HJR 7-OPPOSE ALEUTIAN NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
3:30:39 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL announced HJR 7 to be up for consideration [CSHJR
7(FSH) was before the committee].
SENATOR STOLTZE joined the committee.
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska,
sponsor of HJR 7, said this resolution expresses the
legislature's opposition to the formation of what would have
been called an "Aleutian Islands National Marine Sanctuary"
brought forward by a Washington, D.C., group called the Public
Employees for Environmental Responsibility that took it upon
themselves through a couple of their Alaskan members to submit
an application to form a sanctuary that would have encompassed
Alaska in and around the Aleutian Islands and the Alaska
Peninsula area.
This application was done without any consultation or any
involvement of the local entities and it was rejected by the
West Coast Office of the National Oceanic Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) in late January, because of that.
The resolution also argues that there is essentially a
scrupulously managed emergency fisheries regime already in place
through the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC),
the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), the National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the Board of Fisheries, and
there has been a recently completed Aleutian Islands risk
assessment study, a multi-dimensional study of all the shipping
hazards along the Great Circle trade route.
3:33:10 PM
SENATOR COGHILL joined the committee.
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON said there was no support from any of the
communities or tribes for this designation.
CHAIR GIESSEL noted the NOAA application, the letter to the
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and numerous
letters of support for HJR 7 in their packets.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if he was aware of any opposition to
HJR 7.
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON answered no, but rather that everyone
supported it up and down the Coast.
SENATOR COSTELLO said that all members of Congress need to be
educated on Alaska issues and this communication was a nice one
to send to them. She suggested a friendly amendment on page 3,
line 16, to add an "s" to "U.S. Representative".
3:35:44 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON said his version reads "and the Honorable
Don Young, U.S. Representative" and asked if that wasn't
correct.
CHAIR GIESSEL explained that the two Senators are listed there
and "U.S. Senators" refers to them, then there is "Don Young,
U.S. Representative."
SENATOR COSTELLO thanked her for the clarification.
3:37:28 PM
ERNIE WEISS, Director, Natural Resources) Aleutians East
Borough, said they are one of the many entities, municipalities
and tribes that publicly oppose the Aleutian Island National
Marine Sanctuary by letter or resolution. There are two main
problems with it. One, the sheer size; it encompasses 554,000
nautical square miles and would have completely encompassed
their borough, and, two, there is zero community support. His
borough wasn't even consulted or notified of the nomination.
SENATOR STOLTZE wondered if listing oil and gas leasing was a
gratuitous gesture, because he wants resolutions, in general, to
be meaningful.
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON said that it is not included to be
gratuitous, but to factually say that the President withdrew
that area from oil and gas leasing in December and asks why a
marine sanctuary would be needed.
CHAIR GIESSEL, finding no further comments, closed public
testimony.
SENATOR COSTELLO moved to report CSHJR 7(FSH), version 29-
LS9368\E, from committee with individual recommendations and
attached zero fiscal note. There were no objections and it was
so ordered.