02/26/1996 03:45 PM Senate RES

 SRES 2/26/96                                                                  
                                                                               
             SR   5 REQUEST FEDS LIVE UP TO ANILCA                            
                                                                              
  CHAIRMAN LEMAN  called the Senate Resources Committee meeting to             
 order at 3:45 p.m. and announced  SR 5  to be up for consideration.           
                                                                               
 AL CLOUGH, Alaska Minerals Commission, said that SR 5 implements              
 Title XI of ANILCA which guarantees access across conservation                
 system units.  The first case is the Red Dog Road which is a text             
 book example of what Title XI was all about.  The land exchange               
 brokered by U.S. Congress was deemed easier than implementing Title           
 XI which was supposed to be a simple process to provide access.               
                                                                               
 More recently at Greens Creek on Admiralty Island a land exchange             
 is being implemented with the federal government to gain access to            
 resources rather than try to get access through Title XI.                     
                                                                               
 The DOT is seeking title to the Chisana Airstrip, first put in in             
 the 1930's, using Title XI and having great difficulties although             
 they are continuing to try.                                                   
                                                                               
 Title XI has demonstrated that it has in no way worked to improve             
 the underdeveloped surface transportation needs of the State of               
 Alaska.  That is the first point of SR 5.                                     
                                                                               
 The second point regards the prohibition of new conservation system           
 units which has been ignored in ANILCA.                                       
                                                                               
 ANILCA gives provisions under several sections to exchange                    
 mineralized lands out of the Federal Reserve for nonmineralized               
 lands elsewhere.  He used the Dunkel Township in Denali Park, a               
 highly mineralized area, as a case in point.  It remains within the           
 Federal Reserve and is closed to mineral entry.  This has been a              
 long standing issue of the Minerals Commission and Title XI is                
 supposedly a process to allow access across federal conservation              
 system units and it has not worked.                                           
 Title XI has been successfully implemented for a variety of land              
 needs by issuing permits for driveways, water and sewer lines, and            
 an existing dock extension, etc.                                              
                                                                               
 Number 112                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR PEARCE moved to pass SR 5 from Committee with individual              
 recommendations and a $0 fiscal note.  There were no objections and           
 it was so ordered.