04/15/2015 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

              HJR 24-LIFT FEDERAL LAND WITHDRAWALS                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:31:36 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR GIESSEL announced the consideration of HJR 24.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:31:40 PM                                                                                                                    
JIM POUND,  staff to Representative  Wesley Keller,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, Juneau,  Alaska, explained  HJR 24 for  the sponsor.                                                               
He  said it  is a  kinder  gentler version  of previous  language                                                               
about  land and  the federal  government. He  explained that  the                                                               
"whereas" clause is  basically a history of  the land withdrawals                                                               
during the Alaska Native Claims  Settlement Act (ANCSA). That act                                                               
and the  Alaska National Interest Land  Conservation Act (ANILCA)                                                               
authorized the  Secretary of Interior  to withdraw and  hold more                                                               
than 150  million acres  of land  in Alaska  for the  purposes of                                                               
studying what to do with it down the road.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:32:21 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR STOLTZE joined the committee.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR.  POUND explained  that part  of  that requirement  was for  a                                                               
report, known  as the Alaska Lands  Transfer Acceleration Report,                                                               
to  be filed  with  Congress, which  was done  in  2006; it  also                                                               
became an  act in 2007. The  report cited that 95  percent of the                                                               
land that  was being withheld  had outlived its  original purpose                                                               
and should  be returned to  the state. Despite that  report, none                                                               
of that  land has  been released  so far.  During that  time, the                                                               
state has been permitted to do  some "top-filing" on the land, so                                                               
whenever it  is turned over there  is an option for  the state to                                                               
getting that land and take care of it.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
The resolves ask  the federal government to  honor its commitment                                                               
to  Alaska  under  Statehood, ANCSA,  the  Cook  Inlet  Exchange,                                                               
ANILCA and the Alaska Land  Transfer Acceleration Act and release                                                               
approximately  152,181,400   acres  of  land.  It   further  asks                                                               
congress to strongly  encourage the Secretary of  the Interior to                                                               
act in that direction. The only  stick in this resolution is that                                                               
it suggests  that the  Attorney General to  seek legal  action if                                                               
the land is not released.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
The final clause says who the resolution will go to.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:34:10 PM                                                                                                                    
SARAH  TAYLOR, Citizen's  Advisory Commission  on Federal  Areas,                                                               
Anchorage, Alaska, supported HJR 24.  She had been working on the                                                               
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)  (d)(1) withdrawal issues for the                                                               
last 12  years. "Why are we  still waiting for our  land? Someone                                                               
said the answer is because the good stuff is all locked up."                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
She  explained that  the D-1  withdrawals  reference Section  17,                                                               
(d)(1), of  the Alaska National  Interest Lands  Conservation Act                                                               
(ANILCA). All  of those withdrawals  are still on the  books even                                                               
34 years  after ANILCA was  passed. A number of  withdrawals were                                                               
made for a  pipeline corridor and some other things,  and the BLM                                                               
2006 report recognized the reasons  for those withdrawals were no                                                               
longer at issue  and that, therefore, the release  of 151 million                                                               
acres  was consistent  with  the public  interest  but they  were                                                               
going to  consider withholding  6 million  acres of  (d)(1) lands                                                               
until a more appropriate withdrawal could be put in place.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Throughout 2000, when BLM was  going through its planning process                                                               
it was recommending  in each plan that the  (d)(1) withdrawals be                                                               
lifted. Even with each of  those recommendation those withdrawals                                                               
have not been lifted. Some very  prime acreage is sitting under a                                                               
(d)(1) withdrawal  preventing its transfer  to anyone. This  is a                                                               
great  opportunity to  free up  the  title and  start to  address                                                               
which withdrawals  they would like to  hold on to and  then allow                                                               
Alaska to receive entitlement free of this encumbrance.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR COGHILL said the only  negative aspect about this is that                                                               
Alaska is  dealing with so  many federal issues  that resolutions                                                               
are going out  at a high rate.  They just need to  make sure they                                                               
are heard.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR GIESSEL  opened public testimony  on HJR 24;  finding none,                                                               
she closed it.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  COSTELLO moved  to report  HJR 24,  version 29-LS0843\A,                                                               
from committee with individual  recommendations and attached zero                                                               
fiscal note. There were no objections and it was so ordered.