[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 11855-11857]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              50TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALASKA AS THE 49TH STATE

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 127) recognizing and celebrating the 
50th anniversary of the entry of Alaska in the Union as the 49th State.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 127

       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 the House of Representatives recognizes and 
     celebrates the 50th anniversary of the entry of Alaska into 
     the Union as the 49th State.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, I'm pleased to join my colleagues in the 
consideration of H. Res. 127 which recognizes the 50th anniversary of 
the State of Alaska, and highlights its contributions to America's 
economy and heritage.
  H. Res. 127 was introduced by our colleague, Congressman Don Young of 
Alaska, on February 5, 2007. On April 16, 2008, H. Res. 127 was 
considered by and reported from the Oversight Committee by voice vote. 
This measure has the support and cosponsorship of over 50 Members of 
Congress, including all of the delegation from the State of Alaska.
  On October 18, 1867, the Alaskan peninsula was purchased from Russia 
and, in 1912, after major development during the Gold Rush era, Alaska 
was granted territorial status.
  Enshrined as the 49th State of the Union on January 3, 1959, Alaska 
is commonly referred to as the last frontier. And the word Alaska, 
which is derived from the indigenous Aleut language, means mainland or, 
literally, the object towards which the action of the sea is directed.
  Today, Alaska's economy is strong, with the third highest gross state 
production out of any State of the Union. And since the issue of gas 
was such a major point last week for my colleagues, I should also 
mention that Alaska currently provides over 16 percent of the daily 
crude oil production in the United States.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) 
for sponsoring this measure. And given the 50th anniversary of Alaska 
statehood, and the enormous contributions Alaska has given to our 
Nation, and to the world, I urge passage of this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to yield such 
time as he may consume to the sponsor of the bill, my good friend, the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young).
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I do thank the ranking member, and I do thank my 
chairman for cosponsoring this legislation and being supportive of it.
  On July 7, that 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.

                              {time}  1715

  Alaska would officially be admitted as a State January 3, 1959.
  I introduce H.R. 127 which commemorates this occasion to recognize 
all of the people of Alaska who represent the pioneering spirit which 
built this great Nation and contributes to our culture and ethnic 
diversity.
  Alaska is the most northern, most western, and most eastern State in 
the Union and composing an area one-fifth the size of the United 
States. And for all those trivia buffs out there, Alaska is roughly 
2\1/2\ times the size of Texas.
  Purchased from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million, or 2 cents an acre, 
after Congress had concluded its resources would be vitally important 
to the Nation's future growth. At the time, the purchase was nicknamed 
``Seward's folly'' because it was believed foolhardy to spend so much 
money on a remote region. Secretary of State William Seward would have 
the last laugh, though.
  Alaska is the source of 16 percent of the daily crude oil in the 
United States, has 44 percent of the country's undiscovered resources. 
Alaska's 34,000 miles of shoreline form a gateway to one of the 
greatest fisheries in the world, providing for 60 percent of the 
country's commercial seafood harvest.
  Alaska has 230 million acres set aside in national parks, wildlife 
refuges, and national forests which are visited each

[[Page 11856]]

