Don Young

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, as the sponsor of H.R. 715, I urge my colleagues to join me in this effort to help save valuable living marine resources in a small enclave of international waters known as the Peanut Hole. Three years ago, congress approved my Central Bering Sea Fisheries Enforcement Act, which prohibited the destruction of pollock stocks in an area known as the Donut Hole. While this law has promoted conservation efforts for the region, it has had unwanted results. Certain fishermen from China, Japan, Korea, and Poland have now moved their operations to the Peanut Hole and they are severely overfishing the pollock stocks in this region. Unless immediate steps are taken, these stocks will collapse. My bill, which has been cosponsored by the leadership of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, Jim Saxton and Gerry Studds, would amend the 1992 statute to prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing in the Peanut Hole unless the fishing operation fully complies with international fishing agreements between the United States and Russia. The bill is noncontroversial and well supported. It passed the House twice in the last Congress and it is helpful to our negotiators in their ongoing efforts to establish agreements to conserve fish stocks in international waters. Massachusetts [Mr. Studds], it is amazing what you learn when you go to a new committee, such as the Committee on Natural Resources. The gentleman just had the opportunity not only to support this legislation that he worked so hard on last year, but to become an expert in the American Native movement, and I hope and I wish him well.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I have no requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 421, a bill to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act [ANCSA]. I introduced this bill at the request of Cook Inlet Region, Inc. [CIRI] and have worked with the Alaska Federation of Natives, the State of Alaska, the Department of the Interior, and my ranking minority member, Mr. Miller, to reach a consensus. Cook Inlet Region, Inc., is one of 13 regional corporations formed under ANCSA. CIRI has approximately 6,300 shareholders, who each own 100 shares of stock. ANCSA bans the public sale of any Native corporation stock until the majority of its shareholders vote to remove this restriction. CIRI's shareholders would like to sell their stock. CIRI wishes to buy back stock from its shareholders and to cancel these shares, thus keeping the corporation in Native ownership. This bill is intended to give CIRI, and only CIRI, this authority. The Committee on Resources favorably reported H.R. 421 on February 8 with an amendment offered by Mr. Miller. His amendment protects CIRI, its directors and officers from liability in connection with an offer to purchase stock if the offer was made in good faith, in reliance on a good faith opinion of a recognized firm of investment bankers or valuation experts, and if the offer was otherwise in accordance with section 7(h)(4) of ANCSA. This will provide reasonable protections for CIRI shareholders while protecting CIRI from repeated litigation when it has made a good faith offer to purchase stock that is based on an independent, professional evaluation. I accepted Mr. Miller's amendment because it contained the protection needed by CIRI, and it is consistent with ANCSA, which encourages Alaska's Native people and their corporations to conduct their affairs in their own way and without litigation. The protections provided under H.R. 421 are limited to stock re-purchase offerings only, as long as they are made in accordance with ANCSA, and this provision does not apply to other types of corporate activities under State or Federal law. Mr. Speaker, this bill passed the House last Congress, and I urge support again for this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 1022, the Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Act of 1995, is long overdue. I agree with the bill's authors that it is essential that a cost-benefit analysis be performed on the thousands of Federal regulations that are prepared each year. Without this measure, the Federal Government would simply continue to create, without any accountability, a growing mountain of new Federal requirements. In far too many cases, these regulations provide little, if any, benefit to our economy, our environment, or our Nation as a whole. While H.R. 1022 is not a perfect product and it will be refined throughout the legislative process, there are several very sound provisions which I would like to highlight. First, the term ``major rule'' has been defined to cover any regulation that is likely to result in an annual cost of $25 million or more. It is, therefore, highly unlikely that this bill would require a full blown cost-benefit analysis for annual and routine housekeeping regulations like those that simply open or close various fisheries or stipulate the dates, hunting times, and bag limits for migratory bird species. Concerns about the effects on these types of activities by the regulatory moratorium bill passed last week required us to exempt them from the moratorium. The concern is not present here. Second, although this legislation does require cost-benefit analyses for major rules, it does not mandate an outcome nor does it prevent the implementation of any regulations once a department or agency has certified the impact of a proposed rule. The fundamental goal of this legislation is to allow the American people and their elected representatives to know the true cost of a proposed Federal regulatory action. With this information, which is often currently lacking, policymakers can make rational decisions that prioritize and balance the diverse needs of this Nation. Finally, this legislation contains a phase-in provision before the requirement of a cost-benefit and risk-assessment analysis kicks in. By postponing the effective date, Federal agencies will have at least 18 months to gear up to perform these important analyses in a scientific and unbiased manner. I compliment the sponsors of this measure for providing this transition period. I am confident that because of this language, there will not be any unnecessary or unanticipated burdens placed on the executive branch of our Government. The requirement of cost-benefit and risk-assessment analyses is neither a new nor a radical idea. The Army Corps of Engineers has, for instance, been performing these studies for many years. I believe it is time for the rest of the Federal Government to get with the program.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, this Nation has had an enviable and successful record, both domestically and internationally, of fostering sound conservation and scientific management of wildlife and marine resources. Through statutes, regulation and international treaties, the United States has traditionally taken a leadership role in demanding science-based information and data upon which to shape policy and programs for the conservation of plants, animals, and fish. An integral part of wildlife and resource management is the concept of consumptive use of such renewable resources under proper and professional management. In the February issue of the American Spectator there is a most thought provoking article by David Andrew Price regarding the issue of whaling by coastal and island nations. With the exception of a small science-based harvest of whales by natives in Alaska, the United States is no longer a consumer or producer of whale products. For other nations, however, whale products have been a traditional source of food for thousands of years. The serious question is whether or not such traditional harvests should be blocked when limited taking in no manner would have an adverse impact on populations stocks. Further, ignoring science in the management of one species of wildlife based upon a response to a protectionist philosophy sets a dangerous precedent. Wildlife and marine resources cannot afford to be managed on the basis of some subjective ethic that ignores science and appropriate management. I commend Mr. Price's article to my colleagues on a most important issue of sustainable use of renewable marine resources and the role of the United States in that policy. [From the American Spectator, February 1995] Save the Whalers (By David Andrew Price) One morning last January, Arvid Enghaugen, a resident of the Norwegian coastal town of Gressvik, found his whaling boat sitting unusually deep in the water. When he climbed aboard to investigate, he found that the ship was in fact sinking; someone had opened its sea cock and padlocked the engine-room door. After breaking the lock, Enghaugen discovered that the engine was underwater. He also found a calling card from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a small, California-based environmentalist group that specializes in direct actions against whalers. Counting Enghaugen's boat, Sea Shepherd has sunk or damaged eleven Norwegian, Icelandic, Spanish, and Portuguese vessels since 1979. The boat was repaired in time for the 1994 whaling season, but Enghaugen's problems weren't over. On