Alaska State Legislature
News from the Office of Representative Bill Williams

State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
Ph: (907) 465-3424
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org/pastlegs/Williams.htm

Rep. Williams Opposes Imposition of New Wilderness Areas on the Tongass -- Introduces HJR 49

For Immediate Release: January 21, 1997. For more information contact Pete Ecklund at 465-3424.

Juneau -- Yesterday Representative Bill Williams, D-Saxman, introduced House Joint Resolution 49, opposing a proposed two-year "interim" forest service policy which could halt development in roadless areas of national forests.

"We do not need any more wilderness areas on the Tongass, especially wilderness created in the shadows of the White House" Representative Williams said.

Any new administratively created wilderness in Alaska would violate the spirit of the 'no more' provision of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) which prohibits federal agencies from establishing new wilderness areas in the state without an act of Congress. It also runs counter to the National Forest Management Act which requires the public be allowed to participate in the development, review, and revision of land management plans for national forests.

"Could you imagine if there were a Presidential edict to do the opposite to our national forests. If the Administration came out and said we were going to log all of the roadless areas of national forests, and do so without any public process, the environmental community would be screaming bloody murder."

Representative Williams also questioned the value of the Tongass Land Management Planning process in light of the Clinton Administration's proposed roadless area policy.

"Why spend 10 years and $13,000,000 on a management plan for the Tongass just to have the Administration throw it in the garbage can and do whatever they want anyway?" Representative Williams continued. "We told the forest service what we wanted in the plan, people came together and compromised. Why did they put us through all of the pain and agony over the last 10 years?

Why would any reasonable person choose to be a part of any future forest service public 'process' if it doesn't count for anything?"

Any 'interim' roadless area applied to the Tongass could wipe-out the remaining timber industry of Southeast Alaska. "We have already seen a huge decline in the harvest and timber jobs on the Tongass. Our timber receipts for fiscal year 98 are down 83%"

Timber receipts are payments which cities and boroughs within national forests receive from the income collected due to timber production on national forests.

"Less money from timber receipts means less money for schools and roads. Last year Ketchikan's share of timber receipt money was $261,000, this year it is down to $51,000." Rep. Williams added.

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