year by more than a million tourists. To give you some idea, Mr. 
Speaker, the State of California has 103 million acres. We put aside 
230 million acres for parks and national wildlife refuges. Forests add 
to Alaska's beauty and provide a renewable economic resource with 28 
million acres of commercial forests.
  Alaska contains half of the Nation's coal reserves and its largest 
silver and zinc mines. Glittering gold in Alaska's streams and 
mountains still lures miners to work private claims. About 50 million 
acres of soil in Alaska are suitable for farming. About 1 million acres 
currently are in production.
  I know that the people of Alaska will continue their commitment to 
the preservation and protection of this great State, but they also want 
to develop the resources. Alaskans are proud, strong, and independent 
Americans who are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in, and 
I'm honored and humbled to stand here today on their behalf as we again 
recognize this great important date in U.S. history.
  Mr. Speaker, may I suggest, right above you there is a plaque, placed 
there in 1949; it says, Let us develop the resources of our land, call 
forth its powers and build up its institutions, promote all its great 
interests, and see whether we also in our day and generation may not 
perform something worthy of being remembered. Daniel Webster. Let us 
develop our resources.
  Alaska has the key to the solution of many problems of this great 
Nation, especially the energy crisis, and I ask this body as you 
recognize the 50th anniversary of the great State of Alaska, recognize 
what we can and what we have contributed to the Nation as a whole. As 
the 49th State, we are proud and we are extremely excited with the 
possibility to contribute more in the future. And I do urge my 
colleagues to pass this resolution
  I thank the gentleman, the chairman, and the ranking member.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1860, at the Wigwam Convention Center in Chicago, 
Illinois, a man named William Seward marched around with his crowd of 
supporters, and he got to the convention center too late because the 
gallery was stacked with supporters for a guy named Abraham Lincoln. As 
a result of his getting there a little bit too late on the third 
ballot, Abraham Lincoln was nominated for President of the United 
States, and Mr. Seward lost, and he was the favorite. He was the odds-
on favorite to be the Republican nominee for President and to be the 
next President of the United States. Well, he lost, and it was a 
crushing blow for him.
  Yet, later on, Abraham Lincoln saw the qualities of William Seward, 
and he appointed him his Secretary of State, and Secretary of State 
Seward did an outstanding job in that capacity. The thing he did best, 
in my opinion, was in making sure that the United States purchased 
Alaska. He purchased Alaska for $7.2 million, and it was the best buy, 
by far, of anything that this country has ever done. The resources that 
are up there are just unbelievable.
  A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure to go up to Alaska with 
Representative Don Young, and I had a chance to see the vastness of it 
and to realize the resources that are available to us up there. You 
just couldn't believe it. We had a chance to see ANWR. We had a chance 
to look at the Alaska Pipeline, and we could see what great potential 
there is out of Alaska if we would just use our heads and go after 
those resources.
  One of the things that I don't understand and that, I think, the 
American people don't understand is why the Democrats and the 
Republicans in this body can't get together to start using our 
resources to reduce the cost of fuel, gasoline and energy in this 
country. As the gentleman from Alaska just said a few minutes ago, they 
have the resources up there. We could get up to 2 million barrels of 
oil a day out of the ANWR, and there may be more up there, and we could 
do it in an environmentally safe way. It's two to three times the size 
of Texas. If there were a spill up there--and of course I don't think 
that would happen--it still wouldn't hurt the ecology as much as we are 
suffering now under the energy pressure that the American people are 
feeling at $4-plus a gallon of gas. We should drill in Alaska. We 
should drill in the ANWR.
  The Alaskan Senators and Congressmen want that done. They want those 
resources brought to the surface. Yet, the opposition party--my good 
friends over there like Danny Davis--won't let us drill in the ANWR. I 
do not understand it. I just simply do not understand it. We are 
drilling in Texas. We are drilling in Oklahoma. We are drilling in the 
Gulf of Mexico. Yet, way up north in the ANWR we cannot drill. I just 
do not understand it.
  I wish my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who are 
influenced so much by the environmental lobby would go out on the 
street tomorrow morning at the gas stations and say, ``Hey, you're 
paying $4.10 a gallon for gasoline. Would you mind if we drilled in the 
ANWR?''
  The first thing they'd say is probably, ``Where is the ANWR?'' 
Secondly, they'd say, ``Drill any place in the United States to get my 
gas prices down.''
  Now, the Democrats took over this place 2 years ago, and I have an 
awful lot of friends on the other side of the aisle, and I love all you 
guys, but since you took power, the price of gasoline has gone up $1.50 
per gallon. Now, why don't we do something about that. Why don't we get 
together, the Democrats and Republicans, and say, ``Okay. We are going 
to drill in the ANWR in an environmentally safe way. We are going to 
drill offshore on the Outer Continental Shelf in an environmentally 
safe way. We are going to bring 4 million barrels of oil a day into 
this country to reduce our dependency on Saudi Arabia and on Venezuela 
and on Mexico and on other parts of the world so we can do what we 
should have done 30 years ago, become energy-independent.''
  Not only do we have the oil resources at our fingertips, but we have 
about a 400- or 500-year supply of natural gas, and we're not exploring 
that either. I will submit to you that there is probably a lot of 
natural gas up in Alaska as well.
  So I would just like to say to my colleagues that I'm here to support 
Representative Young's resolution to congratulate Alaska on its 50th 
anniversary of its being a State. It's a great acquisition for the 
United States. It has a great Congressman and two great Senators.
  As I close, I would just say to my colleagues: Let's get on with it. 
The American people are tired of $4.50 and $4.10 a gallon for gasoline. 
We have it in our country with coal shale, with oil and with natural 
gas to become energy-independent. Yet, we're blocked every day, every 
month, every year. I do not understand it.
  So I'd like to say to my Democrat colleagues, who are good friends of 
mine, since you took power, gasoline has gone up $1.50 per gallon. 
Let's end that. Let's become energy-independent. We can look at the 
other sources of energy while we're doing that. Other sources are very 
important, too, and new technologies, but right now, we need oil and we 
need gas. You guys need to help us.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution seeks to commemorate the 50th 
anniversary of Alaska becoming a State. Our Nation's relationship with 
this beautiful and resource rich land began on March 30th 1867.
  On that date, Secretary of State, William Seward, entered into a 
purchase agreement with the Russian Minister to the United States, for 
$7.2 million dollars. In August of 1868, Secretary Seward said he did 
not doubt ``that the political society to be constituted here, first as 
a Territory, and ultimately as a State or many States, will prove a 
worthy constituency of the Republic.''
  These words could not have been more true. Alaska has indeed 
contributed and more than proved its worth as part of our Nation; first 
as a territory in 1912 and ultimately as our Nation's 49th state when 
the official proclamation was signed by President Eisenhower on January 
3rd 1959.
  However, the road to statehood for Alaska was not one without 
challenges.
  Originally, a bill for statehood passed the House early in 1950, 
however the bill died in

