Alaska Politics Blog : Southeast Native Corp. goes after Joe Miller for criticizing Murkowski lands bill

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Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He's worked for the ADN in Anchorage and Juneau, covered the legislature for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and covered Washington state politics for the Tacoma News Tribune. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins covers rural affairs, general assignments and politics for the ADN. He covered the 2006 campaign for governor, has blogged extensively about Alaska politics, covered Anchorage city government and was a reporter based in the Mat-Su. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and previously wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com and also find him on our rural Alaska blog, The Village.

David Hulen

David Hulen, the ADN's state and local news editor, is responsible for political coverage. He has been an editor and reporter at the ADN for more than 20 years. E-mail David at dhulen@adn.com

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Southeast Native Corp. goes after Joe Miller for criticizing Murkowski lands bill

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Anchorage Daily News

Posted: July 9, 2010 - 11:36 am

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –

Sealaska and the timber group Alaska Forest Association are taking swipes at Joe Miller, after the Republican Senate candidate said Lisa Murkowski should withdraw her bill giving Sealaska prime lands in the Tongass National Forest.

Miller told the Associated Press this week that Murkowski lacked transparency in drafting the bill and favored some constituent groups at the expense of others. "Clearly, citizens in Southeast Alaska feel they are not being heard," he said.

Sealaska and the Alaska Forest Association have issued a statement in response, in which Sealaska President Chris McNeil called Miller's statement "unfair, unfounded and uninformed.” McNeil said Sealaska had over 200 community meetings, and that Murkowski’s staff recently traveled to a dozen remote town meetings on the issue. Alaska Forest Association President Brian Brown added in the statement that “any Republican candidate in Alaska who opposes putting land to a productive use, should not count on the support of the Alaska Forest Association or Southeast industry.”

Miller told the AP he favors the transfer of federal land to Alaskans but believes all parties need a seat at the negotiating table. He said Murkowski failed to adequately make the bill available for review, just last week posting a revision on her website when faced with increased pressure to do so.

Murkowski says she's not rushing the bill and is committed to having an open process.

The Sealaska lands bill, which would give as much as 85,000 acres in the Tongass to the Native Corporation, is hugely controversial in Southeast Alaska. Opponents say it allows Sealaska to cherry pick lands that the communities depend on. Eight communities sent Murkowski a letter recently opposing the bill and suggesting she’s been less than forthright about revisions (Edna Bay, Port Protection, Point Baker, Thorne Bay, Naukati, Cape Pole, Hollis and Whale Pass signed the letter.)

Sealaska says that it was shorted the amount of land given to other regional Native corporations under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and has been working with the communities and compromising on the lands it would select.