02/02/2001 01:10 PM House RES

                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
               HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                             
                        February 2, 2001                                                                                        
                           1:10 p.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
OVERVIEW: STATUS OF THE STATEHOOD DEFENSE CASES                                                                                 
                                                                                                                              
TAPES                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
01-7, SIDES A & B                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   BEVERLY  MASEK,   Co-Chair,  called   the  House                                                               
Resources Standing Committee to order at 1:10 p.m.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
PRESENT                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Committee  members  present  were  Representatives  Fate,  Green,                                                               
Stevens, Kapsner, McGuire, and  Scalzi.  Representatives Kerttula                                                               
and Chenault were excused.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
BARBARA RITCHIE, Deputy Attorney  General, Office of the Attorney                                                               
General, Department of Law, told  members that her department was                                                               
requested  to give  an update  of  the status  of state  lawsuits                                                               
pending. She introduced Ms. Grace.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
JOANNE  GRACE,  Assistant  Attorney  General,  Natural  Resources                                                               
Section, Civil  Division (Anchorage), Department of  Law, briefed                                                               
committee  members  on the  status  of  the three  major  pending                                                               
lawsuits filed by the State of Alaska:                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Katie  John  v. United  States  -  state's  right to  manage  its                                                             
navigable waters.   The  state filed  a notice  of appeal  in the                                                               
Ninth  Circuit  Court  and  a decision  is  expected  within  six                                                               
months. The  state asserts that  Congress did not  intend federal                                                               
agencies  to usurp  state sovereignty  to manage  state navigable                                                               
waters.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
State of Alaska  v. United States - state's right  to claim title                                                             
to submerged  lands in Southeast  Alaska marine  waters including                                                               
those within Glacier  Bay National Park and  the Tongass National                                                               
Forest.  The case  will  be heard  in the  Supreme  Court and  is                                                               
significant,  as  it  would  affect  the  state's  management  of                                                               
commercial fishing in waters within those park boundaries.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
State  of  Alaska  v.  U.S.  Forest  Service  and  Department  of                                                             
Agriculture  -  Clinton Roadless  Plan  for  Chugach and  Tongass                                                             
National  Forests. Governor  Knowles filed  in the  U.S. District                                                               
Court on January 31, 2001.  The suit seeks to permanently prevent                                                               
the  federal government  from implementing  the roadless  policy,                                                               
which  would  affect over  90  percent  of the  Tongass  National                                                               
Forest and 98.9 percent of the Chugach National Forest.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  MASEK announced  that  the House  and Senate  Resources                                                               
Committees will meet  jointly on February 6, 2001,  at 12:15 p.m.                                                               
to hear a presentation from the Alaska mining industry.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                              
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MASEK  adjourned the House Resources  Standing Committee                                                               
meeting at 2:19 p.m.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:   The meeting was  recorded and handwritten log  notes were                                                               
taken.  A  copy of the tape(s)  and log notes may  be obtained by                                                               
contacting the  House Records  Office at  State Capitol,  Room 3,                                                               
Juneau,  Alaska  99801  (mailing address),  (907)  465-2214,  and                                                               
after  adjournment of  the second  session  of the  Twenty-Second                                                               
Alaska  State Legislature  this  information may  be obtained  by                                                               
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.