[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 133 (Thursday, October 10, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S10385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MURKOWSKI (for himself and Mr. Stevens):
  S. 3106. A bill to amend the Denali Commission Act of 1998 to 
establish the Denali transportation system in the State of Alaska; to 
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise to introduce a bill to establish 
the Denali Transportation System for my State of Alaska. I am pleased 
to be joined by the senior Senator from Alaska, Senator Stevens, on 
this important legislation. I understand that a companion measure is to 
be introduced in the House.
  This bill authorizes the Secrtary of Transportation to establish a 
program to fund the costs of construction of the Denali Transportation 
System, at a level of $440 million per year for the next 5 years. It is 
patterned after similar statutory language establishing the Appalachian 
Commission, which provides for transportation construction in that area 
of the nation.
  As my colleagues are aware, Alaska lags far behind the rest of the 
country in its transportation infrastructure. Our road system is still 
in its infancy and our highway system reaches only the major cities of 
the State.
  As we all know, the key to a thriving and self-sufficient economy for 
any State or Nation is commerce. But commerce itself cannot thrive 
without transportation. We must be able to travel from one place to 
another, to move goods from one place to another, to harvest our 
resources and craft our merchandise and get them both to market.
  The Denali transportation system will provide benefits far 
outweighing its costs, not only to Alaska but to the Nation. It will 
make it possible to provide Alaska's valuable resources to those who 
need them. It will allow significant savings for residents of Alaska's 
remote areas, who today must pay the nation's highest prices for even 
basic things that you and I take for granted, for food, for energy to 
heat our houses, for access to a doctor's care when we need it, and 
access to reasonable educational opportunities for our children.
  None of these things are universally available in Alaska as they are 
in other States. We have children who must board an aircraft every day, 
at least when the weather permits, just to be flown across a river that 
separates them from their only area school. We have villages where fuel 
arrives barrel by barrel, because there is no other way to get it 
there. We have communities where butter, and eggs, and milk, and fresh 
vegetables are still luxury items. We have towns where injured workers 
and pregnant women in need of care have access to a doctor only when 
the weather permits them to undertake an arduous journey by boat and 
small aircraft.
  Alaska has much to offer the rest of the Nation. We have incomparable 
resources and energetic, innovative citizens. It is time we have a 
transportation system that will allow us to fully enter the world of 
the 21st Century, and this bill will help us accomplish that goal.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 3106

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Denali Transportation System 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. DENALI TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

       The Denali Commission Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-277; 42 
     U.S.C. 3121 note) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating section 309 as section 310; and
       (2) by inserting after section 308 the following:

     ``SEC. 309. DENALI TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

       ``(a) Construction.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of Transportation shall 
     establish a program under which the Secretary may pay the 
     costs of construction (including the costs of design) in the 
     State of Alaska of the Denali transportation system.
       ``(2) Design standards.--Any design carried out under this 
     section shall use technology and design standards determined 
     by the Commission.
       ``(b) Designation of System by Commission.--The Commission 
     shall submit to the Secretary of Transportation--
       ``(1) designations by the Commission of the general 
     location and termini of highways, port and dock facilities, 
     and trails on the Denali transportation system;
       ``(2) priorities for construction of segments of the 
     system; and
       ``(3) other criteria applicable to the program established 
     under this section.
       ``(c) Connecting Infrastructure.--In carrying out this 
     section, the Commission may construct marine connections 
     (such as connecting small docks, boat ramps, and port 
     facilities) and other transportation access infrastructure 
     for communities that would otherwise lack access to the 
     National Highway System.
       ``(d) Addition to National Highway System.--On completion, 
     each highway on the Denali transportation system that is not 
     already on the National Highway System shall be added to the 
     National Highway System.
       ``(e) Preference to Alaska Materials and Products.--In the 
     construction of the Denali transportation system under this 
     section, the Commission may give preference--
       ``(1) to the use of materials and products indigenous to 
     the State; and
       ``(2) with respect to construction projects in a region, to 
     local residents and firms headquartered in that region.''.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       Section 310 of the Denali Commission Act of 1998 (Public 
     Law 105-277; 42 U.S.C. 3121 note) (as redesignated by section 
     2(1)) is amended by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
     to the Commission--
       ``(1) to carry out the duties of the Commission under this 
     title (other than section 309), and in accordance with the 
     work plan approved under section 304, such sums as are 
     necessary for fiscal year 2003; and
       ``(2) to carry out section 309 $440,000,000 for each of 
     fiscal years 2003 through 2008.''.
                                 ______