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“LEGISLATION AUTHORIZING SALE OF ALASKA POWER ADMINISTRATION” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E381 on Feb. 16, 1995.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
LEGISLATION AUTHORIZING SALE OF ALASKA POWER ADMINISTRATION
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HON. DON YOUNG
of alaska
in the house of representatives
Thursday, February 16, 1995
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation to sell the Alaska Power Administration's two hydroelectric projects.
This legislation will authorize the sale of the Alaska Power Administration. The Alaska Power Administration is different from the other Federal Power Marketing Agencies of the Department of Energy. Its two hydroelectric projects, Eklutna and Snettisham, were never intended by Congress to remain indefinitely under Federal control. The Eklutna Project Act, for example, states that ``Upon completion of amortization of the capital investment allocated to power, the Secretary is authorized and directed to report to the Congress upon the feasibility and desirability of transferring the Eklutna project to public ownership and control in Alaska.'' Moreover, these two projects were created specifically to promote economic and industrial development in Alaska, and they are not the product of a water resource management plan.
I am a strong advocate of insuring that Alaskans control their own destiny, which is what this bill is all about. It will put the management of these two hydroelectric projects into the hands of those who best know Alaska. One project will be sold to the State of Alaska, and the other will be sold to a group of three Alaskan public electric utilities.
Equally as important, this legislation will relieve the Federal Government of the expense of operating and maintaining these two projects. It also provides for the termination of the Alaska Power Administration once the sale is complete, further saving money for taxpayers.
It is important to note that this legislation provides necessary safeguards for the environment. It requires the State of Alaska and the Eklutna purchasers to abide by the memorandum of agreement they entered into regarding the protection and enhancement of fish and wildlife. The legislation makes this legally enforceable.
Last year a similar provision was included in the H.R. 300, the Re-
inventing Government package and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources reported S. 2383, the Alaska Power Administration Sale Authorization Act. The administration testified in strong support of this legislation. Unfortunately, there was little time to consider them late in the session. With early introduction this Congress, I am hopeful that we will see this legislation enacted into law.
There is one provision which needs to be included in the Alaska Power Administration legislation before it is sent to the President for signature, but I have not included it because it addresses the Internal Revenue Code. I hope to have that issue addressed in other legislation.
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