District M - Republican
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Session: State Capitol, Room 121 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Phone: (907) 465-4958 Fax: (907) 465-4928 Send E-Mail Interim: PO Box 670190 Chugiak, AK 99567-0190 Phone: (907) 694-4958 Fax: (907) 694-0549 |
Sponsor Statement for SJR 5 am S
A Resolution Opposing the Closure of the Former Mount McKinley Portions of Denali National Park and Preserve to Snowmachine Use
Updated: February 23, 1999 In November of 1998, the National Park Service (NPS) announced their plan to temporarily close two million acres of Denali National Park snowmachine access. On February 4, 1999 the NPS implemented the temporary closure ignoring the protest of affected Alaskans and our Congressional Delegation. This closure, without proper documentation of detrimental impacts to the resource values of the park and preserve, is not in compliance with the provisions of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) which guarantee traditional access and set out specific procedures for regulatory action affecting that access. The law is clear - ANILCA, Section 1110, expressly authorizes access to federal conservation system units for traditional activity. Allowing the National Park Service to ignore clear legislative direction and impose this closure without regard to the procedure specifically outlined in law is not only improper, but has tremendous implications in setting undesirable precedent for the over 200 million acres of other Federal Conservation Units throughout Alaska Passage of this resolution will reiterate the Alaska State Legislature's continued opposition to extra-jurisdictional action by federal agencies, and the Legislature's resolve to preserve access to all Federal Conservation Units as was promised in their enabling legislation. In addition, SJR 5 am S also calls upon the Governor to take all available administrative and legal measures to protect the public access rights guaranteed under ANILCA. I urge the members support for this resolution.