Sponsor Statement for HB 89

Shuyak Island State Park

House Bill 89, and companion Senate Bill 64 have been introduced by the Kodiak delegation at the request of the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly. The bills represent the outcome of a long and complex effort by state and federal authorities along with locally affected entities to compensate for the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The bill adds specific land and water areas to the Shuyak State Park. Shuyak Island was heavily impacted by pollution streaming westward from the 1989 accident.

In 1984, the Shuyak State Park was established from part of the state's holdings to protect the area's fish and wildlife habitat and public recreation opportunities, while maintaining customary hunting and fishing uses. The two largest land owners on Shuyak Island are the State of Alaska and the Kodiak Island Borough.

One provision of the oil spill settlement was the establishment of a joint federal and state council to manage remediation and recovery efforts. Previous litigation imposed management restrictions that required the state to maintain wildlife habitat and public recreation values while the borough was partially prohibited from commercial or industrial uses on its lands.

It is for this purpose that the Oil Spill Trustee Council, on which I serve, selected the Borough's Shuyak Island lands and purchased them in 1996. Responsibilities of the group include the replacement of lost fish and wildlife habitat with the acquisition and protection of other high value habitat. The final effort is the consolidation of the lands under the protective management of the Shuyak State Park.

HB 89 completes the transaction by formally incorporating all state lands on the island into the Shuyak Island State Park. The expanded park retains the management goals, purposes, and allows uses of the original park.