Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Wainwright Short Range radar site is an old Distant Early Warning station, commonly referred to as the Wainwright DEW Line site. Historically, the U.S. Air Force maintained a radar site on the property, but it is no longer operational. The Air Force is in the final stages of cleaning up the property, which is expected to be finished this summer, and the Olgoonik Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation, is collaborating on the effort. When it finishes the cleanup, the Air Force is set to relinquish its right to the property, which is owned by the Department of the Interior and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The Native corporation has been working with the Bureau to acquire the site which sits in the middle of land already owned by the Native corporation. However, language in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Act of 1976 prevents the Bureau from conveying this land. H.R. 5167 directs the Secretary of the Interior to sell the site at fair market value to the Native corporation. This will allow the Alaska Natives to incorporate the land into their existing land use management plan and policies, thus turning a potential abandoned and unused parcel into a useful property. I urge my colleagues to support this bill as reported unanimously from the Natural Resources Committee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”