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Washington, D.C. – Wednesday, the House Natural Resources Committee approved H.R. 219, the Swan Lake Hydroelectric Project Boundary Correction Act. Alaska Congressman Don Young introduced this legislation which would correct the boundary for the Project in Southeast Alaska.
“This is common sense legislation to fix an inaccurate federal map which will help our local communities,” said Congressman Young. “Hydropower is crucial to Southeast Alaska and this industry’s work has led to lowered energy costs for rural communities by decreasing their reliance on diesel fuel. My bill has the full support of the State of Alaska, local residents, and stakeholders and I appreciate the support of my Committee members today.”
H.R. 219 would correct the error by requiring the Secretary of the Interior, after consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to survey the exterior boundaries of the tract of federal land within the Swan Lake Hydroelectric Project boundary and transfer the surveyed federal land within the project to the State of Alaska. There is no disagreement among the federal and state agencies that the 25.8 acres of Forest Service lands currently within the Project boundary remain within the Project boundary solely due to an error in establishing lands to be transferred to the State of Alaska back in 1997.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]
