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FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE COMMUNITY AND PERHAPS A NEW SOURCE OF 

 FRESH DRINKING WATER. 



WHAT WE ARE ASKING IS THAT WHEN YOU DRAFT THIS BILL, 

 YOU MAKE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR THAT THERE WILL BE NO NEW 

 INHIBITIONS ON MINERAL EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE 

 TONGASS. IT'S THAT SIMPLE. WE UNDERSTAND THE DEBATES 

 CONCERNING THE IMPACTS OF LOGGING IN THE TONGASS, AND WHILE 

 WE SYMPATHIZE WITH OUR BROTHERS IN THE TIMBER INDUSTRY WE 

 CAN OFFER NO SUGGESTIONS TO YOU AS TO HOW TO SOLVE THAT 

 PROBLEM OTHER THAN TO SAY THAT THEIR CONCERNS ARE REAL. WE 

 NEED A STRONG TIMBER INDUSTRY IN THIS REGION JUST AS WE NEED 

 A STRONG MINING INDUSTRY, SO PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT WE 

 SUPPORT THEIR OBJECTIVES; HOWEVER, DO NOT SACRIFICE THE 

 MINING INDUSTRY IN ORDER TO RESOLVE THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN 

 THE ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND THE LOGGERS. 



ATTACHED TO THIS TESTIMONY IS A DOCUMENT ENTITLED 

 "CONFERENCE JUNEAU, ABSTRACTS OF PROFESSIONAL PAPERS". THESE 

 TWENTY-FOUR PAPERS WERE PRESENTED AT A MINING CONFERENCE 

 HELD IN JUNEAU APRIL 20 AND 21 OF THIS YEAR. IF YOU TAKE 

 THE TIME TO REVIEW THIS DOCUMENT, YOU MAY GET A SENSE OF 

 WHAT THE PROFESSIONALS THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE 

 TONGASS. IF LEFT TO THEIR OWN DEVICES, THERE WOULD BE 

 MINERAL DEVELOPMENT FROM ONE END OF THE FOREST TO THE OTHER, 

 NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE IN TO TEARING UP THE RAIN FOREST, BUT 

 BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THE RARE SCENIC VIEWS AND OTHER THE 



