[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13720-13721]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       THE KETCHIKAN VENEER PLANT

 Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today I offer my congratulations 
and state my full support for the actions taken this week by the 
Ketchikan Gateway Borough in acquiring the idle veneer plant at Ward 
Cove. At a time when the regional economy is reeling from a long series 
of blows that go back to 1993 when the first pulp mill closed, the 
Ketchikan Borough showed exceptional leadership by stepping to the 
plate to retain this vital manufacturing facility in the community.
  The importance of encouraging an increase in healthy wood products 
manufacturing facilities in Southeast Alaska cannot be overemphasized. 
Such plants are vital necessities for Southeast Alaska to have good, 
year-round, family wage jobs providing the economic backbone to its 
communities. Proof of this is readily seen in the current jobs picture. 
As a consequence of the Clinton Administration's actions, Alaska's 2 
pulp mills and several sawmills were forced to cease operation, costing 
the region more than 3,500 direct timber jobs in the last 10 years. Add 
to that the loss of countless indirect jobs and you have a formula for 
economic disaster.
  With Ketchikan's action, we now enter a new era. Its leadership will 
help Southeast Alaska embark on a much-needed recovery phase in which 
real jobs for real people can bring new life back to litigation-weary 
communities. I congratulate Ketchikan and pledge to help in any way I 
can.
  A critical component of making the veneer plant a viable operation 
will be economic timber supply. A spate of lawsuits by environmental 
groups has artificially driven down the supply of timber and has even 
stopped timber sale planning on the Tongass. As quickly as possible, 
the Borough needs to conclude an agreement with a company to operate 
the veneer mill and together we must address the supply issue with the 
U.S. Forest Service.
  To that end, I am calling today for the Alaska Regional Forester, 
Denny Bschor, to meet in a timely manner with Borough officials to 
reach an agreement to ensure a stable and sufficient supply of economic 
timber to enable the veneer plant and the sawmills of Southeast Alaska 
to succeed. The new Bush Administration owes Ketchikan a commitment to 
bargain in good faith to help the community succeed in rejuvenating its 
economy.
  The Regional Forester has the statutory authority to offer timber 
under 10 year contracts, and I urge the Forest Service to conclude 
agreements using that authority. Furthermore, I call on all Alaskans to 
join me in supporting a 10 year sale for Ketchikan in recognition of 
the community's substantial leadership in restoring the regional 
economy.
  The biggest impediment to making timber available is the plethora of 
lawsuits that have been systematically leveled against the agency. 
Those lawsuits, if not resolved soon, will result in more mill closures 
and further unemployment. The recent court injunctions on timber sales 
that have already passed environmental review highlight the need for 
longer term agreements.
  The Tongass National Forest is fully capable of supporting the level 
of harvest needed to supply the region's mills without affecting the 
other legitimate uses of the forest. Less than 400,000 acres, only 2.4 
percent of the Tongass, have been harvested since industrial harvest 
began in the 1950s. Moreover, each year about 800 million board feet of 
timber is lost to natural tree mortality on the Tongass. That is nearly 
4 times the maximum annual harvest under the current management plan 
and 16 times the amount cut last year.
  Under the Tongass plan, an average of less than one-half of 1 percent 
of the Tongass can be harvested in any given year. If offered in 
economic packages, that small part of the available resource can be 
sufficient for the needs of the existing industry. There is simply no 
reason the Forest Service should not make sufficient economic volume

[[Page 13721]]

available to run a veneer mill and provide logs to the sawmills of 
South East Alaska. This action is essential to the operation of the 
veneer mill and sawmills, providing jobs and protecting 
families.

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