TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1975. JOINT FEDERAL-STATE LAND USE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR ALASKA WITNESSES BURTON W. SILCOCK, FEDERAL COCHAIRMAN DUNCAN L. READ, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION CARSON W. CULP, CHIEF, BRANCH OF BUDGET, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT DAN FURLONG, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Mr. YATES. The committee will come to order. We are pleased today to hear the testimony from the Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission for Alaska. Our good friend, Burton W. Silcock, is the Federal Cochairman. He is with us, along with Mr. Duncan L. Read, Director of Communications and Administration, and Mr. Carson W. Culp, who is the Chief of the Branch of Budget of the Bureau of Land Management. Mr. Silcock, would you like to read your statement, or do you want to insert it in the record and tell us the highlights? OPENING STATEMENT Mr. SILCOCK. It is brief, sir, I could read it into the record. Mr. SILCOCK. I would like to introduce Mr. Dan Furlong, of the Bureau of Land Management, who is part of our support. Mr. YATES. We are glad to see you, Mr. Furlong. Mr. SILCOCK. My name is Burt Silcock, Federal Cochairman of the Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission for Alaska. The Commission was established in accordance with section 17 of the Alaskan Native Claims Settlement Act-Public Law 92-203-and by act of the State of Alaska-AS 41.40.010. Each act stipulates equal funding by the Federal and State governments. The Commission is composed of 10 members: One appointed by the President; four by the Secretary of the Department of Interior; four by the Governor of Alaska; and the Governor or his designee serves as the State Cochairman. David Jackman was recently appointed by Alaska's new Governor to serve as the Commission's State Cochairman. A small staff including planners, economists, lawyers, and resource specialists is employed by the Commission. A resource planning team composed of resource experts from various Federal and State agencies was assembled in July 1972. The team's mission was to accomplish a statewide inventory of Alaska's natural resources, and thus provide the Commission with a data foundation upon which to base recommendations to the State and Federal Governments on the disposition and use of lands. At the same time, the inventory was to provide Alaska Natives with resource information upon which to base their land selections. The Statewide inventory assistance of consultants, formulated a work program for the remaining 212 years of its existence. To fully realize the objectives of the work program in fiscal year 1976, organizational changes, including some changes in staffing, are occurring this year. The current work program approved by the full Commission emphasizes policy studies and issue analysis directed toward both short-term problems requiring immediate solution and anticipated long-term conflicts necessitating the identification of processes and institutional arrangements to handle these conflicts as they arise. The major outputs of Alaska, the geologic availability of mineral resources, and a final report to the Federal and State administrations, to Congress, and to the Alaska Legislature. The report will include: 1. Recommendations to insure the compatibility of economic growth and development with environmental objectives and the economic and social well-being of all Alaskans. 2. Recommendations on changes in laws, policies, and programs to improve coordination among landowners and managers, and to avoid conflicts among land users. To develop the above recommendations, three interrelated studies focusing on social and economic policy, management systems, and land systems have been undertaken. The studies will be accomplished through the combined efforts of staff, interagency, and intergovernmental task forces, the Commission's Advisory Committee, and organizations or individuals under contract to the Commission. As in past Commission work, involvement of the public in the policy studies will be extensive and effected by means of conferences, seminars, public hearings, and surveys. Within the framework of economic and social demands for Alaska's lands and resources, the social and economic study area will analyze the consequences of alternative public policy decisions in response to those demands. These studies will address specific questions of key importance to State and Federal policymakers concerned with legislation affecting the management and use of Alaska's land resources. An example might be a study of the costs and demands for public services resulting from different strategies for the use of public lands. The purpose of the management systems studies is to formulate alternative land management strategies that will be compatible with the unique character of Alaska lands, with emerging demands on their use, and with new patterns of control and ownership resulting from implementation of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. These studies will include a critical evaluation of present land management systems describing agency operations, structures, functions, and philosophies and, in particular, an evaluation of recommendations for improving land management systems for both State and Federal land. The land systems studies will generate alternative land classification schemes that reflect the interdependence among the major ecosystems of Alaska, the geologic availability of mineral resources, and the likely future paths of social change and economic growth. Several standing Commission subcommittees will direct the research and policy development