The Sealaska Native Corporation scored a major victory in Congress Wednesday. A bill to convey 80,000 acres of land in the Tongass National Forest to the corporation cleared the House Natural Resources Committee.
“This is the furthest we have gone in terms of the legislative process,” said Jaeleen Araujo, Vice President and General Counsel for Sealaska. “This is our third Congress for this bill to be considered, so we’re pretty happy to get this far.”
But conservation groups aren’t happy.
“The Sealaska bill will really be a giant step back in terms of economic stability and jobs,” said Austin Williams, the Alaska Forest Program Manager for The Wilderness Society. Williams says the U.S. Forest Service has been doing a good job of diversifying the regional economy.
“It’s promoting salmon and recreation in the region, and what this would do is take the most important and valuable lands out of the Forest Service and make them no longer available for those jobs,” said Williams.
Sealaska is owed the land under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which was passed almost 40 years ago.
Senator Lisa Murkowski has championed the land conveyance, because she says it’s key to the survival of the timber industry in Southeast Alaska. She has a companion bill in the Senate.
The Alaska Wilderness League also objects to the legislation, because it says Sealaska has a history of clear cutting in the forest.
Cindy Shogan, director of the Alaska Wilderness League, said in a statement, “This bill continues to be a thorn in the side of the small communities of Southeast Alaska, small businessmen and of conservationists.”
Sealaska says it will manage the land with a balanced approach.
“This is more than about timber,” said Araujo. “This legislation provides opportunity for the region to have sustainable economic development in timber, in eco-tourism, cultural tourism, or energy development.”
Araujo says Sealaska also wants to use the land for cultural purposes.
Conservation groups argue that Sealaska should stick to its original land entitlements awarded under ANCSA. If the bill becomes law, it would allow Sealaska to trade those lands with other acreage in the Tongass.
The House Natural Resources Committee’s endorsement of the measure allows it to move to the House floor for a vote. Araujo says she’s encouraged by the wide margin of the votes cast, 34-10.
“That really positions us for potential success in Congress,” says Araujo.
The House committee also passed another bill opposed by conservation groups today, known as the “National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Access Act.” It would allow roads and pipelines to crisscross the NPRA, as well as annual lease sales.
