[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 7543]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING ALASKA STATEHOOD

  The resolution (S. Res. 49), recognizing and celebrating the 50th 
anniversary of the entry of Alaska into the Union as the 49th State, 
was considered and agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 49

       Whereas July 7, 2008, marks the 50th anniversary of the 
     enactment of the Alaska Statehood Act as approved by the 
     United States Congress and signed by President Dwight D. 
     Eisenhower;
       Whereas the Alaska Statehood Act authorized the entry of 
     Alaska into the Union on January 3, 1959;
       Whereas the land once known as ``Seward's Folly'' is now 
     regarded as critical to the strategic defense of the United 
     States and important to our national and economic security;
       Whereas the people of Alaska remain committed to the 
     preservation and protection of the Union, with among the 
     highest rates of veterans and residents in active military 
     service of any State in the Nation;
       Whereas Alaska is the northernmost, westernmost, and 
     easternmost State of the Union, encompassing an area one-
     fifth the size of the United States;
       Whereas the State of Alaska has an abundance of natural 
     resources vital to the Nation;
       Whereas Alaska currently provides over 16 percent of the 
     daily crude oil production in the United States and has 44 
     percent of the undiscovered oil resources and 36 percent of 
     undiscovered conventional gas in the United States;
       Whereas Alaska's 34,000 miles of shoreline form a gateway 
     to one of the world's greatest fisheries, providing over 60 
     percent of the country's commercial seafood harvest;
       Whereas over 230 million acres of Alaska are set aside in 
     national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and other 
     conservation units for the benefit of the entire country;
       Whereas over 58 million acres are designated wilderness in 
     Alaska, representing 55 percent of the wilderness areas in 
     the United States;
       Whereas Alaska Natives, the State's first people, are an 
     integral part of Alaska's history, and preserving the culture 
     and heritage of Alaska's Native people is of primary 
     importance;
       Whereas the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement 
     Act in 1971 signaled a new era of economic opportunity for 
     Alaska Natives;
       Whereas Alaska's Native people have made major 
     contributions to the vitality and success of Alaska as a 
     State;
       Whereas the people of Alaska represent the pioneering 
     spirit that built this great Nation and contribute to our 
     cultural and ethnic diversity; and
       Whereas the golden anniversary, on January 3, 2009, 
     provides an occasion to honor Alaska's entry into the Union: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That Congress recognizes and celebrates the 50th 
     anniversary of the entry of Alaska into the Union as the 49th 
     State.

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