                  
28 Representatives; the Honorable Patrick Leahy, President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate; the                             
29 Honorable Lloyd Austin, United States Secretary of Defense; the Honorable Deb Haaland,                                  
30 United States Secretary of the Interior; the Honorable Pete Buttigieg, United States Secretary                          
31 of Transportation; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S.                                

01 Senators, and the U.S. Representative for Alaska, members of the Alaska delegation in                                   
02 Congress.