376 



Senator Wirth. Ms. George, your three minutes are up. Thank 

 you very much for reading your statement. The balance of your 

 statement will be in the record. 



If I might, maybe, Mr. Perkins, you and Ms. George might move 

 back for a second. Governor Cowper has joined us, and it might be 

 that we could put him at your place at the table. All of you might 

 slide over just a little bit. 



Governor Cowper is here, and we certainly welcome him and as 

 per our earlier agreement, we will put him on right away. 



[Applause.] 



Senator Wirth. It is great pleasure for me to welcome Governor 

 Cowper. Governor, we are honored to have you come down and join 

 us this morning. We appreciate your involvement and I want to 

 say as one member of the United States Senate so many of us in 

 the Senate respect and appreciate your very careful judgment and 

 your accuracy on behalf of your constituents, which is tireless and 

 very, very able. Thank you, sir, for coming here. I am sure all Alas- 

 kans appreciate the very hard work you do for them. 



STATEMENT OF HON. STEVE COWPER, GOVERNOR, STATE OF 



ALASKA 



Governor Cowper. I have prepared testimony which I would like 

 to submit to the committee at this time. 



Senator Wirth. That will be included in full in the record follow- 

 ing your oral testimony, which will be included first in today's 

 hearihg. ' 



Governor Cowper. Mr. Chairman, I would like to welcome you to 

 Alaska on behalf of Alaska and particularly the people of South- 

 east Alaska. We appreciate your thoughtfulness and your courtesy 

 in extending the hearing process to Southeast Alaska, which is so 

 vitally affected by this proposed legislation. 



Mr. Chairman, the Tongass is a national asset belonging to all 

 citizens of the United States. It is, at the same time, it is an area of 

 vital importance to the people of Southeast Alaska whose liveli- 

 hoods depend on the natural resources of the forest. To many, the 

 Tongass is home, and to communities large and small it provides 

 the basis for most economic activity in the region. During this 

 hearing, you will hear from those who depend on the Tongass 

 Forest, loggers and millworkers, commercial fishermen, tour opera- 

 tors, outfitters and guides, hardrock miners, and those who provide 

 services to the primary industries, as well as people who depend on 

 subsistence use of forest resources in pursuit of their traditional 

 way of life. These and other people of the Tongass value this forest 

 greatly, but they have differing priorities. 



It is not surprising, therefore, that the Tongass has had a long 

 history of conflict. Congress attempted to put that conflict to rest 

 in 1980 when it set aside 5.5 million acres of national interest land 

 as wilderness and simultaneously provided for job protection in the 

 dependent timber industry. 



It has become abundantly clear, however, that the divisiveness of 

 this issue has not gone away. The 1980 compromise has not ended 

 the calls for more wilderness, nor has it adequately provided stabil- 

 ity for the livelihoods and life styles of those who live and work in 



