It is not my intent to stop timber harvest on the Tongass Nation- 

 al Forest, or to close the mills in Ketchikan and Sitka, nor do I 

 think that will happen. I do not see why those mills should not or 

 cannot operate under the same sort of rules the mills in every 

 other state operate under. Will it be as easy for the mills as it is 

 now? Probably not. Maybe they will have more things to worry 

 about, including competition. 



I look forward to the testimony of the witnesses and I welcome 

 their input. We will bring back what you say to the other members 

 of the committee and Congress and I am sure the committee and 

 the Congress will have a lively debate on these issues and I am 

 looking forward to working with the committee members and with 

 the Alaska delegation and with other interested members on this 

 issue. 



Again let me thank Senator Murkowski for his generous hosting 

 of this hearing and I see Mrs. Murkowski in the front row and we 

 are delighted to have her here. 



Thank you very much. Frank. 



STATEMENT OF THE HON. FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, U.S. SENATOR 



FROM ALASKA 



Senator Murkowski. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and 

 good morning. 



It is a good and an early morning. As most of you know Nancy 

 and I were raised here and graduated from Kay High. I guess 

 that it is fair of the Chairman to say for us that the sun always 

 shines in Ketchikan. It is really nice to be home. 



Today's hearing really marks the fulfillment of a promise that I 

 made some time ago, that no action would be taken on Tongass leg- 

 islation until hearings were held in the communities most affected. 

 Unfortunately the committee was unable to include Wrangell in 

 the Hearing Schedule as I had requested. Senator Wirth and Sena- 

 tor Burns and Beth Norcross, who joins us here, and members of 

 the professional committee staff are here as well, the Public Lands 

 Subcommittee, I welcome you to Alaska and I welcome you to Alas- 

 ka's First City, Ketchikan. 



Now both Ted Stevens and Don Young regret very much that 

 they are not able to be here; the Valdez oil spill disaster has spread 

 our congressional delegation a little thin and Don and Ted are now 

 touring Cordova and Valdez, Seward, Homer and Kodiak. 



Legislation affecting the future of the Tongass National Forest is 

 of course a subject vital to the people of Alaska and in particular 

 those living here in southeastern Alaska. It is essential that Alas- 

 kans be heard before any legislative changes are made affecting 

 the management of the Tongass. 



Chairman Wirth is Acting Subcommittee Chairman and I want 

 to thank you and Senator Bennett Johnston, the Chairman of the 

 full Committee on Energy and Natural Resources as well as Sena- 

 tor Dale Bumpers, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Public Lands, 

 for holding these hearings. 



I also appreciate the courtesy which has been extended to me as 

 a non-member of the Public Lands Subcommittee. The Committee 

 has before it as Senator Wirth indicated, two bills which would 