July 1, while he was looking for whales off the Danish coast, live Greenpeace protesters boarded the ship from an inflatable dinghy and tried to take its harpoon cannon. Enghaugen's crew tossed one protester into the sea, and the rest then jumped overboard; the protesters were picked up by the dinghy and returned to the Greenpeace mother ship. A week later, after Enghaugen's boat shot a harpoon into a whale, a team from another Greenpeace vessel cut the harpoon line to free the wounded animal. A group again tried to board the whaler, and the crew again threw them off. Enghaugen cut a hole in one of the Greenpeace dinghies with a whale flensing knife. For the next two weeks, Enghaugen and crew were dogged by Greenpeace ships and helicopters. Although the activities failed to stop Enghaugen's hunt, their public relations war in America has been a different story. Over the past twenty years, the save-the-whales movement has been so successful in shaping public sentiment about the whaling industry that the U.S. and other nations have adopted a worldwide moratorium on whaling. Part of the credit must go to the animals themselves, which are more charismatic on television than Kurds, Bosnians, or Rwandans, who have engendered far less international protection. The movement owes most of its success, however, to the gullibility of Hollywood and the press in passing along bogus claims from whaling's opponents. The mainstay of the case against whaling--that it threatens an endangered species--is characteristic of the misinformation. It is true that European nations and the United States killed enormous numbers of whales during commercial whaling's heyday in the nineteenth century, but to say that ``whales'' are endangered is no more meaningful than to say that ``birds'' are endangered; there are more than seventy species of whales, and their numbers vary dramatically. Some are endangered, some are not. The blue whale, the gray whale, and the species were later protected by international agreement long before the existence of Greenpeace or Sea Shepherd. (There have been abuses. Alexei V. Yablokov, special adviser to the president of Russia for ecology and health, has revealed that the whaling fleet of the former Soviet Union illegally killed more than 700 protected right whales during the 1960's but the International Whaling Commission's institution of an observer program in 1972 essentially put an end to the Soviet fleet's illegal activities.) The only whale species that Enghaugen and his fellow Norwegian whalers hunt is the minke, which Norwegians eat as whale steaks, whale meatballs, and whaleburgers. As it turns out, minke whales are no more in danger of extinction than Angus cattle. In 1994, thirty-two Norwegian boats killed a total of 279 minkes, out of an estimated local population of about 87,000 and a world population of around 900,000. In 1982 the IWC voted to suspend commercial whaling for a five-year period starting in 1986. The ostensible purpose was to permit the collection of better data on whales before hunting resumed. Norway lodged a reservation exempting itself from the moratorium, as the IWC treaty permitted, but it complied voluntarily. Whaling nations soon learned, though, that the majority of nations in the IWC--including the United States--intended to maintain the ban indefinitely, no matter what the numbers showed. Canada left the IWC in 1982, and Iceland left in 1992. Norway terminated its voluntary compliance in 1993. To protest the commission's disregard of the facts about whale stocks, the British chairman of the IWC's scientific committee resigned that year pointing out in his angry letter of resignation that the commission's actions ``were nothing to do with science.'' The IWC continued the moratorium anyway at it next meeting. A 1993 report by the Congressional Research Service observed that the data on whales undercut the conservationist argument, and that ``if the United States argues for continuing the moratorium on commercial whaling, it may have to rely increasingly on moral and ethical appeals.'' The ban on whaling is no longer about conservation, in other words, but about the desire of many Americans and Western Europeans to impose their feelings about whales upon the whaling nations (which include Iceland, Russia, Japan, and the Inuits of Canada and Alaska). Popular notions of whales' human-like intelligence, often cited by opponents of whaling, have little real support. Whales possess large brains, but that proves nothing about their mental agility. Margaret Klinowska, a Cambridge University expert on cetacean intelligence, holds that the structure of the whale brain has more in common with that of comparatively primitive mammals such as hedgehogs and bats than with the brains of primates. Whales can be trained to perform stunts and other tasks, but so can pigeons and many other animals that have never been credited with the cerebral powers of homo sapiens. And the idea that whales have something like a human language is, at present, pure folklore. Like virtually all animals, whales make vocalizations, but there is no evidence that they are uttering Whalish words and sentences. Their famed ``singing'' is done only by the males, and then during but half the year--a pattern more suggestive of bird-song than human speech. Much of the popular mythology about cetacean intelligence comes from crank scientist John Lilly, a physician who became convinced in the 1950s that whales and dolphins are not only smarter and more communicative than humans, but also have their own civilizations, complete with philosophy, history, and science that are passed down orally through the generations. His conclusions about the animals' mental skills were based partly on his observations of captive dolphins at his lab in the Virgin Islands, but mainly on wild flights of conjecture. Lilly also predicted in the late seventies that the State Department would eventually negotiate treaties with the cetaceans, and that humanity's progress in its dealings with them would lead the Galactic Coincidence Control Center to send agents to planet Earth to open the way for extraterrestrial contacts with us. The anthropomorphization of the whale reached new heights with a 1993 open letter to the Norwegian people from Sea Shepherd president Paul Watson, who predicted, ``The whales will talk about you in the same vein as Jews now talk of Nazis. For in the eyes of whalekind, there is little difference between the behavior of the monsters of the Reich and the monsters behind the harpoon.'' Cetacean behavior researchers have rejected Lilly's claims. Dolphin investigator Kenneth Norris of the University of California Santa Cruz, who was among the first to study dolphins in the wild and is responsible for much of our knowledge about dolphin sonar, writes that they have ``a complicated animal communication system, yes, but for an abstract syntactic language like ours, no compelling evidence seemed, or seems, to exist.'' The late David and Melba Caldwell, who studied dolphin behavior at the University of Florida, maintained flatly that ``dolphins do not talk.'' In their view, ``dolphins probably are just exceptionally amiable mammals with an intelligence now considered by most workers, on a subjective basis, to be comparable to that of a better-than-average dog.'' Louis Herman, director of the University of Hawaii's marine mammal laboratory and an opponent of whaling, has been studying the behavior of captive dolphins since 1967. Herman says he has seen no evidence that the natural vocalizations of dolphins constitute a language. And for whales? ``There's no reason to think the situation would be different with other cetacean species,'' he answers. What American policy on whaling enforces is simply a cultural preference--one comparable to our distaste for horsemeat, which is favored in France. The whale-savers have succeeded in shaping policy by selling the idea that whales are different; that they are endangered underwater Einsteins. That's why Icelandic filmmaker Magnus Gudmundsson, who has produced a documentary showing Greenpeace's machinations on the issue, is correct in calling the movement ``a massive industry of deception.''

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Finally, Mr. Chairman, is it not true that H.R. 450 does not cover normal, annual, and routine housekeeping regulations like those establishing the opening and closing of various fisheries?

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Furthermore, is it correct that you have clarified in your committee report that the bill does not apply to the expansion, contraction, or limitation of authority to harvest Federal fishery resources recommended by our Regional Fishery Management Councils or the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission?

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time for this colloquy. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the fact that the Committee Chairman has been willing to work with me to clarify the intent of House Resolution 450. While this legislation does place a moratorium on regulations issued after contains a provision exempting regulations dealing with routine administrative actions?

