Supporting the Bering River Coalfield Acquisition

Floor Speech

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Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the commitment of the United States Forest Service to see through the protection of the Bering River coalfield in Alaska.

According to the Forest Service, the Copper River watershed, in which the Bering River lies, is one of the largest and most biologically intact places on Earth.

Mineral rights to the Bering River coalfield are currently owned by a Korean company, which means almost 12,000 acres of coalfields in the Copper River watershed remain vulnerable to mining.

Coal from the Bering River has no value in the U.S. coal market. We have plenty in the lower 48. An extraction would only serve to benefit the Asian markets at the cost of decimating one of the few untouched places left in America. The current owner of the mineral rights expressed that they are willing to sell the rights, and the bid for appraisal opened last week.

It is my hope that we are approaching the finish line of the conservation of the Bering River, an effort that has been ongoing for 100 years. Forty-six conservation organizations have voiced their support for the protection of this invaluable natural resource.

If a purchase of the Bering River coalfield is successful, all future generations of American sportsmen and -women and outdoor recreationists can experience the magnificent wild country the way it emerged from our creator.

I will take a brief moment to thank the late Representative Don Young from Alaska for his help and support of this issue to get it to this point.

I also thank the Exxon Valdez trust for extending a boundary so that money could be leveraged to help set aside for future generations this important national asset.

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