02/23/2022 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

         SJR 15-RECOGNIZING ALASKA/CANADA RELATIONSHIP                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:21:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced  that the next order  of business would                                                               
be SENATE JOINT  RESOLUTION NO. 15, Recognizing  and honoring the                                                               
relationship between  Canada and  the state; and  recognizing the                                                               
importance of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FIELDS asked  whether  the sponsor  has any  additional                                                               
comments regarding the resolution.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
5:21:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR TOM BEGICH, Alaska State Legislature, replied no.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
5:22:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SPOHNHOLZ   moved  to  adopt  the   proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)   for  SJR  15,  labeled   32-LS0855\B,  Nauman,                                                               
2/21/22,  as the  working document.   There  being no  objection,                                                               
Version B was before the committee.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
5:22:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS opened public testimony on SJR 15.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
5:23:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
HEATHER  EVOY,  Indigenous   Engagement  Lead,  Southeast  Alaska                                                               
Conservation   Council  (SEACC),   expressed  concern   that  the                                                               
resolution  does  not  address  transboundary  mining  and  water                                                               
issues.  She spoke from  written testimony, which read as follows                                                               
(original punctuation provided):                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     SEACC  is the  regional  conservation organization  for                                                                    
     Southeast Alaska  and has worked diligently  to protect                                                                    
     the  communities, wildlife,  habitat, and  lifestyle of                                                                    
     Southeast  Alaska   for  over   50  years.  We   are  a                                                                    
     membership supported  and driven organization  based in                                                                    
     Juneau  with  supporters   throughout  the  region  and                                                                    
     throughout Alaska.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     We would  like to express  some concerns about  SJR 15,                                                                    
     and about  the relationship between Alaska  and Canada.                                                                    
     It  is our  view that  SJR 15  paints an  entirely rosy                                                                    
     view  of our  relationship with  Canada, and  that this                                                                    
     view  does  not  reflect the  experience  of  Southeast                                                                    
     Alaska  residents and  communities, particularly  as it                                                                    
     relates  to  the  shared transboundary  waters  of  the                                                                    
     Taku, Stikine, and Unuk rivers.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     We  have  watched with  growing  dismay  as Canada  and                                                                    
     province of British Columbia  have supported a headlong                                                                    
     rush  to  exploit  the mineralized  headwaters  of  our                                                                    
     shared  rivers with  little  regard  for the  long-term                                                                    
     impact  on   downstream  Alaska   communities,  fishing                                                                    
     industry,  and Tribes.  The huge  number  of mines  and                                                                    
     tailings dams  projected for  these waters  should give                                                                    
     pause to any  Alaska legislator. The impacts  of even a                                                                    
     single failure event could be devastating.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     This blanket resolution does not  reflect the very real                                                                    
     problems we have with our  upstream neighbors, nor does                                                                    
     it  reflect  their  unwillingness   to  deal  with  the                                                                    
     concerns of Tribes and communities.  We urgently need a                                                                    
     bilateral, an  international approach to  management of                                                                    
     shared waterways.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Please consider  including language in  this resolution                                                                    
     that addresses  Southeast Alaskan's concerns  about our                                                                    
     shared waterways.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. EVOY,  as an indigenous  Alaskan, noted that  legislators are                                                               
also considering a  tribal recognition bill.   She suggested that                                                               
if  the  state  were  to  formally  recognize  Southeast  Alaskan                                                               
tribes,  this  bilateral working  group  should  be a  trilateral                                                               
working group between the State  of Alaska, British Columbia, and                                                               
Southeast Alaskan tribes.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
5:25:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FIELDS closed  public testimony  after ascertaining  no                                                               
one else wished to testify.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS  invited the  sponsor to  discuss the  concept of                                                               
addressing transboundary mining  issues in SJR 15  and whether it                                                               
should be considered by the committee.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
5:26:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BEGICH  stated  that the  resolution  doesn't  speak  to                                                               
specific  things,  it  speaks to  the  longstanding  relationship                                                               
between Canada and  the United States.  He  directed attention to                                                               
page 2,  lines 7-10, which  state, "WHEREAS the United  States is                                                               
Canada's premier  partner in the Arctic,  and cooperation between                                                               
Canada  and  the state  is  longstanding,  including on  economic                                                               
opportunities, health, education,  energy security, environmental                                                               
protection, infrastructure,  and public safety issues".   He then                                                               
drew  attention to  page 2,  lines 11-13,  which state,  "WHEREAS                                                               
Canada and  the state  strive to advance  the goal  of sustaining                                                               
healthy   and  resilient   Arctic   and   northern  peoples   and                                                               
communities,  by  strengthening indigenous,  economic,  cultural,                                                               
and family  connections across  the region".   He said  these two                                                               
paragraphs  point  to  the  ability  to  have  dialogue,  but  no                                                               
specific  issue is  mentioned because  this resolution  speaks to                                                               
the relationship that allows all  those various discussions to go                                                               
forward in the form of where  each of those forums come together.                                                               
He concurred  with the testifier that  there is always a  need to                                                               
particularly  ensure  protection  of   the  state's  fishing  and                                                               
indigenous  lifestyles.    Those  discussions  are  ongoing  with                                                               
Canada, he stated, they haven't  always been successful, and this                                                               
resolution is  designed to continue  to enhance  the relationship                                                               
so those discussions can continue.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
5:28:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS  shared that he is  concerned about transboundary                                                               
mine operations  on Southeast  Alaska fisheries.   He said  he is                                                               
comfortable with the  resolution's text as is because  as soon as                                                               
[the transboundary  mining] level  of detail  is added,  it would                                                               
then seem inconsistent not to add all the other issues.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BEGICH noted  that the  tribal recognition  legislation,                                                               
which he  supports, is a resolution  that came from the  House to                                                               
the Senate,  and he is hoping  it will get a  full hearing before                                                               
the Senate  and be returned  to the House  for passage.   He said                                                               
that  is a  more appropriate  area to  deal with  the recognition                                                               
issue, which is important for  dignity and respect for all Alaska                                                               
Native people.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS added that he is  open to working on the issue of                                                               
transboundary mines with Ms. Evoy and other Southeast Alaskans.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ  remarked that  no neighbors are  without some                                                               
disagreements and  the intention  is to  resolve them.   However,                                                               
she said, this resolution is  to solidify and strengthen Alaska's                                                               
relationship with  Canada and she appreciates  the sponsor's work                                                               
on this.   Moving SJR 15 from committee doesn't  signal a lack of                                                               
interest  in addressing  any  of these  issues,  she stated,  but                                                               
rather to stay up at a higher level on this resolution.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
5:30:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ  moved to  report SJR 15,  as amended,  out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal notes.   There being  no objection,  HCS SJR 15  was moved                                                               
out of the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.