By Cherney Amhara
Provisions in the N-D-A-A for Alaska show the importance of our state to the nations defense.
Coming off the momentum of a successful missile Interceptor test back in June, the bill contains 40-million dollars in improvements for the missile defense system at Fort Greeley.
Alaskan land is 69 percent federally owned. On the floor Senator Murkowski Argued that this presents difficulties for Alaska as well as the West Coast states.
If you wanted a minor land conveyance and lived in a state on the East Coast many of their lands are less than one percent federally owned all you would need is an attorney to draw up contracts without too much difficulty.
But if you try to do a conveyance in alaska well...that is a little different.
You don't see an attorney you need to go talk to one of the four federal land management agencies to get approval. For your request and you're not done there you need to see your congressman and your senator It honestly takes an act of congress.
Because of this, the public lands package within the act was favored by senator murkowski.
The N-D-A-A blocks funding for consideration of an east coast missile site demonstrating the pentagons focus on alaska and the West.
Congressman Don Young's office who also support the passage weighed in on legislation within the N-D-A-A that removes of a federal clause.
This clause would require the municipality of Anchorage to move ownership of land back to the federal government if it wasn't in use. And what we feel is we would like to see the federal footprint reduced for the federal government and economic development for our communities back so we feel that's important.
Along with providing significant funding for our state it also has many key provisions that would help stem the tide of sexual assault and improve military operations.
