Legislature(2019 - 2020)BARNES 124
04/18/2019 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB123 | |
| SB54 | |
| HJR14 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HJR 14 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 54 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 123 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HJR 14-URGING SUPPORT FOR NOME DEEP-DRAFT PORT
1:18:09 PM
CO-CHAIR WOOL announced that the final order of business would
be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 14, Urging the Alaska
Congressional delegation to pursue infrastructure funding for a
deep draft Arctic port in Nome; requesting the Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities to send a letter from the
state to the Alaska Congressional delegation supporting a deep
draft Arctic port in Nome; and requesting the Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities to work collaboratively
with the City of Nome on a deep draft Arctic port in Nome.
1:18:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEAL FOSTER, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, presented HJR 14. He stated that the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers began an evaluation of 13 potential sites for a
deep draft Arctic access port in 2012, and in 2015, it selected
the Port of Nome as the preferred site. The proposed joint
resolution asks for three things: for the legislature to urge
the congressional delegation to pursue infrastructure funding
"to extend the ports"; that the Department of Transportation &
Public Facilities (DOT&PF) send a letter to the congressional
delegation in support of a deep draft Arctic port in Nome; and
that DOT&PF work collaboratively with the City of Nome to
provide technical support.
REPRESENTATIVE FOSTER clarified that HJR 14 does not ask for
funding from the State of Alaska; the joint resolution has a
zero fiscal note. He said the project has been underway for
some time, and "thanks to previous funding from the state, it is
ready to complete final feasibility and design." He said
passage of HJR 14 would express the legislature's and DOT&PF's
support for "this critical maritime transportation project." He
deferred to the mayor of Nome, Alaska, for more information.
1:20:49 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 1:21 p.m. to 1:22 p.m.
1:22:45 PM
RICHARD BENEVILLE, Mayor, City of Nome, provided a PowerPoint
presentation in support of HJR 14. He said his time in Norway,
Greenland, and Iceland showed him that those countries and
others are not looking to the future but are living in it. He
said the U.S. is "trying to catch up." He said many people do
not even realize that the U.S. is an Arctic nation. As shown on
the first few slides of the PowerPoint, he related that out of
the 13 communities considered, Nome rose to the top for a number
of reasons, including existing infrastructure, intermodal
connections, upland support, water depth, and navigation
accessibility. He said the City of Nome is just under 100 miles
from the Bering Strait; it has 350 miles of roads; it has a
level four trauma hospital; and it has an airport, with five
different freight companies that fly into it. He said the move
to increase the size of the port should be continued, because
"outside of Dutch Harbor, we're it." He mentioned ships that
visit the Port of Nome.
1:25:41 PM
MR. BENEVILLE pointed to the map on slide 5, which impresses
upon the viewer the current maritime activity in the Arctic by a
variety of vessels, including cruise ships, cargo, and military.
He emphasized that there are only two means by which to navigate
by water from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean: the
Panama Canal and the Bering Strait. He said the focus is on the
far north, and "we need to catch up." He mentioned a visit last
summer with U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, Secretary of the U.S.
Navy [Richard Vaughn] Spencer, and the new Commandant of the
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) [Karl L. Schultz], and he said all
agreed on the need to "get a lot of these processes - that are
happening offshore - on shore." He talked about the Polar Code,
which mandates that ships not take galley waste and heavy fuels
into the Arctic, and he said that "that is something that we are
looking forward to being able to assist with."
1:27:34 PM
CO-CHAIR WOOL asked how long Mr. Beneville has been the mayor of
Nome.
MR. BENEVILLE answered he is in the middle of his second term,
and he will run another term. In response to another question,
he showed the photo of a cruise chip backed into port, shown on
slide 6. He anticipated that the Port of Nome would be altered
by moving the breakwater over approximately 3,000 feet and
building three finger piers to accommodate the variety of
vessels. To a question about [slide 5], he talked about the
various color-coded vessels on the aforementioned map, and how
crossing the northern route is a cost-saving measure for
shipping companies. He said the melting of ice, which allows
the shipping, is happening three times faster than anyone had
expected. He indicated that permafrost is melting, as well.
1:30:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND relayed that she represents midtown
Anchorage and that the Port of Anchorage requires regular
dredging to be functional. She inquired how often the Port of
Nome would require dredging.
