Congressional Earmarks Continue: Sealaska Demands its Quid Pro Quo

Ted Stevens may be gone, but his legacy lives on.

Sen. Lisa A. Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Rep. Donald E. Young (R-Alaska) are the ringleaders behind legislation (S.730 & H.R.1408) that would allow Sealaska Corporation of Juneau to clear-cut the Tongass National Forest.

Supporters of the proposed land transfer met last Wednesday with representatives of the Department of Agriculture to discuss legislation that will allow Sealaska to make land selections from an area that includes the Tongass’ few remaining old-growth stands.

Sealaska led the charge behind Alaskans Standing Together, the super PAC that propelled Murkowski from GOP-primary-loser to write-in-winner and Republican Senator in 38 days by spending $1.7 million on a pro-Murkowski ad campaign.

Following meetings with congressional committees last week, multiple Capitol Hill sources involved in the discussions said the Murkowski-Young legislation is gaining traction in the Republican-controlled House and could emerge as part of an omnibus package pending the actions of the House Natural Resources Committee—which is bad news for the ancient trees Sealaska wants to harvest, but far worse for the local communities the corporation’s logging threatens to destroy.

Sealaska is one of 12 regional corporations Congress created through the Alaskan Native Land Claims Settlement Act of 1971 oversee the distribution to the native population of roughly $1 billion in federal funds and 44 million acres of land.