I think it takes someone with firm professional experience to oversee operations on a day-to-day basis up there.

I am sure the witnesses all know Alaska has half the coastline of the United States.

I will refuse to bring this bill up until I get an understanding with the Corps that they are going to comply with the law with regard to these projects.

I am very serious. I do not know anything else a Senator can do but finally use his ultimate right to delay a bill until we get an understanding that that is--that those projects are going to be built.

Senator Reid and I, with great help from Senator Stevens, last week led the fight here in the Senate to add significant sums to the fiscal year 2003 supplemental to cover projected heightened security costs that the Department did not…

That is the largest fishing port in the United States, and has been consistently now.

I hope that will be followed, that the Corps will follow the direction of Congress, which the President agreed to when he signed that bill.

And I think we have to look at the concept of trying to say, yes, look at the NEPA procedures, but it must be within the Magnuson Act timeframes.

Well, I'll be happy to forego any questioning.

I do not believe we should bifurcate the powers of the councils, and I think it would render the councils meaningless if that would happen.

To bring the authority back to Washington to try to determine what is right means that we would nationalize the fisheries again.