John Hansen: “Mr. Speaker, this is a bill to ratify an agreement between the Aleut Corporation and the United States of America to…”

“Mr. Speaker, this is a bill to ratify an agreement between the Aleut Corporation and the United States of America to exchange land rights received under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act for certain land interests on Adak Island, and for other purposes. S. 1325 is sponsored by Senator Murkowski of Alaska. The bill ratifies a land exchange agreement between the Aleut Corporation and the United States of America. The Aleut Corporation is an Alaska Native regional corporation. The purpose of this land exchange is to ensure the economic reuse of a major Cold War base that has closed, and to add pristine lands to the National Wildlife Refuge System. Under the bill, the Federal Government will transfer to the Aleut Corporation about 47,000 acres of Federal lands comprising the former Adak Naval Complex, which closed in 1997 under the Base Realignment and Closure Procedure. In return for this asset, the corporation will relinquish its entitlement to about 47,000 acres of high quality wildlife habitat within the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. These lands will be made a part of the Refuge System. The Department of Interior, the Navy, the State of Alaska and the Aleut Corporation deserve ours thanks for hammering out a major land exchange that is, in my opinion, totally noncontroversial. It benefits the American public, a Native corporation, and the conservation of fish and wildlife.”