82 



Statement of Senator James A. McClure 

 Subcommittee on Public Lands, National Parks and Forests 



Hearing on H.R. 987, 



Provisions relating to fisheries protection and buffer zones 



(Sec. 104(e)), and the designation of additional wilderness areas 



on the Tongass National Forest (Title III) 



February 26, 1990 



Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding these hearings today on this 

 most important subject, the House-passed Tongass reform 

 legislation. Thank you also for so generously accommodating our 

 schedules by moving this hearing from this morning to this 

 afternoon. 



There has been an enormous amount of attention given to the 

 Tongass, and I think it is useful that the Committee has 

 scheduled this hearing, as the issues raised by this legislation 

 are contentious and extremely complex. I suspect the solution 

 will be equally as contentious and complex. 



There are a number of issues in the legislation before us that I 

 would like to address. 



First, there is a situation involving the critical need to 

 maintain riparian habitat. The National Marine Fisheries Service 



