71 



FINAL 



STATEMENT OF 



JAMES R. LYONS, UNDER SECRETARY 



NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Before the 



Committee on Resources 



and the 



Subcommittee on Resource Conservation, Research and Forestry 



Committee on Agriculture 



United States House of Representatives 



Concerning H.R. 3659, the Ketchikan Pulp Company 

 Timber Contract Extension Act 



July 11, 1996 



MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE: 



Thank you for the opportunity to present the Administration's views 

 on H.R. 3659, the Ketchikan Pulp Company Timber Contract Extension 

 Act. I am accompanied today by: Phil Janik, Regional Forester of 

 the Alaska Region; Jim Perry, Associate General Counsel of the 

 Department of Agriculture; Brad Powell, Forest Supervisor of the 

 Ketchikan Area of the Tongass National Forest; and Fred Walk, 

 Alaska Region Timber Management Director and contracting officer 

 for the Ketchikan Pulp Company contract. 



The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 3659. The bill would 

 amend the Tongass Timber Reform Act to unilaterally modify the 

 provisions of the long-term timber sale contract with Ketchikan 

 Pulp Company (KPC) and extend it for 15 years until 2019. In so 