MR. BENEVILLE answered annually. He said the continental shelf
"is just out there," so by extending the causeway another 3,500
feet means "getting closer and closer to deep port." He said,
"So, it'll all be dredged out to 36 feet." He named several
other places in Alaska where the coastal waters are "very
shallow." He said Port Clarence is not shallow, but it does not
have the necessary infrastructure. He said eventually there
will be a series of infrastructures going north, "because the
traffic is going to demand it." He talked about discoveries
that need to be made in the Arctic. In response to
Representative Drummond, he talked about a vessel that comes
from Seward to Nome. In response to a query from Representative
Drummond regarding the handling of waste, he said there are
several different types of waste, including gray water, galley
waste, and mechanical waste. There will need to be new
infrastructure to accommodate the waste, including an
incinerator and expansion of an existing gray water treatment
facility. He said [the Alaska Chamber] has long been a
proponent of diversification of economy, and he said a deep
water port in Nome will do just that. He mentioned the idea of
"waste that becomes something else" [rather than being stored in
landfill].
1:36:52 PM
MR. BENEVILLE relayed his upbringing during the Cold War and
said that "we can't forget the past." He said that "we've got
good relationships with Russia," but impressed upon the
committee the strategic importance of Alaska's expansive
coastline. He said there is presently only one ice breaker
vessel, but indicated that may change with the help of U.S.
Senator Sullivan and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. He mentioned
strategy in relation to protecting subsistence and fisheries.
He stated, "Huge challenge; big opportunities." He spoke of
other countries coming into Arctic waterways and the need for
money to spend to develop the infrastructure "to be able to
handle them." He recalled a time when the City of Nome ran out
of fuel one winter and the effort that was involved in bringing
up fuel from Dutch Harbor. He mentioned "a cold pocket" in the
water below St. Lawrence Island that maintained a fish
population but is now gone. He related that the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is checking its
numbers; he indicated that [changing water temperatures] result
in change of fish populations. He spoke about the adaptability
of the Native populations in the vicinity of Nome and how "what
we're doing" affects them.
1:40:44 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked about community discussions that may
have taken place.
1:40:56 PM
MR. BENEVILLE responded that "the discussions have been many"
and varied, including Native women's rights, assault, housing,
and labor needs. He stated, "The effect has been much broader
than just the port." He offered his understanding that "by and
large," the people of Nome support [a deep draft Arctic port].
He said someone, whose opinion he trusts, opined that the deep
draft Arctic port should be in Nome rather than west of Nome,
because the coastal area at Nome had already been affected. To
that point, he noted that 40 years ago, 30-40 ships called on
Nome, while in 2018, 760 were in port. He said that affects the
environment.
1:44:33 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TALERICO noted there is a large deposit of
graphite near Nome; therefore, he assumes the potential is there
to develop it. He asked if there are other like interests near
Nome.
MR. BENEVILLE stated that Nome has access to gold, although not
to the extent it has in the past. He confirmed there is a
source of graphite inland, which poses concern about routes
going through subsistence land to get it to market. He said
there has been much work and discussion on the issue, but he
thinks [the graphite] would go through the Port of Nome.
1:46:31 PM
MR. BENEVILLE, to the remaining slides of the presentation,
mentioned the USCG cutter, service vehicles, tender buoys, the
"lay down areas" being developed, and a diagram of the extension
of the causeway. He talked about the port's role in exporting
goods. In response to Co-Chair Wool, he said overall, the port
has been open for longer periods of the year [because of climate
change]. He said the ice is still there, but it is thinner and
the water beneath it is warmer.
1:48:42 PM
JOY BAKER, Port Director, Port of Nome, stated the following:
The ocean went to ice-free in February this year, and
the ice between the breakwater broke on ... Monday,
fifteenth of April, which is extremely early. And we
did not get ice that formed to any significance until
... mid-January of this year. ... The old period of
freezing in November and thawing in late May/early
June - we haven't seen that in a number of years.
1:49:23 PM
MR. BENEVILLE stated that the USCG asserted that the Port of
Nome is icebound from October 1 to June 1. He posited that the
port is actually icebound from mid-December to the end of April
or mid-May. He drew attention to a bullet point on slide 12,
which read: "To provide suitable maritime infrastructure for
Arctic tour ships - attracting more ships to the state." He
said "we" considered "what-if" scenarios with the USCG.
1:50:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY sought to clarify that the plan before the
committee has been approved to go forward, and that there have
been several community discussions about it and there would be
more going forward.
1:50:40 PM
MR. BENEVILLE indicated there has been discussion and will be
more. He then remarked on the inevitability of change.
1:51:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FOSTER, in response to Co-Chair Wool, reviewed
the three previously stated points in HJR 14 and reiterated that
the proposed joint resolution was accompanied by a zero fiscal
note.
1:52:22 PM
CO-CHAIR WOOL expressed appreciation for the presentation.
1:52:44 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY said the project is exciting and she
appreciated hearing from the mayor about it.
[HJR 14 was held over.]