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for this colloquy.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Hayes amendment and in support of H.R. 450. There has been a lot of talk about which regulations will and will not be affected by the moratorium. Frankly, I have had enough. It's no secret, the administration has identified, in an effort to kill the bill, a select few routine regulations which they say will not continue if this bill is signed into law. Two of those examples are the migratory bird hunting regulations and subsistence hunting regulations in Alaska. Frankly, I am of the opinion that these activities are permitted-- they are routine administrative functions. However, this amendment is intended to clarify for the Department of the Interior, who apparently cannot read the law, so they can issue regulations for recreational or subsistence hunting, fishing, and camping for the 1995-96 seasons. I urge my colleagues' support of this amendment which is offered for the benefit of Alaska Natives and the sports men and women of America.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, under the new spirit of a family friendly Congress, I would like to wish my wife, Lu, a happy 32d anniversary this day, February 22, 1995.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation to sell the Alaska Power Administration's two hydroelectric projects. This legislation will authorize the sale of the Alaska Power Administration. The Alaska Power Administration is different from the other Federal Power Marketing Agencies of the Department of Energy. Its two hydroelectric projects, Eklutna and Snettisham, were never intended by Congress to remain indefinitely under Federal control. The Eklutna Project Act, for example, states that ``Upon completion of amortization of the capital investment allocated to power, the Secretary is authorized and directed to report to the Congress upon the feasibility and desirability of transferring the Eklutna project to public ownership and control in Alaska.'' Moreover, these two projects were created specifically to promote economic and industrial development in Alaska, and they are not the product of a water resource management plan. I am a strong advocate of insuring that Alaskans control their own destiny, which is what this bill is all about. It will put the management of these two hydroelectric projects into the hands of those who best know Alaska. One project will be sold to the State of Alaska, and the other will be sold to a group of three Alaskan public electric utilities. Equally as important, this legislation will relieve the Federal Government of the expense of operating and maintaining these two projects. It also provides for the termination of the Alaska Power Administration once the sale is complete, further saving money for taxpayers. It is important to note that this legislation provides necessary safeguards for the environment. It requires the State of Alaska and the Eklutna purchasers to abide by the memorandum of agreement they entered into regarding the protection and enhancement of fish and wildlife. The legislation makes this legally enforceable. Last year a similar provision was included in the H.R. 300, the Re- inventing Government package and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources reported S. 2383, the Alaska Power Administration Sale Authorization Act. The administration testified in strong support of this legislation. Unfortunately, there was little time to consider them late in the session. With early introduction this Congress, I am hopeful that we will see this legislation enacted into law. There is one provision which needs to be included in the Alaska Power Administration legislation before it is sent to the President for signature, but I have not included it because it addresses the Internal Revenue Code. I hope to have that issue addressed in other legislation.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 400, the bill just passed.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Mexico [Mr. Richardson] for yielding, and this one is for Bob. They have one for the Gipper, but this one is for Bob. Bob Lagomarsino, as the gentleman just mentioned, led this effort to establish the Channel Islands. I cannot think of a better tribute to a person who worked so hard, and so I wanted to thank those Members who lead this charge with him, and I want to thank them for working to bring this legislation to the floor.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill be printed in the Record, and open to amendment at any point. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Alaska?

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I can understand the statements of the gentleman from California, but I would hope that they should have been directed at legislation down the road, because we have to remember that Anaktuvuk Pass is a small, small village that was put inside of a park, with certain understandings that they could do certain things, and then told by the Park Service they could not do those things. This is a village that is high in the mountains above the Arctic Circle, with living conditions there which a lot of people do not recognize. What we tried to do in this exchange was work out between these people and the parks themselves to have a true exchange. If we went through the process of EIS statements and appraisal value, this would never have happened. This is the way that we have worked individually with a unique situation. As I mentioned, Mr. Chairman, this bill passed the last time. There is no money in this bill. In fact, if we really want an appraisal, I think Anaktuvuk Pass got shortchanged. I hope the gentleman refers to this later on down the road. Mr. Chairman, this is a good piece of legislation. It should be passed and it should become law today. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska Mr

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record the following Rules of the Committee on Resources for the 104th Congress: Rules for the Committee on Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, 104th Congress, Adopted January 11, 1995 rule 1. rules of the house and committee (a) Applicability of House Rules.--The Rules of the House of Representatives, so far as they are applicable, are the rules of the Committee and its Subcommittees. (2) Each Subcommittee is part of the Committee and is subject to the authority, direction and rules of the Committee. References in these rules to ``Committee'' and ``Chairman'' shall apply to each Subcommittee and its Chairman wherever applicable. (3) Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, which pertains entirely to Committee procedure, is incorporated and made a part of the rules of the Committee to the extent applicable. (b) Oversight Plan.--Not later than February 15 of the first session of each Congress, the Committee shall adopt its oversight plans for that Congress in accordance with clause 2(d)(1) of Rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives. Rule 2. Regular, Additional and Special Meetings (a) Regular Meetings.--The Committee shall meet at 11 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month that Congress is in session, unless that meeting is canceled by the Chairman. (b) Additional Meetings.--The Committee shall also meet at the call of the Chairman subject to advance notice to all Members of the Committee. (c) Agenda of Regular and Additional Meetings.--An agenda of the business to be considered at a regular or additional meeting shall be delivered to the office of each Member of the Committee no later than forty-eight hours prior to such meeting. The requirements of this paragraph may be waived by a majority vote of the Committee. (d) Special Meetings.--Special meetings shall be called and convened by the Chairman as provided in clause 2(c)(2) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. (e) Agenda of Special Meetings.--An agenda of the business to be considered at a special meeting shall be delivered as provided in clause 2(c)(2) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House or Representatives. (f) Party Conference or Caucus.--Any Committee meeting that conflicts with a party caucus, conference, or similar part meeting shall be rescheduled at the discretion of the Chairman, in consultation with the Ranking Minority Member. (g) Vice Chairman.--The Chairman shall appoint a Vice Chairman of the Committee and of each Subcommittee. If the Chairman of the Committee or Subcommittee is not present at any meeting of the Committee or Subcommittee, as the case may be, the Vice Chairman shall preside. If the Vice Chairman is not present, the ranking Member of the Majority party on the Committee or Subcommittee who is present shall preside at that meeting. (h) Prohibition on Sitting.--The Committee may not sit, without special leave, while the House of Representatives is reading a measure for amendment under the five-minute rule. The Committee may not sit during a joint session of the House and Senate or during a recess when a joint meeting of the House and Senate is in progress. (i) Addressing the Committee.--A Committee Member may address the Committee or a Subcommittee on any bill, motion, or other matter under consideration or may question a witness at a hearing only when recognized by the Chairman for that purpose. The time a Member may address the Committee or Subcommittee for any purpose or to question a witness shall be limited to five minutes, except that this time limit may be waived by the Chairman. A Member shall limit his or her remarks to the subject matter under consideration. The Chairman shall enforce the preceding provision. (j) Proxies.