[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 22919] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov][[Page 22919]] CONGRESSIONAL RECORD United States of America September 27, 1999 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS INTRODUCTION OF A BILL ON THE ENHANCEMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN ALASKA THROUGH A FEDERAL LAND GRANT ______ HON. DON YOUNG of alaska in the house of representatives Monday, September 27, 1999 Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation to provide for the continuance of higher education in the State of Alaska by conveying certain public lands in the State to the University of Alaska system. This bill is not a new idea: it follows on and honors a commitment Congress first made in 1915 when the then-territory was promised a generous land grant for higher education, but due to circumstances outside Alaska's control, was never completed. As a result, the largest state has the second lowest Federal land grant of all land grant institutions nationwide even though Congress intended each state to acquire a large grant for its higher education needs. The legislation I introduce today rectifies this gross oversight and puts Alaska's premier university on equal footing with other land grant institutions. This is only fair for a State with over 240 million acres of land owned by the Federal Government and most of that locked away from any development. The history behind this issue begins in 1915 when Congress reserved about 268,000 acres of public domain for the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines (the former name of the University of Alaska). However, barely any land had been surveyed at that time, and only a fraction could be transferred. In 1958, the Alaska Statehood Act eliminated the original 1915 grant, with no clear, historical record explaining why. Alaska's university land grant today stands at only 112,000 acres in total. If the same formula for granting lands were used as in some other states, Alaska could have received five million acres. A Federal land grant is vital to the future of higher education in Alaska. I believe its most important role is to make a top-tier educational opportunity available to those who otherwise must travel hundreds, even thousands of miles to the lower 48 States for college. I don't want to see this role compromised because the university is not on an equal footing with its competitors in the lower 48 States. The legislation introduced today will provide to the university system a grant of 250,000 acres of Federal land, and up to 250,000 acres more on an acre-for-acre matching basis with the State. The University may not select lands in national parks, refuges, wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, or specific areas of the national forest system. Thus, those lands open to selection are those which Congress, as ANILCA declares, are ``necessary and appropriate for more intensive use and disposition . . .'' This bill also benefits the national conservation areas in Alaska. It conditions the Federal grant on the university's relinquishment of 13,900 acres of inholdings surrounded by national parks, refuges and wildernesses. The relinquished lands will be added to the units in which they are located. At its core, this in an education bill. By providing a land base with which to derive resources for the future, Alaskans will continue to receive the fruits of our university system without having to travel outside the State to colleges which were granted their full land entitlements. ____________________