Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions - S. 1778

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

By Ms. MURKOWSKI:

S. 1778. A bill to authorize a land conveyance between the United State and the City of Craig, Alaska, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today I introduce along with my colleague, Senator Stevens, an important bill that will facilitate Forest Service land management on Prince of Wales Island and help community expansion and development. The City of Craig is the economic center of Prince of Wales Island, the third largest island in the country. The town contains the major retail shopping and service outlets on the island and island residents drive up to a hundred miles round trip to come to town for medical services and shopping. Craig also has the most active and largest commercial fishing harbor and fleet on the island.

Due to land selection conflicts between the Forest Service and the State of Alaska in the 1960's, the city of Craig received no municipal entitlement land. This legislation will help alleviate some of the loss to the city from the lack of an entitlement.

One of the Forest Service's main administrative facilities, the Craig Ranger District Station is located in Craig. The Craig Ranger has management authority over approximately one million acres on Prince of Wales Island. It is critical that the Forest Service has the tools it needs to provide good management for that part of the island. One of these tools is the presence of some Federal land near the Craig Ranger Station. Right now, there is not any Forest Service land near the Ranger Station. In an unusual situation for Alaska, the Ranger Station is an in holding among private, state, and City owned land.

This legislation would provide for a three way conveyance process which would result in three parcels of land now owned by the City being conveyed into the National Forest and an in holding owned by a private entity being acquired by the City.

To use the vernacular, this is one of those situations people like to describe as "win-win." Providing a recreational opportunity in the Forest at Craig benefits the public and the city of Craig would obtain land vital to its future community development plan.

What our legislation does is authorize the Federal Government to accept conveyance of land from the City of Craig and authorize an appropriation for land acquisition. The funding would be used by the city of Craig to purchase the private land at Craig. In return the city would convey to the Federal Government up to 346 acres of land it now owns to the Tongass National Forest. This land is highly prized for local recreation and would provide the Craig Ranger District with a missing piece of its management scheme by providing a recreation site within short walking distance of the Ranger Station.

Right now, visitors to the Forest come to the Craig Ranger Station to orient themselves to the Forest. One of the things they look for is onsite recreation in the Forest from the Ranger Station. But there is none. Because of the land conveyance status directly around Craig, there is no Forest land in that area.

However, the city of Craig owns almost 350 acres of prime recreational land including a dedicated trail in the immediate vicinity from the Ranger Station. The Forest should own this land so that it can integrate the parcel into its land management plans.

The property to be acquired by the city of Craig is a cannery site dating from the early 1900's which has not been used since the early 1980's. It is prime land for the city to redevelop in order to improve its community management plan and to provide economic stimulus in Craig. The parcel includes both uplands and tidelands and could be used by Craig to develop a good port and harbor and to provide first class land for retail merchants and other community services.

Senator Stevens and I strongly support the needs of Craig in developing its local economy.
The entire island is in transition. In the early 1980's, the city and Prince of Wales Island were the center of a vibrant timber based economy that provided thousands of direct and indirect jobs to the Island. Much of that is now gone as a result of unfortunate Federal policies which have devastated the timber based economy on Prince of Wales Island and much of Southeastern Alaska.

According to unemployment data published by the Alaska Department of Labor, unemployment rates in Craig's census area regularly exceed 20 percent. Their annual rate of unemployment is typically more than twice the national average.

We must help Craig in its transition to another economy. The city leaders are dynamic and visionary people who have provided real leadership on the island. They have worked hard to help maintain the remaining timber plant at Klawock to provide year round employment to city and Island residents. They have organized along with their neighbors, the Prince of Wales Community Advisory Council, an association of municipalities and Native and non Native communities to work as a team on island wide projects.

Passage of this legislation is critical to the future of the city of Craig. It will provide a great management tool to the Forest Service and increase recreational opportunities for the local and visiting public.

I urge my colleagues to join me in moving forward on this legislation. All of the conveyances in the legislation will be subject to appraisals as required by the Federal Government. The Federal Government will receive equal value in land from the city. The passage of this Act is good for the public and for the residents of Craig.

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