--No vote in the Committee or Subcommittee may be cast by proxy. (k) Postponement of Roll Call Votes.--At the beginning of any meeting of the Committee, the Chairman may announce that further proceedings will be postponed on any motions on which a recorded vote is ordered or on which the vote is objected to under Rule 5 until immediately preceding the conclusion of the meeting. In such instances, the Committee shall proceed with the consideration of the next regularly scheduled measure or matter until a all business is disposed of or until the Chairman announces that the question will be put on the matter [[Page H395]] deferred. The question on any postponed motion shall be put by the Chairman and shall be disposed of by the Committee, without further debate, as expeditiously as possible. If the Committee adjourns before the question is put and determined on any motion, then the first order of business at the next meeting shall be the disposition of the pending motion. (l) Meetings to Begin Promptly.--Each meeting or hearing of the Committee shall begin promptly at the time stipulated in the public announcement of the meeting or hearing. rule 3. open meetings and hearings; broadcasting (a) Open Meetings.--Each meeting for the transaction of business, including the markup of legislation, and each hearing of the Committee or a Subcommittee shall be open to the public, except as provided by clause 2(g) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. (b) Broadcasting.--Whenever a meeting for the transaction of business, including the markup of legislation, or a hearing is open to the public, that meeting or hearing shall be open to coverage by television, radio, and still photography in accordance with clause 3 of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. rule 4. subpoenas and oaths (a) Subpoenas.--The Committee may authorize and issue a subpoena under clause 2(m) of Rule XI and Rules of the House of Representatives, if authorized by a majority of the Members voting, a majority being present. In addition, the Chairman of the Committee may authorize and issue subpoenas under this authority during any period of time in which the House of Representatives has adjourned for more than three days. Subpoenas shall be signed by the Chairman of the Committee, or any Member of the Committee authorized by the Committee, and may be served by any person designated by the Chairman or Member. (b) Oaths.--The Chairman of the Committee, the Chairman of any Subcommittee, or any Member designated by the Chairman, may administer oaths to any witness. rule 5. quorums (a) Quorum for Reporting.--Pursuant to clause 2(l)(2) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, no measure or recommendation shall be reported from the Committee unless a majority of the Members of the Committee are actually present. (b) Quorum for Taking Testimony.--Testimony and evidence may be received at any meeting or hearing at which there are at least two Members of the Committee present. (c) Working Quorum.--For the purpose of transacting business other than that described in paragraphs (a) and (b), one third of the Members shall constitute a quorum. (d) Establishing a Quorum.--When a call of the roll is required to ascertain the presence of a quorum, the offices of all Members shall be notified and the Members shall have not less than 10 minutes to prove their attendance. The Chairman shall have the discretion to waive this requirement when a quorum is actually present or whenever a quorum is secured and may direct the Clerk to note the names of all Members present within the 10-minute period. rule 6. hearing procedures (a) Announcement.--The Chairman shall publicly announce the date, place, and subject matter of any hearing at least one week before the hearing unless the Chairman of the Committee or Subcommittee determines that there is good cause to begin the hearing at an earlier date. In this case, the Chairman shall publicly announce the hearing at the earliest possible date. The Clerk of the Committee shall promptly notify the Daily Digest Clerk of the Congressional Record and shall promptly enter the appropriate information into the Committee scheduling service of the House Information Systems as soon as possible after the public announcement is made. (b) Written Statement; Oral Testimony.--Each witness who is to appear before the Committee or a Subcommittee shall file with the Clerk of the Committee or Subcommittee, at least two working days before the day of his or her appearance, a written statement of proposed testimony. Each witness shall limit his or her oral presentation to a five-minute summary of the written statement. (c) Minority Witnesses.--When any hearing is conducted by the Committee or any Subcommittee upon any measure or matter, the Minority party Members on the Committee or Subcommittee shall be entitled, upon request to the Chairman by a majority of those Minority Members before the completion of the hearing, to call witnesses selected by the Minority to testify with respect to that measure or matter during at least one day of hearings thereon. (d) Legislative Materials.--After announcement of a hearing, to the extent practicable, the Committee shall make available immediately to all Members of the Committee a concise summary of the subject matter (including legislative reports and other material) under consideration. In addition, the Chairman shall make available to the Members of the Committee any official reports from departments and agencies on the subject matter as they are received. (e) Participation of Committee Members in Subcommittees.-- All Members of the Committee may sit with any Subcommittee during any meeting and may participate in the meeting. However, a Member who is not a Member of the Subcommittee may not vote on any matter before the Subcommittee, be counted for purposes of establishing a quorum, or raise points of order. (f) Opening Statements; Questioning of Witnesses.--(1) Opening statements by Members may not be presented orally, unless the Chairman determines that one statement from the Chairman or his designee will be presented, in which case the Ranking Minority Member or his designee may also make a statement. If a witness scheduled to testify at any hearing of the Committee is a constituent of a Member of the Committee, that Member shall be entitled to introduce the witness at the hearing. (2) The questioning of witnesses in Committee and Subcommittee hearings shall be initiated by the Chairman, followed by the Ranking Minority Member and all other Members alternating between the Majority and Minority parties. In recognizing Members to question witnesses, the Chairman shall take into consideration the ratio of the Majority to Minority Members present and shall establish the order of recognition for questioning in a manner so as not to disadvantage the Members of the Majority or the Members of the Minority. (g) Investigative Hearings.--Clause 2(k) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives (relating to additional rules for investigative hearings) shall govern investigative hearings of the Committee and its Subcommittees. rule 7. filing of committee reports (a) Duty of Chairman.--Whenever the Committee authorizes the favorable reporting of a measure from the Committee, the Chairman or his designee shall report the same to the House of Representatives and shall take all steps necessary to secure its passage without any additional authority needing to be set forth in the motion to report each individual measure. (b) Additional Authority.--In appropriate cases, the authority set forth in paragraph (a) of this Rule shall extend to moving in accordance with the Rules of the House of Representatives that the House be resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the measure; and to moving in accordance with the Rules of the House of Representatives for the disposition of a Senate measure that is substantially the same as the House measure as reported. (c) Filing.--A report on a measure which has been approved by the Committee shall be filed within seven calendar days (exclusive of days on which the House of Representatives is not in session) after the day on which there has been filed with the Committee Clerk a written request, signed by a majority of the Members of the Committee, for the reporting of that measure. Upon the filing with the Committee Clerk of this request, the Clerk shall transmit immediately to the Chairman notice of the filing of that request. (d) Content.--Any report by the Committee to the House of Representatives provided for by this Rule shall include the following: (1) a statement of the purpose of the measure; (2) a general background section describing the need for the measure; (3) a section-by-section analysis of the measure as reported by the Committee, if the Chairman determines that one is helpful or necessary; (4) a concise statement describing any changes in existing law made by the measure as reported by the Committee; (5) a statement setting forth the legislative history of the measure, including the results and type of any vote on any amendment to the measure or on a motion to report the measure by the Committee or any Subcommittee, including the names of those Members voting for or against; (6) the statements required by clause 2(l)(3) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives; (7) a detailed analytical statement whether the measure may have an inflationary impact on prices and costs in the operation of the national economy; (8) a five-year estimate of the measure if enacted; (9) a statement in accordance with section 5(b) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act; (10) a statement of administration or departmental views on the measure; and (11) any supplemental, additional or minority views filed pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Rule. Any report containing these views shall indicate so on its title page. (e) Supplemental, Additional or Minority Views.