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DISTINGUISHED SENATORS AND MEMBERS OF THE SENATE 

 SUBCOMMITTEE; MY NAME IS ROBERT DURETTE , I AM OWNER AND 

 PRESIDENT OF MY OWN BUSINESS, DURETTE CONSTRUCTION CO . OUR 

 COMPANY BUILDS TIMBER ACCESS ROADS ON THE TONGASS NATIONAL 

 FOREST HERE IN S.E. ALASKA. 



MY FAMILY AND I CAME TO ALASKA SE>v^ERAL YEARS AGO, WHEN I 

 ACCEPTED EMPLOYMENT WITH A LOGGING OPERATION LOCATED ON A 

 REMOTE ISLAND BETWEEN JUNEAU AND SITKA. WE LIVED IN THAT 

 LOGGING COMMUNITY FOR SEVEN YEARS, RAISING OUR TWO YOUNG 

 SONS , WHILE ESTABLISHING A TRUE APPRECIATION FOR OUR NEW 

 FOUND LIFESTYLE. IN 1983 WE WERE FORCED TO LEAVE OUR HOME 

 BECAUSE OF AN ENVIROMENTAL LAWSUIT THAT WAS PLACED ON THE 

 BUILDING OF TIMBER ACCESS ROADS AT THE KADASHAN DRAINAGE ON 

 CHICHAGOF ISLAND. I REMEMBER TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO MY FAMILY 

 WHY WE WERE LEAVING OUR HOME AND JOB, IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE 

 TO ME, SO HOW IN THE WORLD COULD I EXPLAIN IT TO THEM? I 

 LOOK AROUND THIS ROOM TODAY AND SEE MANY FAMILY'S, SOME OF 

 MY OWN EMPLOYEES, AND KNOW THAT THEY TOO ARE WONDERING WHY 

 THEY ARE HERE DEFENDING THEIR JOBS, WHEN THEY WANT TO BE AT 

 WORK MAKING A LIVING TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES. 



THROUGH HARD WORK, MAKING GOOD INVESTMENTS AND BEING 

 ABLE TO SAVE SOME MONEY ALONG THE WAY, WE WERE ABLE TO 

 ESTABLISH OUR OWN BUSINESS IN 1986. MY FAMILY LIVED IN 

 JUNEAU, AND BECAUSE THERE WAS LITTLE LOGGING ACTIVITY IN THE 

 AREA I WAS FORCED TO START UP OPERATIONS ON PRINCE OF WALES 

 ISLAND. WE HAD JUST COME OUT OF ONE OF THE WORST DEPRESSED 

 TIMBER MARKETS OUR INDUSTRY HAS KNOWN, AND THINGS WERE 

 FINALLY ON THE UPHILL SWING. 



BELIEVE ME, IT ISN'T EASY TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS UP 

 HERE, YOU MUST HAVE A SUBSTANCIAL AMOUNT OF WORKING 

 CAPITOL, A CONTRACT, A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION THAT WILL BACK 

 YOUR EQUIPMENT NEEDS, AND VENDORS AND SUPPLIERS THAT WILL 

 ESTABLISH A LINE OF CREDIT FOR YOU. FOR MY COMPANY, ALL OF 

 THESE THINGS DEPENDED ON ONLY ONE THING; A CONTRACT. BEING 

 A SMALL INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR I LEARNED ONE THING RIGHT 

 AWAY. WITHOUT A CONTRACT I WAS A POOR RISK TO MY CREDITORS, 

 BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT ESTABLISH WHAT MY LONG TERM SITUATION 

 WOULD BE. AS WE ALL KNOW, IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BORROW 

 MONEY FROM ANY SOURCE, UNLESS YOUR CREDITOR CAN BE ASSURED 

 THAT YOU HAVE PROJECTED INCOME OR A JOB TO REPAY THE LOAN. 

 MY CREDITORS WERE SATISIFIED ONLY BECAUSE I WAS HOLDING A 

 CONTRACT WITH KETCHIKAN PULP COMPANY, A FIRM WHO IN RETURN 

 WAS HOLDING A CONTRACT WITH THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. 

 WHAT COULD BE BETTER COLLATERAL! I TOO WAS ABLE TO INVEST 

 IN THE NECESSARY FACILITY AND OVERHEAD EXPENSES AT OUR 

 OPERATIONS LOCATION IN THORNE BAY. MORE IMPORTANTLY, I FELT 

 THAT I COULD ASK AND EXPECT MY EMPLOYEES TO SUFFER THE 

 EXPENSE OF RELOCATING THEIR FAMILIES, TO A REMOTE PLACE AT 



