Juneau -- The Alaska House of Representatives Wednesday passed House Joint Resolution 15, sponsored by Representative Jeannette James (R-North Pole). HJR 15 would place the Alaska Legislature on record as supporting Congressman Don Young's U.S. House Resolution 883, which mandates congressional approval before the United Nations can designate any land in the United States as a World Heritage Site or Biosphere Reserve.

"On the face of it, these UN land designations sound benign enough, but they have the potential to diminish Alaska's drive to diversify its economy," James said. "We cannot afford to ignore what is happening to our sovereignty; it is under a serious threat as extreme preservation groups take full advantage of these designations to close public lands to development.

"There is also a threat to private property and individual inholdings, as these United Nations designations have become open invitations to interfere in domestic economies and land use decisions," James said. "There is a rapidly growing body of evidence to substantiate this. We are seeing it in Glacier Bay and in Denali National Park, both of which are listed by the UN as both World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves."

House Joint Resolution 15 passed the House 31-6 and now moves to the Senate for consideration.