--Any Member may, if notice is given at the time a bill or resolution is approved by the Committee, file supplemental, additional, or minority views. These views must be in writing and signed by each Member joining therein and be filed with the Committee Clerk not less than three calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays) of the time the bill or resolution is approved by the Committee. (f) Review by Members.--Each Member of the Committee shall be given an opportunity to review each proposed Committee report at least 24 hours before it is filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Nothing in this paragraph extends the time allowed for filing supplemental, additional or minority views under paragraph (e). rule 8. recommendation of house-senate conferees (a) Recommendations.--Whenever it becomes necessary to appoint conferees on a particular measure, the Chairman shall recommend to the Speaker as conferees those Majority Members, as well as those Minority Members recommended to the Chairman by the Ranking Minority Member, primarily responsible for the measure. (b) Ratio.--The ratio of Majority Members to Minority Members of conferences shall be no greater than the ratio on the Committee. rule 9. establishment of subcommittees; size of party ratios (a) Subcommittees and Size.--There shall be the following five standing Subcommittees of the Committee. These Subcommittees, with the following sizes and Majority/Minority ratios are: (1) Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (25 Members: 14 Majority, 11 Minority); (2) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans (14 Members: 8 Majority, 6 Minority); (3) Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (14 Members: 8 Majority, 6 Minority); (4) Subcommittee on Water and Power Resources (20 Members: 11 Majority, 9 Minority); (5) Subcommittee on Native American and Insular Affairs (11 Members: 6 Majority, 5 Minority); (b) Ex-officio Members.--The Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Committee may serve as ex-officio Members of each standing Subcommittee and have the right fully to participate in Subcommittee affairs except for the right to vote. Ex-officio Members shall not be counted in establishing the presence of a quorum. rule 10. jurisdiction (a) Subcommittees.--The jurisdiction of the Committee's five standing Subcommittees, including legislative, investigative, and oversight responsibilities, shall be as follows: Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (1) Measures and matters related to the National Park System and all of its units. (2) National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, National Trails System, national recreation areas, and other national units established for protection, conservation, preservation or recreational development administered by the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture. (3) Military parks, battlefields, cemeteries, and parks administered by the Secretary of the Interior within the District of Columbia. (4) Except for Alaska, the National Wilderness Preservation System generally, and all matters regarding wilderness in the National Park System. (5) Federal outdoor recreation plans, programs and administration including the Land and Water Conservation Fund. (6) Plans and programs concerning non-Federal outdoor recreation and land use, including related plans and programs authorized by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 and the Outdoor Recreation Act of 1963. (7) Preservation of prehistoric ruins and objects of interest on the public domain and other historic preservation programs and activities, including programs for international cooperation in the field of historic preservation. (8) Matter concerning the following agencies and programs: Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Program, Historic American Buildings Survey, Historic American Engineering Record, American Conservation Corps, and U.S. Holocaust Memorial. (9) Except for pubic lands in Alaska, public lands generally, including measures or matters related to entry, easements, withdrawals, and grazing. (10) Except in Alaska, forest reservations, including management thereof, created from the public domain. (11) Forfeiture of land grants and alien ownership, including alien ownership of mineral lands. (12) Federal reserved water rights on public lands and forest reserves. (13) General and continuing oversight and investigative authority over activities, policies and programs within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee. Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans (1) Fisheries management and fisheries research generally, including the management of all commercial and recreational fisheries, the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act, interjurisdictional fisheries, international fisheries agreements, aquaculture, seafood safety and fisheries promotion. (2) Wildlife resources, including research, restoration, refuges and conservation. (3) All matters pertaining to the protection of coastal and marine environments, including estuarine protection. (4) Coastal barriers. (5) Oceanography. (6) Ocean engineering, including materials, technology and systems. (7) Coastal zone management. (8) Marine sanctuaries. (9) U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. (10) Sea Grant programs and marine extension services. (11) General and continuing oversight and investigative authority over activities, policies and programs within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee. Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (1) All measures and matters concerning the U.S. Geological Survey. (2) All measures and matters affecting geothermal resources. (3) Conservation of United States uranium supply. (4) Mining interests generally, including all matters involving mining regulation and enforcement, including the reclamation of mined lands, the environmental effects of mining, and the management of mineral receipts, mineral land laws and claims, long-range mineral programs and deep seabed mining. (5) Mining schools, experimental stations and long-range mineral programs. (6) Mineral resources on public lands. (7) Conservation and development of oil and gas resources of the Outer Continental Shelf. (8) Petroleum conservation on the public lands and conservation of the radium supply in the United States. (9) General and continuing oversight and investigative authority over activities, policies and programs within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee. Subcommittee on Water and Power Resources (1) Generation and marketing of electric power from Federal water projects by Federally chartered or Federal regional power marketing authorities. (2) All measures and matters concerning water resources planning conducted pursuant to the Water Resources Planning Act, water resource research and development programs, saline water research and development. (3) Compacts relating to the use and apportionment of interstate waters, water rights, and major interbasin water or power movement programs. (4) All measures and matters pertaining to irrigation and reclamation projects and other water resources development programs, including policies and procedures. (5) General and continuing oversight and investigative authority over activities, policies and programs within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee. Subcommittee on Native American and Insular Affairs (1) Except for Native Alaskans, measures relating to the welfare of Native Americans, including management of Indian lands in general and special measures relating to claims which are paid out of Indian funds. (2) Except for Native Alaskans, all matters regarding the relations of the United States with the Indians and the Indian tribes, including special oversight functions under clause 3(e) of Rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives. (3) All matters regarding Native Hawaiians. (4) Except for Native Alaskans, all matters related to the Federal trust responsibility to Native Americans and the sovereignty of Native Americans. (5) All matters regarding insular areas of the United States. (6) All measures or matters regarding the Freely Associated States and Antarctica. (7) Cooperative efforts to encourage, enhance and improve international programs for the protection of the environment and the conservation of natural resources within the jurisdiction of the Committee. (8) General and continuing oversight and investigative authority over activities, policies and programs within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee. (b) Full Committee.--The following measures and matters shall be retained at Full Committee: (1) Measures and matters concerning the transportation of natural gas from or within Alaska and disposition of oil transported by the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. (2) Measures and matters relating to Alaska public lands, including forestry and forest management issues, and Federal reserved water rights. (3) Environmental and habitat measures and matters of general applicability. (4) All measures and matters relating to Native Alaskans. (5) All measures and matters retained by the Full Committee under Rule 15. rule 11. task forces, special or select subcommittees (a) Appointment.