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.