01/30/2012 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

         HJR 31-DECLARE CENTRAL PARK A WILDERNESS AREA                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:05:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FEIGE announced  that the first order  of business would                                                               
be HOUSE  JOINT RESOLUTION  NO. 31, Urging  the President  of the                                                               
United States and the United  States Congress to acquire the area                                                               
commonly known as  Central Park on Manhattan in New  York City on                                                               
behalf  of  the  federal  government; urging  the  United  States                                                               
Congress to declare  Central Park to be a wilderness  area and to                                                               
prohibit any  further improvement or development  of Central Park                                                               
unless authorized by an Act of Congress.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:05:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KYLE JOHANSEN,  Alaska  State Legislature,  prime                                                               
sponsor, described  a trip  he took  to New  York City  where the                                                               
green of  Central Park contrasted with  the rest of the  city.  A                                                               
few years  later he  read a  description of  the flora  and fauna                                                               
that were present  in this area prior to  Henry Hudson's arrival.                                                               
He described Manhattan as an  epicenter of finance and culture in                                                               
the  U.S. and  Central  Park as  an icon  to  which everyone  can                                                               
relate.   He said he thought  of using Central Park  to raise the                                                               
level of  discussion about what the  State of Alaska wants  to do                                                               
in relation  to the Arctic  National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).   He                                                               
opined that  since President Bill Clinton  vetoed legislation [to                                                               
open ANWR to drilling], the  conversation has been repetitive and                                                               
unproductive.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN  related that  since bringing  forth this                                                               
proposed resolution,  he has  been surprised  at the  support for                                                               
it.  He  said that several co-sponsors have signed  on to HJR 31,                                                               
and a news  story written locally was picked up  by several major                                                               
news  venues.   Further, he  said, the  word of  HJR 31  has been                                                               
spread across  social networks and  Internet search  engines, and                                                               
there is a grass roots discussion about Alaska's biggest issue.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:10:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN noted  incidentally that ANWR legislation                                                               
is currently being  heard by the U.S.  House Resources Committee,                                                               
which may move to the House Floor in the next couple weeks.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN admitted  that HJR 31 is  most likely not                                                               
going  to happen;  however,  he emphasized  that  if the  federal                                                               
government wanted  it to happen, it  would.  He said  that is how                                                               
he  feels about  some of  the  ideas the  federal government  has                                                               
about  how Alaska  should develop  its land.   In  the 1970s,  he                                                               
related, New York City was  running a deficit and was considering                                                               
all options to  balance its budget.  One of  the proposals was to                                                               
give  Central Park  to the  government, but  city fathers  at the                                                               
time considered  that if they  were to  do so, then  Central Park                                                               
would  be in  control of  the federal  government and  they would                                                               
have no say  in how that park  was managed.  He  stated, "I think                                                               
that really summed up where I was trying to go with this."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOHANSEN  told  the  committee  that  there  were                                                               
business and resource development groups  in the capitol eager to                                                               
testify, but he asked them to refrain in the interest of time.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:13:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked whether  the sponsor would be willing                                                               
to  consider  an  amendment  such  that  short  of  the  proposed                                                               
resolution passing, the land that  is Central Park could be given                                                               
back to the appropriate tribe of Native Americans.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOHANSEN  responded  that  the  Lanape  tribe  is                                                               
mentioned in the proposed resolution,  and the tribe has received                                                               
a copy of the resolution, but has  not yet responded.  He said he                                                               
would be willing to support such an amendment.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON commented he  understands the intent of the                                                               
language and hopes it will generate dialogue that helps Alaska.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:15:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FEIGE  said  he signed  onto  the  proposed  resolution                                                               
because  the point  needs  to  be made.    He  related that  many                                                               
passengers from Manhattan have ridden  in his plane, and they had                                                               
no  real basis  for  knowing what  a  wilderness is.    A lot  of                                                               
restrictions get  attached to a wilderness  designation, he said,                                                               
and  "like  the city  fathers  of  New  York who  were  certainly                                                               
looking  out  for  the  people  of  New  York  by  resisting  the                                                               
federalization of Central  Park, ... we need to look  out for the                                                               
increasing ... federal control over Alaska."                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:16:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI  said although  he appreciates  the humor                                                               
in which HJR 31  was written, he feels that it is  a waste of the                                                               
committee's  time  given  the  number of  bills  that  are  still                                                               
sitting in the committee.  He  said he thinks the committee needs                                                               
to focus on how to address  energy concerns across the state.  He                                                               
said  passing  this proposed  resolution  out  of committee  will                                                               
backfire.   People already  have a  negative opinion  of Alaskans                                                               
and think that Alaskans  are paid to live in the  state.  He said                                                               
the legislature needs to act like  adults to prove that the state                                                               
is capable of managing its own  resources, and he opined that HJR
 does  not get  to that  point.   He stated  that he  would not                                                               
support HJR 31 in committee or on the House floor.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:18:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER  shared that after HJR  31 was introduced,                                                               
she received comments from constituents  who were not happy.  She                                                               
said  at the  time  she defended  HJR  31 as  a  humorous way  of                                                               
drawing attention  to a serious  topic.   She said she  was asked                                                               
how  much it  costs  the state  to draft  and  carry forward  the                                                               
proposed resolution, and at the time  she said she would not look                                                               
into that; however, she said she  now may contact that person and                                                               
try  to produce  a figure  as to  the cost.   She  concurred with                                                               
Representative Kawasaki that there are  other issues on which the                                                               
committee  should focus,  and said  she  is only  present out  of                                                               
respect for the process.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:19:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN  responded that he respects  the members'                                                               
comments, but the topic is about  opening ANWR.  He admitted that                                                               
the  proposed resolution  was written  as  satire, but  disagreed                                                               
that it is  a waste of time.   He stated that any  time the state                                                               
can bring up  the issue of opening ANWR  for resource development                                                               
is important  to the state's  future development.  He  said there                                                               
has not  been this  much attention to  ANWR since  President Bill                                                               
Clinton vetoed  legislation.   He opined  that not  continuing on                                                               
with  the resolution  would have  negative  consequences, and  he                                                               
emphasized how  serious it is  to him that the  legislature takes                                                               
this proposed resolution seriously.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
[CO-CHAIR FEIGE held over HJR 31.]