04/27/2006 09:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic | 
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB171 | |
| Adjourn | 
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| = | SB 171 | ||
                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
    HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                   
                         April 27, 2006                                                                                         
                           9:09 a.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Kurt Olson, Co-Chair                                                                                             
Representative Bill Thomas, Co-Chair                                                                                            
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux                                                                                                 
Representative Mark Neuman                                                                                                      
Representative Sharon Cissna                                                                                                    
Representative Woodie Salmon                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Pete Kott                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 171(FIN)(efd fld)                                                                                        
"An Act amending the National  Petroleum Reserve - Alaska special                                                               
revenue fund;  and establishing the  Special Legislative  Oil and                                                               
Gas NPR-A  Development Impact Review  Committee and  defining its                                                               
powers and duties."                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     - MOVED HCS CSSB 171(CRA) OUT OF COMMITTEE                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
BILL: SB 171                                                                                                                  
SHORT TITLE: NPR-A COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM                                                                                      
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) WILKEN                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
04/12/05       (S)       READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS                                                                        
04/12/05       (S)       CRA, FIN                                                                                               
04/20/05       (S)       CRA AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 211                                                                               
04/20/05       (S)       Heard & Held                                                                                           
04/20/05       (S)       MINUTE(CRA)                                                                                            
04/22/05       (S)       CRA AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 211                                                                               
04/22/05       (S)       Moved  SB 171 Out of Committee                                                                         
04/22/05       (S)       MINUTE(CRA)                                                                                            
04/25/05       (S)       CRA RPT  3DP                                                                                           
04/25/05       (S)       DP: STEVENS G, WAGONER, STEDMAN                                                                        
04/26/05       (S)       FIN AT 9:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532                                                                      
04/26/05       (S)       Heard & Held                                                                                           
04/26/05       (S)       MINUTE(FIN)                                                                                            
01/26/06       (S)       FIN AT 9:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532                                                                      
01/26/06       (S)       Heard & Held                                                                                           
01/26/06       (S)       MINUTE(FIN)                                                                                            
02/01/06       (S)       FIN RPT CS FORTHCOMING 4DP 2DNP                                                                        
02/01/06       (S)       DP: WILKEN, GREEN, BUNDE, DYSON                                                                        
02/01/06       (S)       DNP: HOFFMAN, OLSON                                                                                    
02/01/06       (S)       FIN AT 9:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532                                                                      
02/01/06       (S)       Moved CSSB 171(FIN) Out of Committee                                                                   
02/01/06       (S)       MINUTE(FIN)                                                                                            
02/03/06       (S)       FIN CS RECEIVED                 TECH                                                                   
                         TITLE CHANGE                                                                                           
02/16/06       (S)       ENGROSSED                                                                                              
03/01/06       (S)       TRANSMITTED TO (H)                                                                                     
03/01/06       (S)       VERSION: CSSB 171(FIN)(EFD FLD)                                                                        
03/01/06       (H)       READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS                                                                        
03/01/06       (H)       CRA, FIN                                                                                               
03/28/06       (H)       CRA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 124                                                                             
03/28/06       (H)       Heard & Held                                                                                           
03/28/06       (H)       MINUTE(CRA)                                                                                            
03/30/06       (H)       CRA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 124                                                                             
03/30/06       (H)       Heard & Held                                                                                           
03/30/06       (H)       MINUTE(CRA)                                                                                            
04/27/06       (H)       CRA AT 9:00 AM CAPITOL 124                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
WITNESS REGISTER                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GARY WILKEN                                                                                                             
Alaska State Legislature                                                                                                        
Juneau, Alaska                                                                                                                  
POSITION STATEMENT:  Spoke as the sponsor of SB 171.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
DENNIS ROPER, Special Assistant                                                                                                 
to Mayor Itta                                                                                                                   
Government and External Affairs/Resource Development                                                                            
North Slope Borough                                                                                                             
POSITION STATEMENT:  Related that although the North Slope                                                                      
Borough opposes SB 171, it can live with Version V.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
ACTION NARRATIVE                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  BILL THOMAS  called the  House  Community and  Regional                                                             
Affairs  Standing  Committee  meeting  to order  at  9:09:11  AM.                                                             
Representatives  Thomas,  Olson,   LeDoux,  Neuman,  Cissna,  and                                                               
Salmon were present at the call to order.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SB 171-NPR-A COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR THOMAS announced  that the only order  of business would                                                               
be CS  FOR SENATE  BILL NO. 171(FIN)(efd  fld), "An  Act amending                                                               
the  National Petroleum  Reserve -  Alaska special  revenue fund;                                                               
and  establishing  the  Special  Legislative Oil  and  Gas  NPR-A                                                               
Development Impact  Review Committee and defining  its powers and                                                               