--The Chairman of the Committee is authorized, after consultation with the Ranking Minority Member, to appoint Task Forces, or special or select Subcommittees, to carry out the duties and functions of the Committee. (b) Ex-Officio Members.--The Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Committee shall serve as ex-officio Members of each Task Force, or special or select Subcommittee. (c) Party Ratios.--The ratio of Majority Members to Minority Members, excluding ex-officio Members, on each Task Force, special or select Subcommittee shall be as close as practicable to the ratio on the Full Committee. (d) Temporary Resignation.--A Member can temporarily resign his or her position on a Subcommittee to serve on a Task Force, special or select Subcommittee without prejudice to the Member's seniority on the Subcommittee. rule 12. subcommittee chairmen (a) Seniority.--The Majority Members of the Committee are entitled, in order of Full [[Page H397]] Committee seniority, to bid for the chairmanship of each standing Subcommittee. Any such bid shall be subject to approval by a majority of the Members of the Majority party of the Committee. (b) Task Forces, Special or Select Subcommittees.--The Chairman of any Task Force, or special or select Subcommittee shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Committee. rule 13. ranking minority members The Ranking Minority Member shall select a Ranking Minority Member for each Task Force, or standing, special or select Subcommittee to be chosen by such procedures as the Minority may adopt. rule 14. powers and duties of subcommittees (a) Meet and Act.--Each Subcommittee is authorized to meet, hold hearings, receive evidence, and report to the Committee on all matters within its jurisdiction. (b) Consultation.--Each Subcommittee Chairman shall consult with the Chairman of the Full Committee prior to setting dates for Subcommittee meetings with a view towards avoiding whenever possible conflicting Committee or Subcommittee meetings. (c) Oversight.--(1) Each Subcommittee shall review and study, on a continuing basis the application, administration, execution and effectiveness of those statutes, or parts of statutes, the subject matter of which is within that Subcommittee's jurisdiction; and the organization, operation, and regulations of any Federal agency or entity having responsibilities in or for the administration of such statutes, to determine whether these statutes are being implemented and carried out in accordance with the intent of Congress. (2) Each Subcommittee shall review and study any conditions or circumstances indicating the need of enacting new or supplemental legislation within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee. rule 15. referral of legislation to subcommittee (a) Referral.--In accordance with Rule 10, every legislative measure or other matter referred to the Committee shall be referred to the Subcommittee of jurisdiction within two weeks of the date of its referral to the Committee, unless the Chairman, with the approval of a Majority Members of the Committee, orders that it be retained for consideration by the Full Committee or that it be referred to a select or special Subcommittee. (b) Recall by Notice.--A legislative measure or other matter referred by the Chairman to a Subcommittee may be recalled from the Subcommittee for the purpose of direct consideration by the Full Committee, or for referral to another Subcommittee, provided Members of the Committee receive one week written notice of the recall and a majority of the Members of the Committee do not object. (c) Recall by Vote.--A legislative measure or other matter referred by the Chairman to a Subcommittee may be recalled from the Subcommittee at any time by majority vote of the Committee, a quorum being present, for direct consideration by the Full Committee or for referral to another Subcommittee. rule 16. committee consideration (a) Layover.--No measure or recommendation reported by a Subcommittee shall be considered by the Committee until two calendar days from the time of Subcommittee action. (b) Copy of Bill.--No bill shall be considered by the Committee unless a copy has been delivered to the office of each Member of the Committee requesting a copy, with a section-by-section explanation. (c) Waiver.--The requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) may be waived by a majority vote of the Committee. rule 17. disclaimer All Committee or Subcommittee reports printed pursuant to legislative study or investigation and not approved by a majority vote of the Committee or Subcommittee, as appropriate, shall contain the following disclaimer on the cover of the report: ``This report has not been officially adopted by the [Committee on Resources] [pertinent Subcommittee] and may not therefore necessarily reflect the views of its Members.''. rule 18. committee records (a) Segregation of Records.--All Committee records shall be kept separate and distinct from the office records of individual Committee Members serving as Chairman or Ranking Minority Members. These records shall be the property of the House and all Members shall have access to them. (b) Availability.--The Committee shall make available to the public for review at reasonable times in the Committee office the following records: (1) transcripts of public meetings and hearings, except those that are unrevised or unedited and intended solely for the use of the Committee; (2) the result of each rollcall vote taken in the Committee, including a description of the amendment, motion, order or other proposition voted on; (3) the name of each Committee Member voting for or against a proposition; and (4) the name of each Member present but not voting. (c) Archived Records.--Records of the Committee which are deposited with the National Archives shall be made available pursuant to the Rules of the House of Representatives. The Chairman of the Committee shall notify the Ranking Minority Member of any decision to withhold a record pursuant to the Rules of the House of Representatives, and shall present the matter to the Committee upon written request of any Committee Member. (d) Records of Closed Meetings.--Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Rule, no records of Committee meetings or hearings which were closed to the public pursuant to Rule 3 shall be released to the public unless the Committee votes to release those records in accordance with the procedure used to close the Committee meeting. (e) Classified Materials.--All classified materials shall be maintained in an appropriately secured location and shall be released only to authorized persons for review, who shall not remove the material from the Committee offices without the written permission of the Chairman. rule 19. committee budget and expenses (a) Budget.--At the beginning of each Congress, after consultation with the Chairman of each Subcommittee, the Chairman shall propose and present to the Committee for its approval a budget covering the funding required for staff, travel, and miscellaneous expenses. The budget shall include amounts required for all activities and programs of the Committee and the Subcommittees. (b) Expense Resolution.--Upon approval by the Committee of each budget, the Chairman, acting pursuant to clause 5 of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, shall prepare and introduce in the House a supporting expense resolution, and take all action necessary to bring about its approval by the Committee on House Oversight and by the House of Representatives. (c) Amendments.--The Chairman shall report to the Committee any amendments to each expense resolution and any related changes in the budget. (d) Additional Expenses.--Authorization for the payment of additional or unforeseen Committee and Subcommittee expenses may be procured by one or more additional expense resolutions processed in the same manner as set out under this Rule. (e) Monthly Reports.--Copies of each monthly report, prepared by the Chairman for the Committee on House Oversight, which shows expenditures made during the reporting period and cumulative for the year, anticipated expenditures for the projected Committee program, and detailed information on travel, shall be available to each Member. rule 20. committee staff (a) Rules and Policies.--Committee staff Members are subject to the provisions of clause 6 of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, as well as any written personnel policies as the Committee may from time to time adopt. (b) Majority and Nonpartisan Staff.--The Chairman shall nominate for appointment by the Committee, determine the remuneration of, and may remove, the professional and clerical employees of the Committee not assigned to the Minority. The professional and clerical staff of the Committee not assigned to the Minority shall be under the general supervision and direction of the Chairman, who shall establish and assign the duties and responsibilities of these staff Members and delegate any authority as he determines appropriate. (c) Minority Staff.