Legislature(2001 - 2002)
03/05/2002 03:22 PM House MLV
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HB 324-HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS [Contains testimony on HB 51] Number 1774 CHAIR CHENAULT announced the final order of business, HOUSE BILL NO. 324, "An Act making supplemental and other appropriations for homeland security; and providing for an effective date." CHAIR CHENAULT informed participants that the committee would consider Items 23-28 [of the document "Terrorism Disaster Policy Cabinet: Cost Estimates for Highest Priority Recommendation," dated 1/14/02], which is for the Department of Environmental Conservation. Number 1802 MIKE CONWAY, Director, Division of Statewide Public Service, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), informed members that he'd provided a copy of a summary sheet for the Environmental Health Laboratory. That is an item not listed for funding from HB 324; it's listed there as a critical component of the homeland security net. He said he believes that the Department of Health & Social Services has other laboratory items under its items. The Environmental Health Laboratory, however, is sitting in HB 51 and is before both finance committees as a bonding measure based upon its standalone merits. He explained that there's a breakdown, so the committee can see the functions of the laboratory. MR. CONWAY said [the laboratory] has a peacetime mission that also carries over in the event of a weapons of mass destruction attack, in which the department would have the capability to look at the food and water sources and know if there had been any contamination. Since September 11 [2001 terrorist attacks on the East Coast], water contamination is not just limited to those kinds of attacks. He informed the members there's a pending case against somebody who has threatened the Anchorage water supply system going through criminal proceedings currently. He also reported there was a case in The Dalles, Oregon several years ago in which 751 people were made sick. A group was trying to affect a local election and contaminated a salad bar so people wouldn't make it out for the election. MR. CONWAY noted that other peacetime missions the department has been involved in include testing food when tourists on buses have gotten sick, testing shellfish for different diseases, and performing dairy inspections that allows Alaska's milk to be sold commercially to the military, for instance. Number 1967 CHAIR CHENAULT referred to Item 25 ["Increase DEC emergency alert status to 24 hours per day with six additional response corps staff"] and asked for a rundown on it. MR. CONWAY explained that the six positions and 24-hour response capability is not associated with the laboratory, but would be part of DEC's Division of Spill Prevention and Response to augment the existing staff and capabilities for response to hazardous materials incidences and spills. These six people would work with communities around the state, the DEC, and other agencies in preparedness for a capability to respond to weapons of mass destruction incidences. Currently, he explained, there is a peacetime function for oil and substances spills. The resources presently available are dedicated to doing that at the current level of activities. He indicated that new expertise and new equipment are needed to address the idea of weapons of mass destruction. Number 2108 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked about the $100,000 for fiscal year 2003. MR. CONWAY replied that the $100,000 is a one-time cost for equipping and training the whole group. The other amounts are for the personal services for the staff. The first $250,000 is for the remaining fiscal year. If the supplemental is approved, the $600,000 is the ongoing annual amount. REPRESENTATIVE GREEN said that's $100,000 per person. MR. CONWAY answered that $100,000 per responder is typical when looking at the salaries, equipment, and training. Number 2160 MR. CONWAY replied to Representative Green's question that [the staff] are environmental specialists. He explained that $100,000 is the current rate now for oil spill responders and hazardous chemical responders. To maintain the capability to operate the equipment, there is continual training required for different levels of "HAZMAT" [hazardous materials] response, and that's the going rate. Number 2190 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked what they do in between threats. MR. CONWAY answered that they are responding to spills right now. The group being asked for [in Item 25] are not doing anything with weapons of mass destruction. This is done in anticipation of those attacks. The existing group of responders are responding to spills. He reported that there are about 2,500 spills reported a year; within that, there is a ranking and an assessment process on the spills responded to. MR. CONWAY clarified that the people being asked for in Item 25 will be dedicated to weapons of mass destruction responses. REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked if these people will be sitting around waiting for something to happen. MR. CONWAY answered that they will continually be operating with training communities, writing up the plans, preparing drilling exercises, and doing all of the activities that a fire department does while waiting for a fire to happen. Number 2282 MR. CONWAY referred to Item 74 under the Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs ["Hazardous Materials Response Teams: Provide training, trucks, and [equipment] for 2 new Level A HAZMAT teams in Valdez and in Juneau to service Southeast; Provide Alaska-specific detection, identification and safety equipment for 103d CST (WMD) [Civilian Support Team for Weapons of Mass Destruction]; and provide WMD advanced level training for the Fairbanks HAZMAT team"] and said that would make four teams that require considerable training, exercising, and planning, which are typical emergency preparedness activities. He indicated that they are not going to be sitting around waiting for weapons of mass destruction incidences to happen; they are going to be preparing. They will work with municipalities, federal agencies, the civil support team under