Juneau -- The Alaska Senate Thursday passed House Joint Resolution 15, sponsored by Representative Jeannette James (R-North Pole). HJR 15 places 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 either a World Heritage Site or a Biosphere Reserve.

HJR 15 passed the Senate 15-5.

"UN land designations 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 and a threat to private property and individual inholdings. We are seeing this in Glacier Bay and in Denali National Park, which are listed by the UN as both World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves."

The Senate action on HJR 15 was especially timely, coming one day after the U.S. House Committee on Resources, in a bipartisan 26-14 vote, approved H.R. 883. (See attached press release.)

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Contact: Steve Hansen (Steve.Hansen@mail.house.gov) (202) 225-7749
To: National Desk/Environmental Reporter May 5, 1999

Washington, D.C. - Bipartisan legislation which would require Congressional approval and public input for controversial United Nations' (U.N.) land designations within U.S. borders - primarily World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves - was approved by the U.S. House Committee on Resources today.

"The American Land Sovereignty Protection Act" (H.R. 883) was approved by a 26 to 14 vote. All 22 Republicans in attendance voted for passage, as did four Democrats. The opposing votes were all cast by Democrats. Opponents of the bill argued that the U.N. land designations promoted tourism.

H.R. 883 currently has 166 cosponsors. U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) has introduced similar legislation (S. 510) in the Senate.

H.R. 883 is supported by a number of organizations including organized labor, Concerned Women for America, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Eagle Forum and the National Center for Public Policy Research.

State legislatures in Alaska, Colorado and Montana have approved resolutions in support of "The American Land Sovereignty Protection Act".

Similar legislation was approved by the House in the 105th Congress by a 236 to 191 vote.

67 U.N. Land Designations Already Exist In The United States

H.R. 883 would require public input and Congressional approval of all proposed U.N. land reserves in the United States. There are currently 67 U.N. land designations in existence in the United States - almost all of which were designated with little or no participation from the local communities in the area or by Congress. These include 47 Biosphere Reserves and 20 World Heritage Sites.

Congressional & Public Input Is Not Required For U.N. Land Designations

Currently, international land designations in the United States are negotiated solely between the United Nations and the Executive Branch. In addition, local citizens affected by U.N. land designations are rarely asked about their concerns and broad-based public input is not required.

H.R. 883 Gives Americans A Say In U.N. Actions Within U.S. Borders

"The concern is that the United States Congress - and therefore, the people of the United States - are left out of the domestic process to designate World Heritage Sites, RAMSAR Sites and Biosphere Reserves," said the prime sponsor of the legislation, U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the Chairman of the House Committee on Resources, which has jurisdiction over federal lands issues.

"This bill will require the participation of the U.S. Congress and the citizens of this nation in the process of designating an international land reserve in the United States.

"The Biosphere Reserve program is not even authorized by a single U.S. law or an international treaty. That is wrong. Executive branch appointees cannot and should not do things that the law does not authorize.

Bill Protects Domestic Land-Use Decisions From International Interference

"We, as the Congress, have a responsibility to ensure that the representatives of the people are engaged on these important international land designations," Young said. "As I read the U.S. Constitution, referring to article IV, section 3, the power to make all needful rules and regulations governing lands belonging to the United States is vested in Congress. Yet these international land designations have been created with virtually no congressional oversight, no hearings, and no authority from Congress. The public and local governments are rarely consulted.

"H.R. 883 is a good bill which will prevent the Executive Branch from using international land designations to guide domestic land use policies without consulting Congress. This bill will also protect our domestic land use decision-making process from unnecessary international interference."

For more information, please check the House Committee on Resources Home Page at http://www.house.gov/resources/