My personal hope is that Ketchikan would learn to live with less 

 so that some timber could be shared with Sitka and Wrangell, and 

 that in return Ketchikan would move to a more value-added proc- 

 ess and receive a long-term contract extension. 



Continuation of a vastly modernized KPC Southeast-wide, log- 

 grade wood-processing facility in Ketchikan, combined with specific 

 land-based community stewardship areas with timber facilities lo- 

 cated in traditional timber communities such as Sitka and 

 Wrangell, might form a useful concept with which to try to craft 

 a new long-term Tongass policy. 



While H.R. 2413 attempts to address this total lack of local deci- 

 sion making power by giving the Tongass to the State of Alaska, 

 my feeling is that, in the near-term, it would be easier to amend 

 current Federal law to give the necessary decisional powers to 

 Southeast communities to reach a Tongass-wide, long-term stew- 

 ardship policy, and would allow for continued recognition of the na- 

 tional interest in the national forest, keep the Forest Service intact 

 and allow the reinstitution of forest products jobs in Sitka and 

 Wrangell, modernize and extend Ketchikan, and meet and protect 

 the multiple needs and desires of Southeasterners. 



If the Federal Government would finally realize that the local 

 people are at least as responsible and capable as bureaucrats on 

 the other side of the continent, if the people of Southeast could be 

 empowered, we can settle our differences and build a future for our 

 children the entire country can be proud of. 



Thank you. 



[Personal views of Mr. Hallgren may be found at end of hearing.] 



The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and I will be asking you 

 some questions. Thank you for your testimony, and I hope you have 

 set the agenda about the decision about the decisionmaking proc- 

 ess, and that is what this bill is about. I do appreciate your testi- 

 mony. 



The next witness I have is Mr. Perkins, Keith Perkins. 



STATEMENT OF KEITH PERKINS 



Mr. Perkins. Mr. Young, thank you for coming to Sitka to hear 

 Sitkans' input and concerns on your proposed legislation affecting 

 the Tongass National Forest. Too often we are left to read news- 

 papers to understand impacts of proposed Federal legislation on 

 our home. I submit my testimony as a lifetime Sitkan and an Alas- 

 kan Native. As I have grown up here, I have been fortunate enough 

 to gain enough respect among citizens of this community to serve 

 as one of the elected officials. However, today I submit this with 

 the perspective of a lifetime Sitkan. 



A part of your request for testimony is to the issue of how Forest 

 Service policy has affected my life. I would say it has greatly af- 

 fected this community. There is an untold story in this community 

 of the suffering that some Sitkans are going through right now. 

 With underemployment situations or not jobs at all, there are 

 Sitkans who are hurting. For anyone to state that Sitka is healthy 

 needs to visit some friends of mine and discuss the impact of the 

 mill closure with them. I go past the picture that people would 

 paint of APC being the intimidating big business. I would rather 

 look at the Sitkan who is my neighbor who is hurting. Their story 