the National Guard, and the whole network of responders in the event of an attack. Number 2345 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked how they would fit in with the other agencies when there is a problem. He wondered if there was any duplication. MR. CONWAY replied that nobody duplicates services in a response; they all come together through the incident command system. They would be assigned specific duties as part of a joint incident command system. He explained that it would be the same as for a North Slope spill. There are not standalone capabilities for the state; they would fit in with local, federal, and other state agency responders. REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked if they would be "geographically spread" or would they be stationed in one area. MR. CONWAY said that the assignments of figuring out where they'll be hasn't been decided yet. He offered to get back to him on that. Number 2421 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN wondered how the number six came up. MR. CONWAY explained that the state emergency coordination center activates during the time of a response and will require a 24-hour watch capability, so [the department] was looking at the capability to augment the other four response teams throughout the state and have two positions in the state emergency coordination center at Fort Richardson. Number 2490 MR. CONWAY referred to Item 26, Decontamination Equipment for People Exposed to Hazardous Materials, and Item 27 ["Pre- position decontamination foam and trailers in six cities to serve regions throughout the state and obtain six [fly-away] decontamination sets"]. He told members that both of these items are related to responding to and assisting citizens who are exposed to weapons of mass destruction, either biological or chemical agents. The targets for a lot of these attacks can be several thousand people, and there's no capability existing in the state to get the decontamination equipment to them. He explained that there is a two-way approach to this: 1) In major areas of population, Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau, there would be a fixed capability there, to rapidly decontaminate people who are exposed in the event, and 2) a deployment capability located where the fixed ones are in which there would be trailers and "airliftable" things to get to a remote community. Number 2569 CHAIR CHENAULT asked Mr. Conway to explain what decontamination foam is. MR. CONWAY answered that it is a chemical foam used to spray on equipment and in buildings to attack the biological agent attached to things, neutralize, and destroy it. Number 2640 CHAIR CHENAULT surmised that the six fly-a-way decontamination sets would include all the materials needed in case of some type of biological attack. MR. CONWAY indicated yes, it would include the equipment. The equipment packages would basically be large capacity hot water heaters, inflatable shelters, tents, heaters, and mass decontamination privacy kits. He noted these things were for decontamination of the people affected. In answer to a question, he told the Chair that the suits and that sort of thing come under the other items for the responders. Number 2722 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked what the person in Anchorage used for threatening the drinking water. MR. CONWAY said he had limited knowledge of it, but there was a threat by somebody who was angry about something and told some people he was going to poison the Anchorage drinking water system. He was arrested and the case is in process. MR. CONWAY responded to a question from Representative Green and said the assessments would look at the inroads that somebody would try to use who wanted to contaminate the system and further, to be able to detect [the contaminant]. Number 2774 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked if there is any ongoing testing now. MR. CONWAY replied that the larger municipalities have ongoing increased security and are testing. CHAIR CHENAULT asked if the assessments would be done for most of the public drinking water systems. Number 2859 MR. CONWAY explained that the large public drinking water systems are being looked at, and they are attempting to get federal funds to do it. He indicated that until the assessments are done, the department won't know what to buy. He indicated that federal money is expected for upgrading the security and detection systems on drinking water systems. Number 2892 REPRESENTATIVE MURKOWSKI asked how what the [Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility] does to ensure that its drinking water is safe on a daily basis would be any different from a vulnerability assessment. MR. CONWAY answered that [the department] has worked with the municipalities and said it would try to get the money to do that, and it will be passed out to them. The vulnerability assessments would be done under the direction of the municipalities. In the current structure, the local municipalities are responsible for their systems. The DEC provides some oversight, but the municipalities don't report to DEC; they're not subservient, and DEC doesn't direct them on how to do that. Number 2972 REPRESENTATIVE MURKOWSKI asked if the municipalities are already doing it, why does the legislature need to give them money. She wondered if there is a different component when the vulnerability is assessed than what is done to ensure that the drinking water is safe. MR. CONWAY reminded her that what they have been talking about today is for weapons of mass destruction. TAPE 02-14, SIDE B Number 2968 MR. CONWAY said [the municipalities] haven't been addressing things for weapons of mass destruction. REPRESENTATIVE MURKOWSKI said they must do a daily testing to make sure there aren't weird things in it. She offered that if there were some type of chemical agent, she thought it would be picked up. MR. CONWAY agreed that they are testing for things they expect. He said, "We don't know what the biological agents would be or the chemicals that they might use. We need to find that out and then be able to see if we would be able to detect it." [HB 324 was held over.]
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