04/15/1997 01:07 PM House RES

 CSSJR 24(RES) - TONGASS LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN                                
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN HUDSON stated that the committee would hear CS for                
 Senate Joint Resolution 24(RES), "Relating to the Tongass Land                
 Management Plan and to continued Congressional oversight of that              
 plan.  He said this resolution is identical to one introduced by              
 this committee and passed from committee on a 4-to-2 vote the                 
 previous week.  He called upon Senator Mackie to present the                  
 resolution.                                                                   
                                                                               
 Number 0096                                                                   
                                                                               
 SENATOR JERRY MACKIE read the sponsor statement into the record:              
                                                                               
 "The purpose of SJR 24 is two-fold.  First, it encourages the U.S.            
 Forest Service to bring the decade-long development of the Tongass            
 Land Management Plan (TLMP) to a conclusion so that the people and            
 communities of Southeast Alaska can move forward with their                   
 economic and personal lives with some degree of certainty.  The               
 resolution supports a level of harvest from the Tongass National              
 Forest sufficient to sustain a forest product industry and prevent            
 further job loss and economic disruption in Southeast Alaska.                 
                                                                               
 "Secondly, the resolution endorses continued oversight by Congress            
 and the Alaska congressional delegation of Forest Service                     
 management activities relating to the Tongass.  This endorsement              
 urges review of the analyses and procedures employed by the Forest            
 Service to ensure that decisions affecting the social and economic            
 well-being of Southeast communities are appropriate and                       
 scientifically credible.                                                      
                                                                               
 "After a decade of false starts, intervening federal legislation,             
 court decisions and several public review drafts, the Forest                  
 Service appears poised to adopt a final version of the land use               
 management plan for the Tongass.  During this time period, the                
 Southeast economy has lost $60 million in forest products payroll             
 and half of its timber jobs.  The continuing decline in available             
 timber supply had closed two pulp mills and one saw mill.  Without            
 a plan that ensures some level of harvesting, the existence of any            
 forest product industry in Southeast is improbable.                           
                                                                               
 "On December 20, 1996, the Southeast Regional Timber Task Force               
 passed a resolution urging the federal government to finalize a               
 plan for timber harvest in the Tongass.  The task force determined            
 that a minimum annual harvest level of 300 million board feet                 
 (MMBF) was necessary to re-establish a viable, integrated timber              
 industry.  This volume has been selected by several Forest                    
 Supervisors of the Tongass as the preferred alternative in previous           
 drafts of the TLMP.                                                           
                                                                               
 "Any delay in the finalization of the TLMP plan is detrimental to             
 the social and economic stability of Southeast Alaska.  A plan that           
 adopts a minimum 300 million board feet timber supply will stem the           
 current decline and the associated economic depression of Southeast           
 communities dependent on the forest industry.  SJR 24 requests the            
 completion of the long-delayed plan and that it include a 300                 
 million board foot harvest level."                                            
 ¶                                                                             
 SENATOR MACKIE emphasized that this resolution mirrors HJR 32,                
 moved by this committee.  Although the 300 MMBF figure has been               
 criticized, it is not arbitrary.  It was recommended by the                   
 Governor's task force, which was made up of people that represented           
 communities, different organizations, and environmental and                   
 resource developmental agencies around Southeast.  This resolution            
 adopts and recommends their findings.  He believes the task force's           
 results should not be ignored, and he urged support.                          
                                                                               
 Number 0356                                                                   
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN HUDSON announced it was not his intention to have                 
 additional testimony, as the committee had heard it before.                   
                                                                               
 Number 0380                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE JOE GREEN made a motion to move CSSJR 24(RES), 0-              
 LS0805\B, with individual recommendations.                                    
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN HUDSON asked whether there was an objection.  There               
 being none, CSSJR 24(RES) was moved out of the House Resources                
 Standing Committee.                                                           
                                                                               
 Co-Chairman Hudson turned the gavel over to Co-Chairman Ogan.