Don Young

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2578. I'm primarily interested in the Sealaska provision. It's very important to understand something: the Alaska Tongass National Forest is 17 million acres of land. We're asking for 77,000 acres of land to be transferred to the Sealaska Corporation that has already been cut. There is no old-growth timber involved in this. It gets Sealaska away from sensitive areas, including municipal watersheds, and onto areas already zoned for timber management on a road system. The exchange lands are near Native villages on Prince of Wales Island where unemployment is about 25 percent. This bill supports the Forest Service by making Sealaska timberlands more accessible to rural and mostly Native communities, where unemployment is above 25 percent. Sealaska's land base will then support a sustainable timber rotation in perpetuity. This bill affects approximately 77,000 acres in the 17 million-acre Tongass forest. It's already protected by designation, so it cannot be harvested. Sealaska and its contractors combined make up the largest for-profit sector employer in southeast Alaska, providing over 360 jobs. Including direct and indirect payroll, it's almost 500 jobs. This bill also finalizes Sealaska's Native land claim rights passed in 1971, and it does not entitle the Natives to an acre above what the 1971 Native Claims Settlement this Congress passed that limits it to them. H.R. 2578 supports timber jobs while conserving environmentally sensitive lands in community watersheds. Failure to pass this bill may spell the end of Sealaska's timber program as early as 2012 and the loss of timber jobs in an Alaska private industry that's decreased 90 percent since 1990 because of action of this Congress when they passed the Alaska National Lands Act and put most of the land off limits. Because the Forest Service is either unwilling or unable to offer an adequate timber supply in southeast Alaska, the remaining industry relies on Sealaska timber. The Alaska Forest Association testified: AFA strongly supports the passage of H.R. 2578 without delay. Passage of this bill is critical to the future of our remaining industry. Most importantly, the bill finalizes the land claim settlement for 20,000 Alaska Native jobs in southeast Alaska. Now, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to go to the ``Bull Dip'' awards, the Bull Dip awards for information put out on this legislation. We're talking about 77,000 acres that have already been cut. The Bull Dip award goes to those people who say there's transfer of over 50,000 miles of road. There may be 5,000 miles' worth, maybe 500 miles of road, but it's already roads that have been built on acreage that has already been harvested. The other area of the Bull Dip award is the fact that the road will not be accessible to public use. It will be used for public use. There are no restrictions, not any action that will be taken to prohibit anybody from choosing these lands or moving on these lands. All I'm asking today is give--an action of this Congress in 1971--the right to the Native people to land that's not old-growth timber.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Seventeen million acres are set aside already.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. It's not old-growth timber. This is land that's already been cut over, but they want to use it like Silviculture, growing timber forever, not like the Forest Service now, keeping old timber not cut. This is the right thing to do. The idea that we would have people sending out propaganda--I know there's an outfit called Red States saying this is going to cost the Federal Government money and it's a giveaway. It's strange that that same operation doesn't like the Federal Government. I'm asking that this Federal land that's already been harvested over be given to the Alaska Native people, as they should have it. And they're trying to stay away from the old-growth timber. That's what they're trying to do. If I was doing it myself, I'd cut the old-growth timber; it's dying anyway. But nobody wants to do it; they don't recognize it. I sat on this floor and watched the Alaska National Lands Act under George Miller, my good friend, say: don't worry, we'll have a timber industry. We've lost 15,000 jobs in southeast Alaska--high-paying jobs--because of the so-called ``environmental movement.'' That does not make sense. That does not make sense for America. This is a renewable resource that should be utilized correctly. Let's pass this legislation.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I strongly oppose this amendment. I know this amendment may have good intentions, but it is misguided. It will hurt the employment in the Native villages of Alaska. We have studies that show that the employment would not increase if we cannot export some of our logs. By the way, this amendment was in the Natural Resources Committee, and it was defeated 30 13. Last night, the Alaska Forest Association wrote in strong opposition to the amendment. And, very frankly, it is not right for the government to tell somebody on private land where they can sell their product. The only person who should be able to do this is the owner of a product. We don't tell where the Californians can sell their rice. We don't tell Weyerhaeuser where they should sell their timber. And so we shouldn't be telling a private landowner where to sell their timber. In fact, if we had the Tongass National Forest, what little land we have left of less than a million and a half acres that is federally owned as far as harvesting capability, if the Forest Service would do their job, we'd have some timber to harvest, but they're not doing it. But what timber they do harvest on Federal land, they allow 50 percent of old-growth timber sales and 100 percent of new growth, 100 percent to be sold. So this is a little bit, I say, not sincere in the sense that this is not going to create jobs, and the Federal Government is already allowing timber to be sold wherever they wish to. I would suggest respectfully that the amendment is not placed correctly. I would like to keep the timber in the United States, but if the market's not there, or if the bid is not as high as overseas people who bid on it, then you have to let the private person, in fact, sell his timber. I would suggest respectfully that the thing that concerns me the most in this whole argument is some of the arguments against this legislation. This is about a Native group. It's a corporation, but it's a Native group of villages put together that have a high unemployment. We're getting all kinds of bull dip all across the Internet now saying that this, in fact, is going to give away. It's talk about roads being given away. This is timber area that has already been cut, and they do not want to cut the old timber area. They're trying to have a good industry built by silviculture, and this is what's so important here. But for some reason, like I say, they're winning the ``bull dip'' awards of the whole year on this legislation. Now, I understand what the gentleman is trying to do, but it's not right to have a private entity be told by the Federal Government where they can sell their product. We don't tell rice growers or tell anybody else where to sell their product. They sell it to the best market, and this is about the best market. This would be wrong because they will have timber in a few years. I'd say maybe 50 years they'll have the best timber stand in the whole State of Alaska because this area has already been cut. They'll take them thin, and they'll be able to sell this timber at a high price, probably to the United States by then because we'll all be long gone.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Will the gentlelady yield?

