75 



statutory direction has also changed since Ketchikan Pulp Company's 

 contract was signed in 1951: the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act, 

 the National Forest Management Act, the National Environmental 

 Policy Act, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, 

 the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and the Endangered Species 

 Act, as well as specific legislative direction in the Tongass 

 Timber Reform Act (TTRA) have been enacted. These laws have 

 affected the way that we manage the Tongass and require the 

 protection of certain resources and the sustainability of other 

 resources and multiple uses of the forest. 



In addition, Mr. Chairman, public concern about natural resources 

 has grown since KPC's contract was signed in 1951. More people in 

 Alaska and around the nation are concerned about the sustainability 

 of resources of the Tongass National Forest. They expect timber, 

 recreation, fish and wildlife, as well as the other commodity and 

 non-commodity resources to flow from the Tongass National Forest. 



Changes in the economy, in the law, and in public expectations make 

 it increasingly difficult to reach consensus on how to manage the 

 Tongass and find the balance between commodity and non-commodity 

 uses. Committing resources through a legislated extension of the 

 KPC contract as provided in H.R. 3659 would further limit 

 management options on the Tongass and undermine our ability to 

 balance these competing interests. 



Through the revision of the land management plan, the Forest 



