[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 26, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S872-S873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself and Mr. Begich):
  S. 14. A bill to provide for the partial settlement of certain claims 
under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
to provide a small interim conveyance of lands to the Sealaska Native 
Regional Corporation of Southeast Alaska, a conveyance designed simply 
to keep Sealaska in business for the next year or so to give this 
Congress sufficient time to consider a more comprehensive solution to 
the issue of how to complete the Native corporation's land conveyances 
authorized 42 years ago.
  Several weeks ago I and my colleague Sen. Mark Begich reintroduced 
legislation first proposed in 2007 and 2008 to resolve problems with 
land conveyances to Southeast Alaska Natives, S. 340, stemming from 
passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. Back in the 
110th Congress there was plenty of time to resolve these land 
conveyance issues. Unfortunately as we begin the 113th Congress, the 
Sealaska Corporation has nearly exhausted its ability to use its lands 
in Southeast to benefit their shareholders in a socially responsible 
manner. This bill that we introduce today is a small stop-gap measure 
to give the corporation a one- or two-year additional supply of 
accessible lands to guarantee the continued operations of the 
corporation in order to give us and the House of Representatives 
additional time to again consider a more comprehensive settlement of 
Southeast Alaska Native land issues.
  Today I am proposing legislation to grant Sealaska quick conveyance 
of the two smallest parcels of lands under consideration for conveyance 
to it as part of a broader land settlement revision. The parcels 
totaling 3,380 acres of the 68,000 acres proposed in the broader bill, 
include 2,000 acres at North Election Creek on central Prince of Wales 
Island, lands adjacent to existing Sealaska lands on the island, and 
1,380 acres on the west side of the Cleveland Peninsula north of 
Ketchikan, lands also adjacent to Sealaska's current holdings. I am 
proposing interim conveyance of just these two tracts within 60 days of 
the act's passage, because to my knowledge there are few if any 
environmental concerns that have been raised with resource development 
on either tract. I am proposing to limit the conveyances to just these 
two to give Sealaska another year or two of existing operations to give 
time for the 113th Congress to hold new hearings on

[[Page S873]]

the Sealaska lands issue and to finalize and pass legislation. But by 
limiting the selections to just two small tracts, I am not lessening 
the urgency of the need for all parties to reach an agreement on the 
terms of a broader bill within the 113th Congress. If no agreement is 
reached on a broader bill, Sealaska will again be forced to curtail its 
operations with likely tragic consequences for Southeast's regional 
economy long before this Administration ends.
  The bill, in an effort not to limit negotiations on a broader land 
settlement, makes no other changes, except to guarantee that all 
existing access provisions to lands required by the Alaska Native 
Claims Settlement Act remain in force on the two parcels proposed for 
conveyance. This bill is purely intended to give this Congress 
sufficient time to consider this issue while maintaining the economic 
status quo in the Panhandle--a fact that is vital for a timber 
industry, but also in order for the U.S. Forest Service to have the 
time and related infrastructure needed to implement its proposed young-
growth transition strategy in the Tongass National Forest.
  My hope is that this bill will promptly be considered and passed by 
this Congress, to give us all the time needed to reach an equitable 
solution to land issues in America's largest national forest.

                          ____________________