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PART OF THE COMMUNITY ALREADY, AND THEIR PAYCHECKS HAVE HAD 

 A PROFOUND EFFECT ON THE LOCAL ECONOMY - ALMOST A MILLION 

 DOLLARS A MONTH. THIS COMPARES TO A CONTRIBUTION OF THE 

 JUNEAU ECONOMY OF $13 MILLION PER MONTH BY THE STATE 

 GOVERNMENT. BEAR IN MIND THAT MINING IS VIRTUALLY A NEW 

 INDUSTRY, WHILE STATE GOVERNMENT IS A MATURE INDUSTRY AND 

 POSSIBLY IN DECLINE. WHEN THE KNOWN MINES REACH THEIR 

 STRIDE IN JUNEAU, THEY WILL CREATE NEARLY 900 DIRECT JOBS 

 AND A SIMILAR NUMBER IF SECONDARY JOBS. THESE WILL BE 

 STEADY, FULL TIME POSITIONS WHICH ARE LIKELY TO BE AVAILABLE 

 FOR GENERATIONS. 



WITH THIS PREAMBLE, LET ME SPEAK TO THE PROPOSED 

 LEGISLATION. IN THE VIEW OF THE MINING INDUSTRY IN 

 SOUTHEAST ALASKA, THIS LEGISLATION IS GROSSLY DEFICIENT 

 INSOFAR AS IT IGNORES EXISTING MINING ACTIVITY AND MORE 

 IMPORTANTLY ITS POTENTIAL. FIRST, THE SURFACE MANAGEMENT 

 PRESCRIPTIONS ALMOST UNDOUBTEDLY WILL MAKE MINING AND 

 MINERAL DEVELOPMENT MORE DIFFICULT. SECOND, IF AREAS ARE 

 RESTRICTED OR CLOSED TO MINERAL ENTRY THEN THE DEPOSITS 

 WHICH SUCH AREAS MAY CONTAIN WILL BE LOST FOREVER. THIRD, 

 SUCH AN EXERCISE WILL BE CONTRARY TO THE NATIONAL MINERAL 

 POLICY. WHILE THE MINING LAW OF 1872 CONSTITUTES IMPORTANT 

 PROTECTION TO THE FUTURE OF MINING AS ONE OF AMERICA'S FEW 

 REMAINING DOMESTIC BASIC INDUSTRIES, AND WHILE THAT 

 VENERABLE AND DURABLE LAW WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE 

 TO MINE IN THE AREAS UNTOUCHED BY THIS BILL, THE 



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