[[Page 11857]]

the Senate. It wasn't until January of 1958, that a statehood bill 
ultimately passed both chambers and was signed by President Eisenhower.
  It is well known that Alaska is home to some of our country's most 
beautiful landmarks and landscapes including Mount McKinley and almost 
34,000 miles of shoreline.
  From the beginning, it was a land rich in many commodities useful at 
those times--including minerals, timber, fur, and fish. Alaska was home 
to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98. Today, oil and natural gas serve 
as the major exports of Alaska. The fishery is the second leading 
source of export, and also serves as a significant source of livelihood 
for Alaskans.
  Today, another source of income that continues to grow is Alaska's 
tourist industry. Any number of large cruise liners can be seen off the 
coast of Alaska. And the Klondike Highway outside Skagway has beautiful 
descents for avid mountain bikers. Visitors are drawn to the beautiful 
views, wilderness, and the exciting adventures Alaska has to offer.
  Of course, we couldn't talk about Alaska without mentioning one of 
the most unique sporting events in the world--the annual Iditarod race. 
Each year, individuals with a team of sled dogs cover a grueling 1,161 
miles over a week to two week period from Willow to Nome, Alaska.
  So to conclude, the State of Alaska is one that is rich in nature, 
resources and most importantly in people and heritage.
  For this reason, I ask my colleagues to support H. Res. 127 
recognizing the State of Alaska's 50th Anniversary.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. If the gentleman is not yielding back, I will 
reserve the balance of my time as well, Mr. Speaker.
  Let me yield, then, to my colleague once again, my good buddy from 
Alaska (Mr. Young).
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to stress the importance of understanding the 
supply side of energy. And we may not be able to lower the price, 
ladies and gentleman, at the gas pump, but we can at least stabilize it 
because if you think this is going to go down if we don't have a supply 
side, you're badly mistaken.
  We just saw something last week which shocked many people. We had a 
jump of $11 a barrel in one night because of some action in the Middle 
East. And that could affect us down the road where it's $137 a barrel, 
$137 a barrel today. We predict it's going to go $200 a barrel if we 
don't get the supply side moving.
  I will tell you if we have one action on the floor of the House to 
take and address the supply side, the price of a barrel of oil will 
drop automatically $10 to $15 a barrel. It might go back up later on. 
But it eliminates the speculation. It would show those that say we're 
not doing anything as we have not done for 35 years after the pipeline 
itself was built.
  The Saudis, the Middle East, the OPEC countries will not increase 
production when they can get $137 a barrel. Why would they? Ask 
yourselves if you own something, why would you produce more to lower 
the price?
  The only way we can do this is to increase our domestic supply, not 
only just oil, but all forms of fossil fuel and alternate forms of 
energy. And as the gentleman from Indiana mentioned, if we do not do 
that, we are not serving our constituents as we should.
  It is the future of this Nation to allow the productions. Remember 
the quote I had right above the seat of the Speaker: Let's develop our 
resources.
  As we celebrate this day, the 50th anniversary of the Alaska 
Statehood by an action of Congress, that's all we ask. Let us develop 
our resources. That's all I ask you now. Let us develop our resources 
for the good of this Nation. That is our responsibility. This is not 
politics. This is reality.
  Again, for Mr. and Mrs. American, the price of oil and gasoline may 
not drop dramatically, but it will drop and it will stabilize if we 
address the supply side. If we do not, it will rise more, more, and 
more. Not good for the nation. Not good for the future generations.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, let me ask, did the gentleman 
from Indiana yield back all of his time?
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and if 
you would like, I would be happy to yield back.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me thank both the 
gentleman from Alaska and the gentleman from Indiana not only for their 
support of the resolution to honor the State of Alaska, but I was also 
pleased to hear them talk about the tremendous gas crisis that we have 
in the country. I was pleased to note that the State of Illinois played 
a role in the purchase of Alaska.
  In terms of Secretary of State Seward, after he did not get the 
Presidency, did in fact become Secretary of State and did in fact make 
sure that we purchased Alaska. And, of course, that's a lesson for all 
of us to know that you don't necessarily have to win the nomination for 
President in order to do significant things afterwards. There is 
certainly much work to be done.
  But let me just mention that recently, Congress overwhelmingly passed 
bipartisan legislation to temporarily suspend the oil purchases for the 
Strategic Petroleum Reserve. As a result, the President was forced to 
suspend shipments and sign the deal which he previously opposed. 
Continuing to fill the SPR would take 70,000 barrels of oil off the 
market each day even though the reserve is 97 percent full with enough 
to meet our national security needs. We passed the farm bill that 
contains in it biofuels, new methods of creating energy, new sources 
from which energy can come.
  And so there is movement, and I'm confident. Yes, we did become the 
majority in both the House and the Senate in the last 2 years, and when 
we get the other office, I have no doubt in my mind that we're going to 
see great relief from the oil crisis.
  I urge passage of this resolution.
  I yield back the balance of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 127.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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