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Will the gentleman yield for a moment? If he doesn't have the time, I will yield him additional time. Does the tribe in question have a casino on their own property?

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Schweikert).

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. I have one more speaker.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2938) to prohibit certain gaming activities on certain Indian lands in Arizona, as amended.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. At this time, I yield 5 minutes to the author of the bill, Congressman Franks from Arizona.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, does the gentleman have any more speakers?

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I can say that this is somewhat difficult for me because I have a rule about laws that are being passed in Members' districts, and I usually support. Mr. Franks represents that district. And I will say, Mr. Grijalva has made some statements. I would suggest Congress makes laws, and Congress can remake laws. Lawsuits, that's a scare tactic. They can sue all they want. One of the problems we have in America today is we have too many lawyers, so you can sue anything and anybody, anytime, anywhere. This is a battle about a State and a large group of American Natives that reached an agreement. Mr. Gosar said this very clearly. He was there, and they reached an agreement and they are signatories. We had a hearing on this legislation. We had a quite intensive hearing, and that was brought up. And, of course, they can cite all the arguments they want, but they also understand that when a State is involved under Native gaming laws, which I and Mr. Udall sponsored, the State had to be directly involved; otherwise, you wouldn't have gambling anyplace in Arizona because the State would not have agreed to that if there hadn't been an agreement between all of the tribes, there would be no more than was established in the compact. And I think we have to consider the State's belief in this because that does affect the State. They probably wouldn't have any gambling at all. This money from those five existing casinos is shared, even by the tribe requesting this casino outside their territory where they have their own casinos, they want it in the Phoenix area, and we all know that. This is about money. There's no doubt about that. But what concerns me the most is the compact. When I listen to this, when you make an agreement and you're a tribe and you agree to something, don't try to go around and change that later on by asking some lawyers. We talk about finances and where the finances are coming from. We can find that out, too, later on. So with the understanding that this is an Arizona battle, but as chairman, I have to listen to both sides, and right now I come down on the side that Arizona, the State of, has an agreement, and we ought to live by it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In 1999, the United States Court of Federal Claims awarded a $20 million settlement to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, pursuant to the Nelson Act and various treaties that are not covered by the Nelson Act, for various accounting obligations of the Federal Government. These funds have been held in trust and have not been disbursed. H.R. 1272 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to disburse the balance held in trust to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. I would like to thank Congressman Chip Cravaack and the sponsor of this bill, Congressman Collin Peterson, for working with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and for getting this bill to the floor. I urge the adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1272) to provide for the use and distribution of the funds awarded to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, et al., by the United States Court of Federal Claims in Docket Numbers 19 and 188, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Cravaack), the author of the bill.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I have no further speakers. