Sullivan, Young Respond to USDA "Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy"

Statement

WASHINGTON--U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young (both R-Alaska) today issued the following statements after the Biden administration announced it will seek to revoke the Tongass National Forest's full exemption from the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule), granted under the previous administration, and also further diminish the supply available for a viable timber industry. This announcement is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy, which includes approximately $25 million in federal investments for the region.

"Like many Alaskans, this morning I read the news that the Biden administration will be imposing sweeping, bureaucratic restrictions shutting down economic opportunities on Alaskans' lands," said Senator Sullivan. "This announcement, and the way that it was leaked to the media, is yet one more example of the disregard the Biden administration has shown for Alaskans since day one--promulgating orders from D.C. without consulting Alaska's elected officials or consideration for how these decisions will impact our hard-working families. Especially shocking is that just yesterday, I received a phone call from Secretary Vilsack about a one-time federal investment in the economies of Southeast Alaska, however, he failed to mention that this investment is simply a pay-off for killing sustained economic development opportunities in Southeast by reinstating and ratcheting up Roadless Rule restrictions and further starving our timber industry of supply. Greater restrictions on the Tongass have been opposed for decades by all of Alaska's governors and the state's federal elected officials, both Republican and Democratic. Let me be clear: $25 million doesn't even come close to covering the economic damage that this administration's policies will inflict on Southeast Alaska. Alaskans have the right to make a living, support our families, and connect our communities and have a much greater interest in seeing the Tongass healthy and sustainably managed than outside extreme environmental groups pulling the strings in the Biden administration."

"Today, Washington DC bureaucrats who live and work 4,000 miles away have made a terrible decision for Alaska, and have shown a terrible disregard for our people," said Congressman Young. "Last month, I implored Secretary Vilsack to come to Southeast and visit our communities before making a decision on the Tongass. Clearly, he did not. Had he, he would have learned that Alaskans do not want burdensome, unnecessary regulation. Those in Southeast, including Alaska Natives, know how to balance environmental protection with development; they have been doing it for years. To lock up the Tongass, as Secretary Vilsack is pursuing, sends the message that this Administration does not trust Alaskans to take care of the very environment in which they live. Make no mistake: USDA is dead wrong to do this to Alaska. All our communities are asking for are the same things many people take for granted: transportation, economic opportunity, outdoor recreation, and the ability to stay connected with one another. Here is a fact: national monument status combined with other land use designations mean that 80% of the Tongass will always be protected. Even with that, USDA is still promulgating the fantasy that they are doing Alaska a favor with their one-size-fits-all approach, but I know Alaskans will not fall for it. The COVID-19 pandemic has already harmed our state immensely; today's decision is yet another nail in the coffin for economic opportunity in Southeast. I call on President Biden and Secretary Vilsack to reverse this decision and stop using the Tongass as a political football. The very livelihoods and safety of Alaska's families hang in the balance."

The Tongass spans nearly 16.7 million acres, covering nearly all of Southeast Alaska, and is home to 32 islanded communities. For decades, successive layers of federal law and regulation, including the 2001 Roadless Rule, have continually restricted access needed for timber, mining, tourism, recreation, and the development of renewable resources, such as hydropower and necessary transmission lines.

The Alaska Congressional Delegation has advocated strongly for the Roadless Rule exemption in order to restore balance in federal management on the Tongass. Without the exemption, 91 percent of the Tongass is locked up as either Wilderness, Wilderness National Monument, or Inventoried Roadless Areas.

Timeline

In October of 2020, the U.S. Forest Service published a Record of Decision (ROD) and final rule exempting the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 Roadless Rule.
On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order requiring the USDA to review the final rule exempting the Tongass from the 2001 Roadless Rule.
On February 1, 2021 the USDA issued a memo effectively pausing implementation of all pending programmatic and project land management decisions.
On June 11, 2021, the Biden administration published its Agenda of Regulatory Actions calling for repeal of the previous administration's final rule to exempt the Tongass from the 2001 Roadless Rule.

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