News from the Senate Majority

Alaska State Legislature

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
Phone: 907/465-4582
http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: 800/478-6540

For Immediate Release: March 13, 1997 Contact: Senator Loren Leman 907/465-2095

Senate Encourages Congress To Amend The Federal Clean Water Act

Juneau -- The Alaska State Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 20 by a vote of 19 to1, endorsing the efforts of Senators Ted Stevens and Frank Murkowski to amend the Clean Water Act by modifying the wetlands regulatory program.

"Alaska residents need to be able to build schools, remove snow, and construct ice roads without burdensome mitigation," said Senator Loren Leman (R-Anchorage), sponsor of SJR 20. "These needed services are tough to do when 98% of all Alaska communities are located in or adjacent to wetlands."

Leman noted that SJR 20 asks Congress to recognize that Alaska has an outstanding record of wetlands conservation and reward that conservation with flexibility in permitting.

"Alaskans have proven we care about our wetlands environment. We are tired of carrying the guilt and paying for the mistakes of the rest of the nation," Leman said.

SJR 20 encourages Congress to amend the federal Clean Water Act to:

• Continue existing airport safety, logging, mining, ice pads, roads, and snow removal without adding to the "cumulative" loss of wetlands nationally.
• Allow the establishment of general permits for the discharge of dredged or fill material into disposal sites.
• Eliminate existing requirements to mitigate unavoidable impacts or to prove alternative sites do not exist.
• Require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to customize a permitting process that does not include burdensome mitigation or avoidance requirements.

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