[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 22, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H1304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SUPPORTING THE BERING RIVER COALFIELD ACQUISITION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
South Carolina (Mr. Duncan) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the commitment of 
the United States Forest Service to see through the protection of the 
Bering River coalfield in Alaska.
  According to the Forest Service, the Copper River watershed, in which 
the Bering River lies, is one of the largest and most biologically 
intact places on Earth.
  Mineral rights to the Bering River coalfield are currently owned by a 
Korean company, which means almost 12,000 acres of coalfields in the 
Copper River watershed remain vulnerable to mining.
  Coal from the Bering River has no value in the U.S. coal market. We 
have plenty in the lower 48. An extraction would only serve to benefit 
the Asian markets at the cost of decimating one of the few untouched 
places left in America. The current owner of the mineral rights 
expressed that they are willing to sell the rights, and the bid for 
appraisal opened last week.
  It is my hope that we are approaching the finish line of the 
conservation of the Bering River, an effort that has been ongoing for 
100 years. Forty-six conservation organizations have voiced their 
support for the protection of this invaluable natural resource.
  If a purchase of the Bering River coalfield is successful, all future 
generations of American sportsmen and -women and outdoor recreationists 
can experience the magnificent wild country the way it emerged from our 
creator.
  I will take a brief moment to thank the late Representative Don Young 
from Alaska for his help and support of this issue to get it to this 
point.
  I also thank the Exxon Valdez trust for extending a boundary so that 
money could be leveraged to help set aside for future generations this 
important national asset.

                          ____________________