46 



Now again, I want to stress it is Washington, D.C. that is the 

 problem. It is not our Forest Service, nor is it you. It is someone 

 back in Washington, D.C. Even after all the input and all the pub- 

 lic comment which has been extended for a period of time, that 

 comment will not be listened to. It will be made by people within 

 the agencies back in Washington, D.C, under Mr. Gore. 



Frankly, I do not believe those policies work in Alaska. Today I 

 do want to hear your views and ideas. There will be some dif- 

 ferences of opinion and this is what the hearing process is all 

 about. For those who may disagree with my legislation, understand 

 one thing. This is a sincere effort to bring up a discussion about 

 who should manage land. Should it be the Federal Government, 

 should it be the State? Should it be the local community? Who 

 should have Federal land? In fact, who should own Federal land? 



Will the State ownership help you keep the lifestyle you love? 

 Will State ownership mean better management? There will be 

 those that agree and those that disagree. Will State ownership 

 mean more intelligent decisions for people who live in Thome Bay, 

 not someone who lives down on Pennsylvania Avenue? 



These are some of the questions that I hope today's hearing will 

 address. I do need to know your advice because it is your quality 

 of life that is most threatened by the current Federal decisions 

 being made back east. Some may agree that those decisions are 

 correct for their quality of life. I know some will not agree. 



My goal is to bring forth the discussion about who should own, 

 who should manage, and who should be making decisions on the 

 so-called land of the people: Those that live close by in the proxim- 

 ity, or those that live far away. 



I have read some of the testimony that said: Why do you not 

 drop this bill? It has not got a chance. I would suggest that any- 

 body that suggests that, they do not know me. It is not a new idea. 

 It is not something I just came up with recently. 



Under the Constitution, nowhere does it say the government 

 should own land. What has happened in the past 35, 40 years, has 

 been acquisition of land. 650 million acres are owned by the United 

 States Government. Very little of it is revenue generating. Most of 

 it inhibits those people that live upon it or near it. 



We have a thing called payments in lieu of taxes, which is being 

 cut through the United States Congress today. We have, also, 

 stumpage fees, which if there are no trees cut, there are no stump- 

 age fees. No stumpage fees, no in lieu of taxes, no brand-new high 

 school, no new students, no new future, just the status quo. I do 

 not believe inthe status quo. Very frankly, this is a bill of options. 

 It is a bill for discussion. 



On the personal side about Thome Bay, I had the distinct pleas- 

 ure of being weathered in here in 1973, February. I spent one of 

 the best days and evenings of my life with people who are no 

 longer with us. This town was totally a lumber town but optimistic, 

 exciting, people that looked to the future and raised their children. 

 I have never forgotten that. That is one reason when we made the 

 decision to have a series of hearings we decided to come to those 

 areas which are directly affected by the decisions that are made 

 back in D.C. 



