31 



This bill is bad for Southeast Alaska and it is bad for Sitka. 

 There is no economic disaster in Sitka. Sitka, though, is Alaska's 

 largest subsistence community, and this bill would be devastating 

 to this part of our economy that a significant majority of families 

 engage in, and is at the foundation of our community's culture and 

 way of life. 



88 percent of Sitka's high-volume forest has already been logged. 

 Your timber program is now poised to do further serious damage. 

 The situation is the same in communities throughout Southeast. 



Please withdraw this bill and please stop supporting the timber 

 industry's agenda of short-term plunder. And, as has already been 

 mentioned, of how well Sitka's economy is doing in many respects. 

 I have got some handouts here to put in for the record and some 

 for the press, as well, graphing unemployment, comparing Sitka 

 and Ketchikan. I think the differences are very dramatic, and our 

 situation is better than theirs. You have heard about the housing 

 starts. Our sales tax revenues have been up. Every indicator that 

 I have seen looks really good to me, and I have also got, for the 

 record, from last Wednesday and last Friday, "Sitka Sentinel," a 

 page from the want ads, the help wanted ads. These are the two 

 days when we have the most want ads in the paper, help wanted 

 as well as other kinds. Winter, summer, there are generally quite 

 a few jobs available, ranging all the way from cab drivers to doc- 

 tors, the full spectrum. Anyone that wants a job in this town can 

 have one. 



Thank you. 



The Chairman. Thank you. 



Mr. Edwards. In addition, for the record, Mr. Young, I have a 

 transcript of our exchange on Alaska Coast-to-Coast on Valentine's 

 Day and, also, a copy of the Congressional Record where you were 

 speaking about the "15 million acres of rain forest" and "15 million 

 acres of great old trees," and I do not know if you have or not, but 

 you had said on the Alaska Coast-to-Coast show that you would go 

 back and check the record, because I think your words were, "Well, 

 you have got your record, and I have got my record," but this is 

 the record, and I am introducing this into the record of this hear- 

 ing. 



[Due to size, the submissions were placed in Committee files. ] 



The Chairman. I love hostility. I thrive on it, by the way. 



I believe you are next, Larry. 



STATEMENT OF LARRY TRANI, FRIENDS OF SOUTHEAST'S 



FUTURE 



Mr. Trani. Yes. Thank you. Representative Young. 



My name is Larry Trani, and I have lived in Sitka since 1969. 

 Originally, I came to Sitka as an educator and retired after 22 

 years in the primary grades. Now I commercial fish, commercial 

 dive, work in the home construction trades, and currently run 

 Outercoast Guest House and family charters for my supplemental 

 income. One of my current charges is being the chair of the Friends 

 of Southeast's Future, a grassroots group of Sitkans that are op- 

 posed to the clearcutting of the Tongass within the Sitka local use 

 area. I am speaking to you in this multiple capacity regarding H.R. 

 2413. 



