Legislature(2005 - 2006)SENATE FINANCE 532
03/30/2005 01:00 PM House RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HJR9 | |
| HJR16 | |
| HB198 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HJR 16 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 198 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HJR 9 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 174 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HJR 16-OPPOSE UN LAND DESIGNATIONS IN ALASKA CO-CHAIR SAMUELS announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 16, Opposing the designation of any area in the state as a world heritage site, biosphere reserve, or any other type of international designation without the consent of the Alaska State Legislature. JAMES VAN HORN, Staff to Representative Jim Elkins, Alaska State Legislature, presented HJR 16 on behalf of Representative Elkins, sponsor (original punctuation provided): House Joint Resolution 16 opposes the designation of any area in Alaska as a World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve, or any other type of international designation without the specific consent of the Alaska State Legislature. It also urges the United States Congress to pass and the President to sign legislation that will require approval by and Act of Congress before any area in the United States or its territories can be nominated as a World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve, or any other type of international designation. This resolution urges the Congress of the United States to reaffirm the power of Congress, under article IV, section 3 of the United States Constitution over international agreements, which concern disposal, management, and use of lands belonging to the United States. To protect State powers not reserved to the Federal Government under the Constitution from Federal actions designating lands pursuant to international agreements. Ensure that no United States citizen suffers any diminishment or loss of individual rights as a result of Federal actions designating lands pursuant to international agreements for purposes of imposing restrictions on use of those lands. Protect private interests in real property from diminishment as a result of Federal actions designating lands pursuant to international agreements. 1:26:48 PM REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD asked him to define a biosphere reserve. MR. VAN HORN said it is an area of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems promoting solutions to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with sustainable use. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) "governs these biosphere reserves," he added. "Biosphere reserves just sort of showed up," he said. They include three areas once designated: core area, buffer zone, and transitional zone. He said normally the core area is not subject to human activity, the buffer zones help protect the core area, and the transitional zone is an area outside of the buffer where resources are developed for the benefit of the people who live there. "The majority of the biosphere reserves are talking about people like in South America ... where they sell their baskets and Native arts and stuff of this nature," he said. "What is disturbing is ... the Secretary of Interior, by just a signature of her pen, can designate a World Heritage Site." He said it circumvents the constitution. 1:30:15 PM CINDY MIDDLESTADT, Communications Manager, Alaska Support Industry Alliance, said the alliance is a nonprofit trade group of oil, gas, and mining industries. The alliance supports HJR 16 because environmental maneuvers can stall development projects, and conservation designations would provide another tool for the international environmental groups and wildlife activists. She said industry projects need to get off the ground and maintain operations. International movements and ill-spirited motivations could increase the fear factor, she added, and it is appropriate that Congress decides before any conservation designations are made in Alaska. 1:32:06 PM JASON BRUNE, Project Coordinator, Resource Development Council, said his organization's mission is to grow Alaska's economy by developing natural resources. He said he agrees with Ms. Middlestadt's comments. He said the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act created a network of conservation systems. The federal government manages 235 million acres in Alaska, and 58 million are Wilderness. The addition of world heritage sites is unnecessary, he opined. "Such designations would severely limit the economic potential of resource development projects throughout our great state," he said. "Alaskans, and Alaskans alone," should make decisions on "our land and our resources," therefore Congress and the legislature should approve of biosphere reserves in Alaska. 1:34:46 PM STEVE BORELL, Executive Director, Alaska Miners Association, said biosphere reserves and world heritage sites would pose a serious threat to development, and they would be used to harass developers. No more lands in Alaska should be added to any type of conservation system. Administrative actions cannot be used to close or study lands unless the study is authorized by an act of Congress, he said. He said world heritage sites have been used by environmental groups to stop projects, and one project in Australia was harassed by picketing a board meeting. Three environmental groups petitioned an overseas developer to not insure a mine in Kamchatka, where a world heritage site overlaid a park and preserve that had been established by the Russian government. He believes that if a world heritage site was in place in western Alaska, the Red Dog mine would have been blocked. He said it is important for an act of Congress to approve a world heritage site. He noted is not concerned by the current Alaska administration, but he is by future ones. 1:38:34 PM IRENE ANDERSON, Assistant Land Manager, Bering Straits Native Corporation, Nome, said she has worked in opposition to the marine biosphere in Beringia. The federal budget allocates a lot of money to universities to study Beringia National Park, she added. She said she wants to stop authorization of money for studies of these areas. She noted that there is good information coming from the studies, but "they don't need to be calling [it] an international park." She said Bering Strait Natives have land within and adjacent to the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, and Shishmaref needs to move because of warming ocean erosion problems. She said, "If we get these world heritages...we could see that not only would the Native land be affected...but neighboring state land...mines right south of the preserve, and we would expect that that would no longer happen because of the transitional zones and buffer zones." 1:43:39 PM DICK COOSE, Concerned Alaskans for Resource and Environment, Ketchikan, said his group was formed to keep access to resources. He said he supports HJR 16, "that asks, basically, the U.S. legislature to require that the Congress and the state legislature approve any UN designations of world heritage sites, biosphere reserves, or any other type of international designation." The designations ultimately restrict or stop public use of public and private land, he said. In Yellowstone National Park, there was a mine outside of the park that was stopped as a direct result of a United Nations designation. He requested that local governments also have a say. "The UN is a non-elected body ... and we don't need their interference in our lives," he said. 1:47:22 PM REPRESENTATIVE ELKINS said he would like to hold the resolution in order to draft amendments. [HJR 16 was held over]
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