SENATOR MILLER announced HJR 28 (SUPPORT KANTISHNA AREA TOURISM DEVELOP'T) to be up for consideration. REPRESENTATIVE BRICE, prime sponsor of HJR 28, explained this resolution basically supports the concept of having the state establish a rail utility corridor that it can lease to the private sector for the development of an electric rail transportation system. Currently over 400,000 people are being turned away from Denali Park who would like to go in. This corridor would provide the access. It is environmentally sound and is contained access. CHAD COURSEY, Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association, read testimony from Nancy Lethcoe, President. The testimony opposed HJR 28, because it is an anti-small business bill masquerading as tourism development. He also opposed development of a visitor activity area and the establishment of a utility corridor into Kantishna by private corporations. Number 174 LENORE SAPPINGTON, Denali Citizens Council, strongly opposed HJR 28, because a road entrance from the north side would not be good for tourism, wildlife, or visitors. The Kantishna Resource Management Plan, released in 1990, said commercial development was not good for the park. HJR 28 is not an environmentally sensitive plan. MS. SAPPINGTON said there are rumors that people have been turned away from the park which is simply not true. She suggested the Finance Committee look at how much a new corridor would really cost. SENATOR MILLER said the co-chairmen of Finance would be looking at that. Number 280 DAN ASHBROOK, Denali Park, supported HJR 28. He said the tourist trade is just going to increase and the road is saturated now. Number 303 JOSEPH FIELDS, Kantishna Group, Incorporated, supported HJR 28. He said Mount Denali should be accessible. There should also be a study of tourism and its impact to the land. Tourism should have the same standing as the other resources of the state, MR. FIELDS said. Number 342 VALERIE MUNDT, member of Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce, supported HJR 28 and development in the Kantishna area by the private sector. She said there is not a watershed in the area that hasn't been mined. It is not yet a wilderness. Every opportunity there has developed from mining. MS. MUNDT suggested changing "rail utility corridor" to a "transportation corridor." IRENE MORRIS, Alaska Environmental Lobby, opposed HJR 28, because it advocates aggressive pursuit of a new access route and more development in Denali Park's Kantishna area. She said DOT is currently conducting a location study for improved access to Kantishna. MS. MORRIS stated the proposed railroad would cost $189 million dollars. She asked how they would do that without public money and who would pay to maintain and repair it? SENATOR MILLER asked if the Alaska Environmental Lobby was against a southern entrance. MS. MORRIS said they were not against it. SENATOR MILLER said that many environmental groups opposed southern development. Number 424 SENATOR DONLEY asked if there could be essentially a circuit of traffic from south to north. He asked what was so sensitive in that area where mining had been a thriving industry. MS. MORRIS said she would have to get back to them on that. Number 439 CLYDE STOLTZFUS, Special Assistant, Department of DOT, supported HJR 28 and access to Kantishna, in general. He said they are currently doing a location and environmental study for access from the Parks Highway to McGrath, with access into Kantishna. This resolution would not change their activity. That is why there is a $0 fiscal note. They will look at both road and rail access. MR. STOTLTZFUS said there are 9 - 10 RS2477's in the northern part of the Park. That means there has been a lot of mining activity in the northern part of the Park - a lot more than in the southern part. So it is actually more environmentally benign to go into the northern part of the Park. Number 459 CONNEL MURRAY, Director of Tourism, supported the general concepts in HJR 28. He said Alaska is getting more and more independent visitors (as opposed to those who come on a "package deal"). They don't have advance arrangements made for them. Based on mail and telephone calls to the Division of Tourism, they know there are many thousands of visitors who come to Alaska with the express purpose of visiting Denali who cannot get into the park. The people who do go are jammed into a narrow and overcrowded corridor. The addition of a Kantishna access could double the number of people who could enjoy the Park. SENATOR MILLER thanked everyone for their testimony and closed the public hearing on HJR 28.