14 



ironic, though, that every time I asked the Chief that, he had the 

 same comment that some of the folks back in D.C. have, "No com- 

 ment." 



Now, it seems to me that when it comes to issues pertaining to 

 Alaska and its people, our congressional delegation has gone above 

 and beyond the call of duty in trying to get the rest of our great 

 nation to realize the vast resources and what this House bill can 

 mean for us and what we are told this forest can do for us. We are 

 at a stage now where the old growth is not letting new growth in. 

 There are plenty of trees to be cut. I am not for clearcutting. I am 

 for good forest management, and it can be done if it is put into the 

 right hands. 



And the things this town was founded on was timber and fishing. 

 It is sad for me to see that multi-million-dollar operation out there 

 just sit quiet. A lot of people do not miss the smoke and pollution. 

 I lied. There went the yellow light. 



For me, it is imperative that we develop some type of wood-prod- 

 ucts industry in Sitka. We are never going to have a mill along the 

 scale we used to have, but we need to have some type of wood-prod- 

 ucts industry. 



Some cruise lines have already begun to cancel their Sitka stops 

 in a couple of years, if not next year. Each year enough fishing gets 

 cut back that it almost does not pay to buy gas for your boat any- 

 more. We need to develop a dependable year-round, wood-products 

 industry to sustain the local economy. When the pulp mill closed 

 its doors in September 1993, $18 million was taken away from the 

 local economy. That is a chunk of change when you think about it, 

 and it affected all of us. A lot of people do not think it affected 

 them. Take a look at it real close. Electrical rates have gone up, 

 taxes have gone up. As I said, my business has lost quite a bit of 

 money. 



Yes, you all hear from the conservationists — the greenies and the 

 like — that Sitka is so much nicer when there is no more pollution 

 in the air, but you never heard those people complain when the 

 mill employees were in their stores spending their hard-earned 

 money on their wares, not once. 



You know, you have to ask yourself where is this all leading. Are 

 we telling our children, the future leaders of Sitka and Alaska, that 

 they will have to fend for themselves, or are we going to knuckle 

 down and stand up for what we believe in? I think it is time for 

 all Alaskans to stand up for what they believe in. 



Alaska is a true marvel of God's creation: Vast oil and mineral 

 deposits, the best fishing in the entire world, breath-taking sce- 

 nery, spruce, hemlock, cedar, cottonwood, birch trees that can be 

 cut and replenished for the future. Alaska is my home, and it is 

 yours, too. It is time that we take control of our destiny and make 

 a continuous resource for centuries to come. 



I thank you for your time and all of your efforts in making Alas- 

 ka the great land that it truly is. 



The Chairman. Thank you, John. You bring out some points I 

 think are going to become more evident down the road, and my big- 

 gest concern, as I said before, is Alaskans, under my bill, could 

 make the decisions, and if they make the decision that they want 

 to make a park out of it, that is their decision, and even this gen- 



