03/12/2012 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

          SB 181-CLOSING CERTAIN LAND TO MINERAL ENTRY                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:34:08 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN announced the consideration of SB 181.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR CATHY  GIESSEL, Alaska State  Legislature, sponsor  of SB
,  said this  measure  would close  certain  lands to  mineral                                                               
entry  (mining claims).  She  related that  Girdwood  is home  to                                                               
Alyeska  Ski Resort,  the largest  recreational  facility of  its                                                               
kind in  Alaska. Girdwood also  has multiple world  class hiking,                                                               
cross country running, mountain biking  and Nordic ski trails. It                                                               
is  a  year  round  recreational  destination  for  Alaskans  and                                                               
visitors to the  state, as well. SB 181 allows  for the expansion                                                               
of these recreational opportunities in  the mountains to the east                                                               
of  the ski  resort  by  closing additional  state  lands in  the                                                               
Glacier  and Winner  Creek drainages  to mining  claims. A  large                                                               
portion  of the  land had  already been  closed to  mining claims                                                               
since 1992  by action  of the legislature.  And that  closure has                                                               
recently been  extended by the  legislature to the  Department of                                                               
Natural Resources  (DNR) commissioner. SB 181  will complete some                                                               
necessary additional land closures  in that area for recreational                                                               
use.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
She said  there is widespread  support for the bill  from private                                                               
persons  who live  in the  Girdwood  area as  well as  businesses                                                               
there. Even the Alaska Mining  Association supports this bill. Of                                                               
significance to  her was  one that one  of her  Hope constituents                                                               
who is  a placer miner recently  "poked around" in this  area and                                                               
reported that he saw no  significant mining opportunities on this                                                               
land  supports this  bill, too.  This bill  will not  impact Crow                                                               
Creek,  an  active   gold  mining  area  several   miles  to  the                                                               
southwest.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:36:55 PM                                                                                                                    
SHARON  LONG,  staff  to  Senator  Cathy  Giessel,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, provided a sectional analysis for SB 181.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Section  1 states  the  purpose of  the bill  is  to approve  the                                                               
interim classifications contained in mineral order 121.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Section 2  identifies the  land in the  Glacier Creek  and Winner                                                               
Creek drainages that  are closed to new mineral  entry. Section 3                                                               
amends the  description of land  in the Glacier Creek  and Winner                                                               
Creek drainages  that were closed  to mineral entry  and approved                                                               
by the  legislature in  section 2,  chapter 8,  SLA 2003,  a bill                                                               
that  Senate French  was a  cross  sponsor of,  by excluding  two                                                               
additional mining claim  recordations that were left  out in that                                                               
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Section 4 provides for an immediate effective date.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN said  page 1, line 12, talks  about "new mineral                                                               
entry"  and seemed  to infer  that current  mineral activity  was                                                               
going on there and asked if that was true.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS.  LONG replied  her understanding  was that  the lands  in the                                                               
blue area of the map had  been closed to mineral entry since 1992                                                               
for a 10-year period and extended  again in 2003. The new mineral                                                               
order which was  issued this last year is the  gold area. She was                                                               
unaware of mining  activity in that area, but  the division could                                                               
speak to specifics.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:39:20 PM                                                                                                                    
WYN MENEFEE,  Chief of Operations,  Division of Mining,  Land and                                                               
Water,  Department of  Natural  Resources  (DNR), explained  that                                                               
were no  mineral claims or  locations within the area  except for                                                               
the  federal claims  in the  Crow Creek  area, and  those existed                                                               
prior to the original mineral closing order.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:40:22 PM                                                                                                                    
FRED  PARADY,  Executive  Director,  Alaska  Miners  Association,                                                               
Juneau, AK,  stated support for  SB 181.  While some may  find it                                                               
surprising that the association supports  this bill, he said they                                                               
were specifically appreciative of the  process followed by DNR in                                                               
evaluating the proposed  areas as to their  mineral potential and                                                               
other values. They support the  closure orders and agree with the                                                               
assessment that  these lands are properly  suitable for expansion                                                               
of the  recreation uses. He noted  that if such uses  cease, they                                                               
would like to  the see the closure orders reversed  and the areas                                                               
reopened to  mineral development, commenting that  you just never                                                               
know what might happen in the future.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN held SB 181 in committee.