Lisa Murkowski

It was unfair to Southeast natives who lived in a region the size of the State of Indiana, to have had their lands taken away from them.

Without passage of this bill, Sealaska will likely be forced out of the timber business.

This bill is clearly beneficial.

This bill allows Sealaska to select other lands to complete its entitlement.

Forty years is a long time to be waiting for these land issues to be resolved.

I continue to strongly support this bill.

This is bad public policy and a rotten deal for salmon fisheries.

Well, I'm glad to think that you're thinking pretty holistically about how you're going to have to approach it.

But I have been less optimistic, less encouraged--and certainly now, since this decision on the Roadless has come out, I feel pretty discouraged.

But, unfortunately, we're seeing--many of those who have been willing to collaborate and sit around the table at the Tongass Futures Roundtable, they're peeling off of that.

But, in fact, with the proposals and what has been advanced by the USFS and the others, if somebody decides to sue on this, there is nothing that provides protection from further suits.

We felt by going with this list, this gave us the best chance to be able to reach an agreement.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

It's important for me, and I think, the public, to know that you're spending each year on the timber program--we need to know what that amount is.

Well, the one thing that would preclude them is if it's not possible to gain access to them.

I was visited by the mayor and some of the community leaders of the community of Wrangell in southeastern Alaska.

The trust for the USFS is, perhaps, in short supply with some of the colleagues--certainly some of my constituents, the general public there.

We know that it's going to be expensive to replace them, but we also know that we have to have them.

So the glass is getting emptier.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to follow up with the Chairman's questions about the Secure Rural Schools program.

What this court decision means for the timber industry is really very, very troubling for us.

I certainly understand the importance of Secure Rural Schools program and support it, but I'm also concerned that, with this restructuring, it's essentially going to compete against other important programs.

I'd hate to trade our reliance on foreign oil for our reliance on foreign minerals.

There are electric garbage trucks that are silent.

Should we consider allowing natural gas and other alternative fuels to at least qualify?