program outlined above. The major subcommittees are Transportation Planning, Federal Land Policy, State will identify issues and questions that will be treated in the Commission's interim and final recommendations. The issues identified will serve as a unifying theme for the three studies. Federal proposals for transportation and utility corridors across Native and national interest lands, and the regulation of public access will be considered by the Transportation Planning Subcommittee. Among the specific topics identified to date by the Federal Land Policy Subcommittee are national interest lands in Alaska, cooperative land management programs, such as the Mount McKinley program now underway, and a permit/lease system for minerals. The State Land Policy Subcommittee will address the classification and management of State public lands, an acquisition policy for the remaining lands to which the State is entitled, and State land use regulatory legislation. In addition to the Commission's basic program embodied in the policy development and research areas, technical planning services to native organizations and assistance to Federal, State, and local governments will continue. This assistance program will rely on Commission staff and service programs of other agencies, both through direct referral and through the use of interagency task forces. A network of technical services that can be organized and coordinated through the Commission is envisioned. To facilitate this activity, the massive volume of technical information contained in the Commission's statewide resource inventory will be maintained and updated. For fiscal year 1976, we are requesting a Federal appropriation of $708,000 for the Federal share of the anticipated cost of the Commission. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before the committee, and I will be pleased to answer your questions. JUSTIFICATION MATERIAL Mr. YATES. Thank you, Mr. Silcock, for a very good statement. We will insert the justifications in the record at this point. [The justifications follow:] JOINT FEDERAL-STATE LAND USE Salaries and Expenses Appropriation, 1974....... Transferred to "Operating Expenses, Public Buildings Service", GSA. Total Available, 1974... $ 694,400 81,708 $ 612,692 Salaries and expenses: FY 1975, $693,000; FY 1976, $708,000; an increase of $15,000. The increase consists of: (1) Cost Factors Involved in Increase To annualize the October, 1974 pay raise for civilian employees, $15,000. Need for Increase (1) Salary Increases +$15,000 An increase of $15,000 is required to annualize the October, 1974 (Executive Order 11811) pay raise for civilian classified employees in this appropriation. Program of Continuing Work The Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission for Alaska was established in accordance with Section 17 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (Public Law 92-203) and by Act of the State of Alaska (AS 41.40.010). The Commission commenced its activities in June, 1972 with the establishment of an office in Anchorage, Alaska. In July, 1972, the Governor of Alaska and the Secretary of the Interior appointed eight Commissioners and assisted with the organizational meeting of the Commission. The work program approved by the full Commission emphasizes policy studies and issue analyses directed toward both short-term problems requiring immediate solution, and anticipated long-term conflicts necessitating the identification of processes and institutional arrangements to handle these conflicts as they arise. The major outputs of the FY 1976 program will be incorporated in a final report to the Federal and State administrations, to Congress, and to the Alaska legislature. The report will include: 1. 2. Recommendations to insure the compatibility of economic growth and development with environmental objectives, and the economic and social wellbeing of all Alaskans. Recommendations on changes in laws, policies and programs to improve coordination among landowners and managers, and to avoid conflicts among land users. To develop the above recommendations, three interrelated studies focusing on social and economic policy, management systems, and land systems will be undertaken. The studies will be accomplished through the combined efforts of staff, interagency and intergovernmental task forces, the Commission's advisory committee, and organizations, or individuals under contract to the Commission. As in past Commission work, involvement of the public in the policy studies will be extensive and accomplished by means of conferences, seminars, public hearings, and surveys. A large part of the Commission's effort expended on the substantive work program will require contracted assistance. Although it is planned that the Commission staff will undertake some of the analytical work, they will function more as program managers with analysis concentrated on integration and synthesis of work performed by others for the Commission's review and deliberation. - The main thrust of the Social and Economic Policy Studies is to analyze growth trends with the purpose of identifying future levels of economic activity and the potential for new forms of economic growth. Of particular importance will be a study consisting of an analysis of external world and National trends--principally socio-economic trends, technological developments and resource availability which will influence supply and demand for raw materials and resources which are now available, or which may become available in Alaska in the future. This study will help identify economic threshold levels at which changes in the world economy and resource demand pressures will be felt in Alaska, and will impact the demand |