[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 11 (Thursday, January 19, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE ALASKA PENINSULA SUBSURFACE CONSOLIDATION ACT OF 
                                  1995

                                 ______


                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 19, 1995

  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.

                          ____________________