duties."                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:09:35 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  OLSON moved  to adopt  Version 24-LS0785\V,  Chenoweth,                                                               
4/26/06,  as the  working document.   There  being no  objection,                                                               
Version V was before the committee.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:09:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  OLSON related  that there  have  been several  meetings                                                               
between the  North Slope Borough,  the sponsor, the  co-chairs of                                                               
this   committee,  the   President   of  the   Senate,  and   the                                                               
Administration,  which  has  led  to  Version  V  that  hopefully                                                               
everyone can agree to move on to the next committee of referral.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:10:38 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GARY WILKEN,  Alaska  State  Legislature, sponsor,  said                                                               
that  the  struggle  remains with  regard  to  the  legislature's                                                               
involvement.  With that in mind  and the lateness of the session,                                                               
the  component regarding  judging the  grants and  evaluating the                                                               
funding was eliminated.   Version V does maintain  the concept of                                                               
the permanent fund  and the need to follow federal  law in regard                                                               
to how the grants will  be satisfied.  Furthermore, the permanent                                                               
fund will be  calculated on the gross rather than  the net that's                                                               
left.   Any deficiency will follow  one year to another  in order                                                               
to  follow the  constitutional  obligation to  include rents  and                                                               
royalties  in the  permanent fund.    He related  that next  year                                                               
he'll continue to work on the  concepts on which no agreement was                                                               
reached.    He pointed  out  the  change  in  the title  and  the                                                               
elimination  of  the legislative  intent.    Senator Wilken  then                                                               
directed the  committee's attention to  page 3, lines  6-7, where                                                               
the    terms   "activities"    and   "capital"    were   inserted                                                               
respectively.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:14:13 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR OLSON  said he is willing  to continue to work  with the                                                               
sponsor on the remaining issues.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:14:25 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NEUMAN  thanked  the  sponsor for  his  work  and                                                               
recognized the conciliation on both sides of this issue.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:15:33 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  THOMAS,  upon determining  no  one  wished to  testify,                                                               
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:15:43 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR OLSON  moved to  report Version  24-LS0785\V, Chenoweth,                                                               
4/26/06,  out of  committee with  individual recommendations  and                                                               
the accompanying fiscal notes.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA objected.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:15:58 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA recalled the  years during which she worked                                                               
for Native corporations  when she tried to  help the shareholders                                                               
understand how the  Western economy fit the Native  economy.  She                                                               
then recalled  the testimony from prior  hearings indicating that                                                               
development is  removing people from their  community and ability                                                               
to feed  their families.   There  is a  true impact,  she opined.                                                               
She opined  that to address  this matter thoughtfully  would take                                                               
time,  but   that's  difficult  due   to  the  turnover   in  the                                                               
legislature and  the lack of  knowledge of the areas  impacted by                                                               
this development.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:19:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LEDOUX related  her  observation that  no one  is                                                               
present from the North Slope  Borough to testify.  Therefore, she                                                               
questioned if  that means  that Version  V isn't  problematic for                                                               
that area.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:20:13 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DENNIS ROPER,  Special Assistant to  Mayor Itta,   Government and                                                               
External  Affairs/Resource  Development,   North  Slope  Borough,                                                               
began by assuring the committee  that the North Slope Borough has                                                               
followed this  issue closely.   He then related  his appreciation                                                               
of the efforts  of the co-chairs and others.   However, the North                                                               
Slope  Borough  never  felt  SB 171  was  necessary  because  the                                                               
Department  of   Commerce,  Community,  &   Economic  Development                                                               
(DCCED) has  performed a good  job in  managing the grants.   Mr.                                                               
Roper  said  that  there's  no   question  that  the  subsistence                                                               
lifestyle is  the heart  of this  issue.  Still,  as much  as the                                                               
North Slope Borough opposes SB 171, it can live with Version V.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:22:55 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN  commented that the different  views in the                                                               
legislature make it  stronger.  He related his  belief that there                                                               
is  room  for  development,  which  can  be  accomplished  in  an                                                               
appropriate fashion.   Furthermore,  development has led  to many                                                               
of  the  services available  in  communities,  such as  fire  and                                                               
emergency  services.   He also  related his  belief that  care is                                                               
being  taken   to  address/minimize  environmental   impact  when                                                               
developing.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:24:46 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
A  roll call  vote was  taken.   Representatives LeDoux,  Neuman,                                                               
Salmon, Olson,  and Thomas  voted in  favor of  reporting Version                                                               
24-LS0785\V,    Chenoweth,    4/26/06,    out    of    committee.                                                               
Representative  Cissna voted  against  it.   Therefore, HCS  CSSB
171(CRA) was  reported out  of the  House Community  and Regional                                                               
Affairs Standing Committee by a vote of 5-1.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:25:12 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no  further business before the  committee, the House                                                               
Community  and Regional  Affairs Standing  Committee meeting  was                                                               
adjourned at 9:25 a.m.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
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