March 9, 2005
Mr. Ted Heuer, Refuge Manager
Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge
101 12th Avenue
Room 264 Box 14
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
Re: Proposed Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge Land Exchange
Dear Mr. Heuer:
On behalf of the Resource Development Council, for Alaska, Inc. (RDC), I am writing to express our strong support for the proposed land exchange between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Doyon Limited in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge.
RDC is a statewide, non-profit business association representing individuals and companies from Alaska’s oil and gas, mining, timber, tourism and fishing industries. Our membership also includes Native regional and village corporations, local communities, organized labor and industry-support firms. For 30 years, RDC has brought these diverse interests together to advocate for the responsible development of Alaska’s natural resources.
The proposed land trade is clearly in the best interest of the public. It increases not only the amount, but also the quality of FWS-managed lands within the Yukon Flats refuge while providing Doyon with expanded economic opportunities. The net effect of the proposed trade is an increase to the refuge of 98,000 acres of quality fish and wildlife habitat. The exchange involves only three percent of the land within the 9 million-acre refuge and does not include what is widely considered the biological heart of the area.
Furthermore, the proposed exchange consolidates land ownership within the refuge, greatly reducing the likelihood of future conflicts between the FWS and private in-holders. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act created a patchwork of land ownership and management regimes in Alaska. Overall 158 million acres in Alaska have been designated federal parks, wildlife refuges or monuments. Of this total, 55 million acres are federally-designated wilderness areas. Beyond these federal designations, Alaska has created the largest state park system in the Union.
With so much of Alaska permanently protected, resource development opportunities are limited. The state’s lack of infrastructure and high cost environment also pose significant obstacles to economic growth. Fortunately, Alaska’s Native regional corporations, created by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and endowed with 44 million acres of land within the state, continue to overcome these challenges.
In this case, Doyon will gain access to lands that may hold developable oil and gas resources. In fact, the USGS offers a mean estimate of 5.5 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas and 173 million barrels of recoverable oil making the area a potential energy province on the scale of Cook Inlet. Only 80 miles separates this block of land from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.
If Doyon discovers commercial quantities of oil and gas, the corporation will pay a production payment of 1.25% of the resource value at the wellhead into an “Alaska National Wildlife Refuge Land Acquisition Account”. The FWS will be able to use these funds to purchase additional acres of quality fish and wildlife habitat within the borders of the Yukon Flats refuge. Monies will also be used to construct needed infrastructure in Alaska refuges, including a range of projects to enhance public use of refuge lands.
This proposal is a rare win-win for Alaska’s environment and economy — Doyon is able to focus on the potential development of energy resources while the FWS is able to reduce the total amount of privately held land in the refuge and limit possible development activities to a single core area.
Congratulations to Doyon and the FWS for their work to bring the proposed Yukon Flats land exchange to fruition. We hope this proposal will set a precedent for similar exchanges in the future. RDC and its members throughout the state strongly support the trade. We believe it demonstrates economic development and environmental protection is not a zero-sum game in Alaska.
Sincerely,
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL for Alaska, Inc.