--The Ranking Minority Member of the Committee shall nominate for appointment by the Committee, determine the remuneration of, and may remove, the professional and clerical staff assigned to the Minority within the budget approved for those purposes. The professional and clerical staff assigned to the Minority shall be under the general supervision and direction of the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee who may delegate any authority as he determines appropriate. (d) Availability.--The skills and services of all Committee staff shall be available to all Members of the Committee. rule 21. committee travel In addition to any written travel policies as the Committee may from time to time adopt, all travel of Members and staff of the Committee or its Subcommittees, to hearings, meetings, conferences, investigations, including all foreign travel, must be authorized by the Full Committee Chairman prior to any public notice of the travel and prior to the actual travel. In the case of Minority staff, all travel shall first be approved by the Ranking Minority Member. Funds authorized for the Committee under clause 5 of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives are for expenses incurred in the Committee's activities within the United States. rule 22. Changes to the committee rules The Rules of the Committee may be modified, amended, or repealed, by a majority vote of the Committee, provided that two legislative days written notice of the proposed change has been provided each Member of the Committee prior to the meeting date on which the changes are to be discussed and voted on.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, today I am reintroducing legislation directing the Department of the Interior to acquire subsurface inholdings in three conservation system units. Under this legislation, entitled the ``Alaska Peninsula Subsurface Consolidation Act of 1995,'' the United States would acquire 275,000 acres of oil and gas properties in the Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, and Becharof National Wildlife Refuge in exchange for Federal properties of equal value in Alaska. The subsurface properties are currently owned by an Alaska Native corporation, Koniag, Inc., which received them under the terms of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. By an accident of geography, Koniag, the regional corporation of the Kodiak Archipelago, was unable to realize its full entitlement of land within the Kodiak area under ANCSA. The prior establishment of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge and the limitations of the islands forced Congress to redraw the regional corporation boundaries and grant Koniag and other Kodiak corporations rights on the Alaska Peninsula. Most of these rights were exchanged in 1980, but these subsurface holdings remain. Implementation of this bill will finally remove Koniag from the area and allow the Federal agencies better management capability. Under the terms of the bill I am introducing, after a standard risk adjusted appraisal of the oil and gas rights, Koniag will exchange these holdings for Federal property in Alaska of equal value. In the event that Koniag and the Secretary of the Interior are unable after 5 years to swap lands accounting for the full value of the oil and gas, then Konaig will be given credits equal to the remaining untraded value of the rights. With these credits, Koniag or its assignee may bid on other Federal surplus properties. Any income from the disposal of its assets by Koniag will be shared with other Alaska Native corporations just as oil and gas income is shared under the terms of ANCSA section 7(i). Mr. Speaker, a version of this bill has been considered and passed the House in 1992. Another version was approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in 1994. But we have never been able to get the bill all the way through the process. I hope to change that this year. I have made a few changes in the bill which I am introducing today. The major change is to delete the wilderness designations which have previously been part of the bill. It was my hope that moderate wilderness designations in the bill would help the bill's consideration in this body and with the administration. Despite the courtesy and fair consideration by former Chairman Miller, we were unable to move the bill last year. At the same time, the wilderness provisions drew opposition from other native corporations, local governments, and the State of Alaska. I have also made minor changes to the sections of the bill regarding the mineral appraisal and the property account in response to suggestions made by the Department of the Interior and Office of Management and Budget. These provisions are similar to those in the bill approved by the Senate last session and were acceptable to the Congressional Budget Office. If there are other improvements which can be made to the bill, I will entertain them during the hearing process. I look forward to working with the Secretary, with Mr. Miller and the other members of the Resources Committee. I am confident we can resolve this long overdue issue for the benefit of the Alaskan Native community and for the American people.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to rise to join my colleagues, Mr. Thomas and Mr. Dooley, in introducing H.R. 70, legislation to permit the export of Alaska's North Slope crude oil. For too long, the State of Alaska has been denied the opportunity to export this valuable resource. I look forward to working with the administration to move this bipartisan legislation to create jobs, to preserve a vital element of our domestic merchant marine, to raise State and Federal revenues, and to spur domestic energy production. To put this proposed legislation in perspective, I think it would be helpful to explain the origins of current law. The export restrictions were first enacted in 1973 during the Arab-Israeli war and the first Arab oil boycott. Following the second major oil shock in 1979, the restrictions were further tightened, effectively imposing a ban on exports. Much has changed since then. Over half of our imports now come from the Western Hemisphere and Europe. We are less dependent on the Middle East and Africa, but have shifted our purchases from Iran, Iraq, and Libya to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Today, U.S. oil supplies are ample and are more diversified. In addition, international sharing agreements are in place and the United States has filled a Strategic Petroleum Reserve with 600 million barrels of crude oil. In short, our Nation is not as vulnerable to the supply threats that motivated Congress to act in the 1970's. While we have taken the steps necessary to reduce our vulnerability to others, we have not done enough to encourage domestic energy production. In fact, production on the North Slope has now entered a period of decline. In California, small independent producers have been forced to abandon wells or defer further investments. By precluding the market from operating normally, the export ban has had the unintended effect of discouraging further energy production. This legislation is designed to change that situation. This proposed legislation would require the use of U.S.-flag vessels. Prior proposals would have permitted exports on foreign-flag vessels. Those bills never prospered, in part because they were opposed by the independent U.S.-flag tanker fleet that was built at considerable expense to move the crude oil to market. We have now forged common ground with the maritime industry. Our bill will help preserve this vital element of our merchant marine. In June 1994, the Department of Energy issued a comprehensive report that concluded Alaskan oil exports would boost production in Alaska and California by 100,000 to 110,000 barrels per day by the end of the century. The sooner we change current law, the sooner we can spur additional energy production and create jobs on the west coast and in Alaska. In fact, Energy Secretary, Hazel O'Leary is reported as saying in today's Journal of Commerce, which I would like to submit for the Record, ``I have been strongly in favor of lifting that ban since I have been back in Government. You will see us carrying the initiative and supporting the lifting of the ban.'' I look forward to working with Secretary O'Leary and administration toward that end. Mr. Speaker, as we enter a new era in the House, we have an opportunity to enact bipartisan legislation that will create jobs, help preserve our merchant marine, spur energy production, and raise State and Federal revenues. I urge my colleagues to work with me to enact this vital legislation as quickly as possible to achieve these objectives and to enhance our energy security. [From the Journal of Commerce, Jan. 4, 1995] O'Leary Plans Push to End Export Ban on Alaskan Oil Washington.--U.S. Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary said she plans to push this year to repeal the ban on exports of Alaskan North Slope oil. Mrs. O'Leary also said she believed a broad coalition supporting the ban's repeal was forming late in the last congressional session. ``I have been strongly in favor of lifting that ban since I have been back in government,'' Mrs. O'Leary said. ``You will see us carrying the initiative and supporting the lifting of the ban'' in 1995, she said. Deputy Energy Secretary Bill White has said the department will work on legislation to lift the 20-year-old law that keeps Alaskan North Slope oil from Pacific Rim markets. Efforts by Alaska's congressional delegation to repeal the ban died late in the last session. President Clinton also has indicated he supports the concept of repealing the ban, but that the administration was weighing the issue. According to an Energy Department study, allowing the oil exports would generate jobs and revenue. But some West Coast lawmakers opposed lifting the ban, partly fearing higher gasoline prices as less Alaskan oil would move to domestic ports. Labor groups also have opposed lifting the ban because the oil would no longer be forced onto U.S.