Alaska HJR 37: Supporting federal, state, and local efforts to clean up and remove marine debris from the state; urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to provide additional funding for those efforts and to remove barriers faced by tribes and rural communities in accessing those funds; and urging the Alaska Congressional delegation to advocate for increased federal funding and support for marine debris prevention, clean up, removal, backhaul, and education.

Bill Text

HJR037a -1- HJR 37
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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 37

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION

BY REPRESENTATIVES BYNUM, Himschoot

Introduced: 2/23/26
Referred: House Special Committee on Tribal Affairs, Resources

A RESOLUTION

Supporting federal, state, and local efforts to clean up and remove marine debris from 1
the state; urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the 2
Environmental Protection Agency to provide additional funding for those efforts and to 3
remove barriers faced by tribes and rural communities in accessing those funds; and 4
urging the Alaska Congressional delegation to advocate for increased federal funding 5
and support for marine debris prevention, clean up, removal, backhaul, and education. 6
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 7
WHEREAS Alaskans depend on a clean and healthy ocean and shoreline for 8
sustainable economies, communities, and ways of life; and 9
WHEREAS the state has more than 30,000 miles of shoreline and an estimated tidal 10
shoreline of almost 50,000 miles, which is more than the rest of the United States combined; 11
and 12
WHEREAS the state's shoreline faces the North Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Alaska, 13
and the Bering, Beaufort, and Chukchi seas; and 14

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HJR 37 -2- HJR037a
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WHEREAS marine debris causes many adverse effects, including entanglement of 1
and ingestion by birds, fish, and other animals, exposure to toxic chemicals, habitat 2
destruction, and interference with vessel transit and operations; and 3
WHEREAS these adverse effects can interfere with subsistence, commercial, and 4
recreational fishing, tourism, recreation, and other important aspects of life in the state, even 5
though the affected communities and residents of the state largely did not cause the problem; 6
and 7
WHEREAS the marine debris problem is particularly acute in the state because of the 8
state's rugged shoreline, ocean currents that concentrate debris in remote locations, and ocean-9
dependent coastal communities; and 10
WHEREAS coastal communities in the state lack the needed resources to transport 11
debris for recycling or disposal even after the debris is removed from beaches; and 12
WHEREAS the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has, since 2006, 13
worked with partners to conduct debris research, removal, and prevention and has directly 14
funded projects in the state that have removed nearly 2,000,000 pounds of debris; and 15
WHEREAS, as of 2014, individual tribes, communities, organizations like Ocean 16
Conservancy, and other partners around the state have removed more than 3,000,000 pounds 17
of debris in documented cleanups; and 18
WHEREAS the health of the state's fisheries, ocean, and shoreline is foundational to 19
the state's economy; 20
BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports federal, state, and local 21
efforts to prevent marine debris from reaching the state's shorelines and to promote the clean 22
up and removal of marine debris from the state's shorelines; and be it 23
FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the National 24
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other 25
federal agencies to dedicate additional funding, and to remove barriers faced by tribes and 26
rural communities in accessing those funds, to support efforts to clean up and remove marine 27
debris from the state; and be it 28
FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the work of the 29
Alaska Congressional delegation to advocate for increased federal funding and support for 30
marine debris prevention, clean up, removal, backhaul, and education; and be it 31

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HJR037a -3- HJR 37
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FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the state to work 1
with coastal communities, tribes, nonprofit organizations, municipal departments, and the 2
private sector to the greatest extent possible to address the challenges of marine debris as it 3
affects the state's shorelines. 4
COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 5
Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. 6
Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress. 7