Petersburg Pilot

Murkowski makes a

brief stop in Petersburg

July 8, 2010

Keith Chaplin

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski was in Petersburg on Monday, July 5 to discuss local issues with city officials and the public.

During her visit, she met with a group of about 25 residents at Sons of Norway hall to discuss various subjects, however the conversation consistently turned back to the Sealaska Lands Bill.

The Sealaska Lands Bill has made headlines in the last few months around Southeast as community after community held public hearings about the bill, which proposes allowing the native corporation to select lands for timber harvest.

A member of Murkowski’s staff was at each meeting, and Murkowski said the public comments made at each meeting have been heard.

On Monday, Murkowski said that there are some significant changes to the initial bill due to those public comments.

“We knew that going into other areas for selection would generate a level of controversy,” Murkowski said. “To try to find a level of balance within this (Sealaska lands bill) has been difficult at best.”

She said there have been several sets of maps and multiple drafts of the legislative wording since it was first introduced.

Murkowski said there has been a reduction in the amount of future sites transferred, as well as an attempt to refine the language in the bill to make it more specific.

“We really tried to listen to the comments from folks who’ve spoken out,” Murkowski said.

Murkowski said the aim of the bill needs to benefit all of Southeast, not just Sealaska and its shareholders.

“We need to try to do so in a way that enhances the Southeast economy,” Murkowski said.

Murkowski was asked about specific details in the bill several times during her question and answer session, and reiterated that the bill still needs work. She said that public comment and suggestions are still welcomed.

Eric Lee, one of those in attendance at the meeting, asked Murkowski if a sociologist had been hired to examine the bill. Lee pointed out that there is a racial divide associated with the bill

“It seems to be drafted by Sealaska,” Lee said. “The potential for strife is so big with this bill. It’s been controversial since the day it was introduced, and it’s still in committee.”

Lee said there is possibility of escalated controversy.

“All the testimony in communities have been right down racial lines, and it just doesn’t bode well,” Lee said. “I could just see the trend of controversy would just escalate once it was incorporated.”

Murkowski said that to her knowledge there had not been that type of review.

Following the Sons of Norway meeting, Murkowski met briefly with city department heads and discussed the FERC permit for Ruth Lake that was awarded to Angoon.

Murkowski said the selection process that awarded Angoon the permit was very strange. She said she would keep her eye on the situation.

She said that she believes that Southeast Alaska needs to connect all the towns and cities to hydroelectric electricity before even looking into exporting the energy to Canada or the lower 48.

“It is kind of exciting to think that we could actually be an exporter of something,” Murkowski said. “We don’t want to be sending everything south until we make sure that we have taken care of our own.”

Mayor Al Dwyer asked Murkowski about receiving assistance from the Army Corp of Engineers to dredge the North Harbor.

Murkowski said that it would be naive to assume that Army Corp of Engineers equipment and labor would not be delayed due to the work needed to assist in the Gulf oil spill.