-flagged vessels, but could be carried on international vessels to overseas ports. There have been proposals to require that the exported oil still be carried on U.S.-flagged vessels, but that could raise international trade problems, U.S. officials have said.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to introduce the Anaktuvuk Pass Land Exchange and Wilderness Redesignation Act of 1994. When enacted, this legislation will ratify an agreement to settle a longstanding and difficult dispute between the National Park Service and Alaska Native landowners over the use of all-terrain vehicles--or ATV's for access for subsistence purposes in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The residents of Anaktuvuk Pass and the National Park Service have had a longstanding dispute over the use by village residents, of certain ATV's for substance purposes on national park and wilderness lands adjacent to the village. In an effort to resolve this conflict, Arctic Slope Regional Corp.--the regional corporation established by the Inupiat Eskimo people of Alaska's North Slope under the provisions of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act [ANCSA], Nunamuit Corp.--the Anaktuvuk Pass ANCSA Village Corp.--the city of Anaktuvuk Pass and the National Park Service have entered into an innovative agreement both guaranteeing dispersed ATV access on specific tracts of park land and limiting development of Native land in the area. The agreement will limit the types of ATV's allowed and will also lead to enhanced recreational opportunities by improving public access across Native lands. The village of Anaktuvuk Pass is located on the North Slope of Alaska in the remote Brooks Mountain Range, completely within the boundary of and surrounded by the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Village residents have long relied upon the use of ATV's for summer access to subsistence resources, primarily caribou, on certain of these nearby park, and park wilderness lands. As there are no rivers near the community for motorboat access to park lands, ATC's provide the primary means by which to reach and transport game in the summer. The only alternative to ATV use is to walk which is not feasible in these remote areas. Snowmobiles are the primary mode of transportation for subsistence activities in the winter. With the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act [ANILCA] in 1980, Congress expressly reserved the rights of rural Alaska residents to continued, reasonable access to subsistence resources on public lands, by providing in section 811(a) of that have reasonable access to subsistence resources on public lands.'' Section 811(b) of ANILCA provides further that ``the Secretary shall permit on the public lands appropriate use for subsistence purposes of snowmobiles, motorboats, and other means of surface transportation traditionally employed for such purposes by local residents, subject to reasonable regulation.'' The National Park Service and the Native landowners disagree about whether ATV's are other means of surface transportation traditionally employed for subsistence purposes in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. But there is no dispute that ATV's are necessary for the summertime subsistence activities of the residents of Anaktuvuk Pass. Following several years of discussions, the Native landowners and the National Park Service have reached an agreement which will finally resolve the ATV controversy on the public lands surrounding Anaktuvuk Pass. In April 1992, the Park Service issued a final legislative environmental impact statement embracing the proposed agreement, and in November 1992, the Secretary of the Interior endorsed the agreement in a Record of Decision. The parties executed the agreement on December 17, 1992. The parties have since executed two technical amendments to the original agreement. The agreement involves an exchange of land and interests in lands between the Native landowners and the Park Service. Specifically, the Federal Government will convey in fee approximately 30,642 acres of park land to Arctic Slop Regional Corp. and Nunamuit Corp. On the Federal land conveyed to the Native corporations, the National Park Service will reserve surface and subsurface access and development rights as well as broad public access easements. In addition, certain nonwilderness areas of federally owned park land will be opened to dispersed ATV use. In return, the Native landowners will convey to the Federal Government approximately 38,840 acres in fee for inclusion in both the national park and national wilderness systems. Native landowners will also convey to the Park Service additional surface and subsurface development rights on 86,307 acres as well as a series of conservation, scenic, and public access easements on other Native-owned lands within the boundaries of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Finally, the city of Anaktuvuk Pass will convey a city lot to the National Park Service for administrative purposes. Congressional ratification of this agreement will be required in order to remove 73,993 acres of Federal land from the National Wilderness Preservation System, as well as to designate approximately 56,825 acres of other park and presently Native-owned lands as new national wilderness. If ratified by Congress, the agreement will expressly authorize dispersed ATV use on certain lands within the park boundary. Without congressional approval, the agreement will become null and void, and none of the conveyances or creation of easements proposed by the agreement will occur. It is intended that this agreement will resolve the longstanding dispute over subsistence use of ATV's only on public lands in and around Anaktuvuk Pass. It is important to note that neither this agreement nor the accompanying Federal legislation will diminish, or otherwise affect in any way, anyone's rights and privileges to access public lands in Alaska for subsistence purposes. This agreement does not conform or deny that ATV access to public lands for subsistence use is a statutorily protected traditional access right under ANILCA, and consequently, this agreement does not purport to resolve this issue. As discussed previously, this legislation would remove 73,993 acres of wilderness from the park and designate 56,825 acres of new wilderness. Consistent with agreements reached during the 103d session, 13,168 acres of wilderness will be designated along the Nigu River, adjacent to the park, hence, a no-net-loss, no-net-gain of wilderness in the area.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce a bill to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 at the request of the Alaska Federation of Natives. This bill is the result of the work of the Legislative Council of the Alaska Federation of Natives to correct existing technical problems with the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act [ANCSA] and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act [ANILCA]. I am introducing an identical version of that which passed the House during the 103d Congress. It is my intention to move this bill early this year based on agreements reached last year. This bill makes a number of technical changes to ANCSA and ANILCA. It also makes a number of substantive additions which address issues not anticipated at the time of passage of ANCSA. Because of Alaska's relative youth as a State of the Union and the unprecedented amount of Alaska-specific Federal legislation passed since statehood, it is imperative that we respond to occasional oversights and/or quirks in the overlapping laws to ensure that unintended consequences do not occur. This effort is designed to rectify such instances. The legislation is designed to resolve specific problems. To offer a flavor of the nature of the legislation, a few illustrations are in order. For example, the bill would make it possible for the Caswell and Montana Creek Native groups to receive approximately 11,520 acres of land pursuant to a February 3, 1976, agreement and subsequent March 26, 1992, letter of agreement with Cook Inlet Region Inc. [CIRI]. This will fulfill their land entitlement from CIRI under the ANCSA. Another provision would relieve ANCSA corporations of liability for hazardous wastes or contaminants left in, or on, ANCSA lands prior to their conveyance to Native corporations. It also directs the Secretary of the Interior to remove all contaminants left by the United States, an agent of the United States, or lessees prior to conveyance of these lands to the Native corporations. In some instances, the Government has conveyed lands and property interests to Alaska Natives which have been rendered valueless because of such contamination. It was clearly not the intention of ANCSA to extinguish Native claims by conveying contaminated property to recipients. The Chugach Alaska Kageet Point land selection provision would allow Chugach Alaska Native Corp. to select a specific tract of land at the edge of its own current boundaries. Mr. Speaker, I hope the spirit of cooperation which was reached last year will continue so we can move this noncontroversial piece of legislation early in this session.