165 

 Senator Wirth. Ms. Shaub. It is nice to have you with us. 



STATEMENT OF THYES SHAUB, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS 

 DIRECTOR, ALASKA LOGGERS ASSOCIATION 



Ms. Shaub. I am Government Affairs Director for the Alaska 

 Loggers Association. ALA is especially pleased to have hearings 

 held in Alaska so you can hear members of our association and em- 

 ployees testify. 



Our Association has submitted prior testimony regarding the 

 facts and policies involved in Tongass legislation. However, the 

 untold story is of the people who have established a lifestyle de- 

 pendent upon a stable and continuing supply of raw material for 

 the timber industry. Please, mark well what these people have to 

 say, they are people who represent a work ethic, a lifestyle that 

 represents the best of Alaska's traditions. Most of them will consid- 

 er testifying before you one of the most difficult experiences of 

 their lives but it is also a measure of their concern. 



They are decent, hard-working people who take others at their 

 word. In 1980, with the passage of the ANILCA legislation they 

 were told that the land allocations on the Tongass were settled 

 once and for all; 5.5 million acres were put into wilderness leaving 

 the remaining land base insufficient to support the job level. In ex- 

 change for the wilderness these people were assured that their jobs 

 would be protected. Section 705 allowed a harvest level of up to 4.5 

 billion board feet per decade or less than one-third of the commer- 

 cial timber in the Tongass National Forest. 



Following this legislation and relying on the word of Congress 

 these people have invested in over 23 logging communities and log- 

 ging operations to supply four large sawmills and two pulp mills 

 and many small sawmills. All of these logging communities are es- 

 tablished in remote sites and many are complete with families and 

 schools. These communities are site specific to a particular timber 

 sale and make up an integrated system of supply to the dependent 

 pulp and sawmills. Any substantial change in where or how much 

 harvesting will take place, for example, cancellation of the long- 

 term sales, will cause a wholesale loss of jobs throughout these 

 communities that will result in unprecedented dislocations and 

 hardships. 



If S. 346 becomes law our members and their employees will feel 

 betrayed by a Congress that breaks its word and their contracts. 

 We support passage of S. 237 introduced by our Alaska delegation 

 that allows us to retain our industry, our jobs and our unique life- 

 style. 



Our full position is set forth in the attached policy paper which 

 everyone connected with our industry in southeast Alaska has 

 agreed to. This includes big and small operators and those who op- 

 erate on public and private land. It calls for maintaining jobs and 

 protecting other resources, such as fisheries and wildlife habitats, 

 and we urge you to review it carefully. 



Thank you. 



[The prepared statement of Ms. Shaub follows:] 



