On Sept. 30, 1986, a bill proposing a swap of Admiralty Island in the U.S. Congress was on the brink of death, only confirmed if an agreement on the trade is not reached by the last session of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The bill in its current form dictates the Shee Atika Native village corporation of Sitka to give up on logging at Cube Cove on Admiralty Island. Other bills deliberated by the U.S. Congress included a bill regarding ownership of submerged lands off the coast of Alaska and a proposed amendment to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
Meanwhile, the Alaska Public Offices Commission released data on how much money was spent on legislative lobbyists from firms, organizations and municipalities to explain their priorities to the Alaska Legislature in a time of budgetary turmoil. Although the data was not final until the end of the month, lobbyists received $4.95 million, $6.04 million including expenses. In contrast, $5.07 million was spent on lobbying efforts in the 1984 legislative session.
“This Day in Juneau History” is compiled by Empire freelancer Tasha Elizarde, who sums up the day’s events — 30 years ago — by perusing Empire archives.
