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STATEMENT OF BOB ELLIOT 



Mr. Elliot. My name is Bob Elliot and I thank you for the oppor- 

 tunity to voice my opinion. 



My wife and I own and operate Coastal Machinery in southeast 

 Alaska. We have facilities in both Ketchikan and Juneau and pro- 

 vide sales and service of equipment for the logging industry 

 throughout southeast. We have been in business for ten years and 

 currently have 26 employees. 



I know I speak for all of them and their families when I urge the 

 Congress of the United States not to renege on the last compromise 

 concerning the Tongass National Forest. 



We have made commitments in southeast Alaska, largely due to 

 the conditions already set forth in 1980. From an economical stand- 

 point that commitment includes borrowing money long term, simi- 

 lar to the investments made by the two pulp mills based on those 

 long term contracts. 



Legislation to reduce the amount of timber available and cancel 

 the current long term contracts would have a devastating effect on 

 not only all of our employees and their families but thousands of 

 others that choose southeast Alaska as their home. 



While the Government may have the ability to take our tax dol- 

 lars and buy back the contracts with the pulp mills, they do not 

 have the ability to absolve themselves of the moral responsibility to 

 the people for the resultant loss of jobs and business from such 

 action. I caution you, the ripple effect would not stop there. 



In light of this country's current trade deficit, it would seem a 

 more prudent approach might be the wise development of our nat- 

 ural resources, especially our renewable resources such as the Ton- 

 gass, rather than compounding the problem by locking up more 

 land for wilderness. 



Thank you. 



Senator Wirth. Thank you all very much, we appreciate your 

 being here and giving us the benefit of your views. 



We might move to the next six, to the table please. Mr. Eric 

 Hummel, Mr. Paul Dirksen, Mr. John Clifton, Laurin Boyer and 

 Virgil Gile and Tarn Murphy, move to the chairs please, Mr. 

 Thomas O'Dowd, Corrine Radergraham, Nellie Howatt, Stan 

 Swartz, Bill Rotecki and Mr. Bolshakoff. 



We can start with Eric Hummel. 



STATEMENT OF ERIC HUMMEL 



Mr. Hummel. My name is Eric Hummel and I live on Gravina 

 Island; I am a ten-year resident. 



Thank you for the opportunity to testify in favor of the Tongass 

 Timber Reform Act. 



There are 70,000 people who live and work and play in Southeast 

 Alaska. The logging industry employs several thousand of these 

 but in the public comments of these hearings they have tried to 

 make you believe that they speak for the remaining 65,000 of us. 

 Sorry, there are plenty of Alaskans who support the Tongass 

 Timber Reform Act. 



The Tongass National Forest is used in some way by each of its 

 residents and people come from all over the world to marvel at its 



