127 



UNIQUE VALUES OF A TEMPERATE ZONE RAIN FOREST ARE NOT THE 

 ONLY RARE AND UNIQUE QUALITIES OF THE TONGASS. THERE ARE 

 RARE MINERAL OPPORTUNITIES HERE AS WELL. 



ONE FINAL POINT SHOULD BE MADE. ALASKA TODAY DEPENDS 

 UPON ITS OIL INDUSTRY TO PERPETUATE ITS ECONOMY. EVERY 

 SINGLE ANALYST AGREES ON ONE POINT IN THIS REGARD, HOWEVER, 

 AND THAT IS THAT THE PRODUCTION FROM PRUDHOE IS ON THE 

 DECLINE, AND IN THE ABSENCE OF A MAJOR NEW FIND, THE STATE 

 OF ALASKA IS GOING TO BE IN A WORLD OF HURT ECONOMICALLY 

 WITHIN THE DECADE. ALREADY OUR LEGISLATURE AND STATE 

 ADMINISTRATION IS RUNNING IN CIRCLES TRYING TO FIGURE OUT 

 HOW IT IS GOING TO PAY FOR THE 21,000 STATE EMPLOYEES NOW ON 

 THE PAYROLL. IT CANNOT DO THAT FOREVER ON THE STRENGTH OF 

 ONE INDUSTRY. IF WE DO NOT HAVE STRONG ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIC 

 BASES UPON WHICH TO RELY IN THE FUTURE, SUCH AS MINING AND 

 LOGGING, ALASKA IS GOING TO BE SENTENCED TO DESTITUTION AND 

 ONCE MORE A WARD OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. WE FOUGHT HARD 

 THIRTY YEARS AGO FOR OUR RIGHT TO EQUAL FOOTING WITH THE 

 OTHER STATES, AND WON. THE PROPONENTS OF THIS LEGISLATION, 

 IN OUR JUDGMENT ARE NOT ADVANCING ALASKA'S INTERESTS, NOR 

 THAT OF THE UNITED STATES AS A WHOLE, BY LOOKING AT OUR 

 TONGASS FOREST ONCE MORE. WE UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERNS, WE 

 ARE SYMPATHETIC TO PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE RAIN FOREST 

 IN A RATIONAL WAY, BUT DEPRIVING US OF THE RIGHT TO DEVELOP 

 OUR RESOURCES IS A BAD IDEA. WE URGE YOU TO ADOPT A 

 RATIONAL APPROACH. 



THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THESE VIEWS, 

 IF I MAY ANSWER ANY QUESTION FOR YOU I WOULD BE PLEASED TO 

 DO SO. 