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation. And I misspoke a moment ago. Congressman Collin Peterson has been fighting this battle for years and years, and I'm glad to finally see that he has succeeded. He is the prime sponsor of this legislation, along with Mr. Cravaack and Mr. Paulsen. So we're on the right track. And I want to congratulate you. Perseverance overcomes many things, and you persevered this time. With that, I yield back the balance of my time, and I urge the passage of this legislation.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, Mano Frey originally hails from Yakima, Washington, where he grew up with a relatively small family of ten sisters and seven brothers. After graduating high school, Mano attended Seattle University where he majored in civil engineering. In 1970, Mano took a small break during his senior year to set off with his close friend for Alaska. Their destination? The now-famous city of Valdez, Alaska. After experiencing the wonders and magnificence of what some call ``old Alaska,'' Mano decided to delay college in favor of joining Laborers' Local 341. Almost immediately he was dispatched to pour concrete for a new school using a 90lb pavement breaker. Soon, Mr. Frey became a steward for the drillers and powder men at the main terminal camp for the Trans Alaska Pipeline. The job, which at the time was the biggest in world history, had over 25 thousand people working on the line from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. His reputation grew within the union's leadership and in 1977 he was appointed to be the area's business agent. A year later they asked him to transfer to the union's headquarters in Anchorage. Soon after Mano became the union's president. In 1981, he attained the job of Business Manager, a position he held until he became International Vice- President and Regional Manager for LIUNA's Northwest Region. During his time in Alaska, Mano left his mark as a leader. On more than one occasion, Mr. Frey was recognized by the Alaska Journal of Commerce as being one of the top ten most powerful people in Alaska. He was the first and only labor leader to be given the Public Service Gold Pan Award by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. For a decade, Mano Co-Chaired the premier advocacy group Arctic Power, which advocated for the opening of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil exploration. To bring significant economic development to the State of Alaska and Nation. Leading the program, Mano oversaw the huge advocacy effort to open the nation's largest oil reserve. Legislation to open ANWR has passed the House 12 times due in no small part to the work of advocacy groups like Arctic Power and the Alaska Congressional Delegation. The bill even passed the Senate once, only to be vetoed by President Clinton soon afterwards. But, in his own inimitable style, Mano never lost faith and continued to push for the opening of ANWR, with the knowledge that if you ever let up on your goals, you certainly will never reach them. It was with that same determination that Mano served as the Alaska AFL CIO's executive president from 1984 until 2003. During his tenure, Mano also had the privilege of serving on the National AFL CIO's Executive Council. Upon his retirement from the Alaska AFL CIO, and in recognition of all the years of hard work and dedication to the working men and women everywhere, the organization named him President Emeritus. In 2003 Mano became a Vice President and Regional Manager for the Laborers International Union of North America. He served this organization and its members with honor. He demonstrated on numerous occasions that he not only cared about how all of the Local unions under his jurisdiction fared, but that the most important mission was the welfare and quality of life of the members and their families. On behalf of all the working men and women of Alaska and beyond, whose lives you enriched and livelihood you protected, I thank and wish you a happy retirement as you transition into your next chapter in life.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield to my good friend from Washington.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I am thankful for the understanding of the chairman and the ranking member of the full committee. This is important to our Nation and especially Alaska, and I do appreciate your consideration. With that, I yield back the balance of my time. Amendment Offered by Mr. Gardner