01/15/1998 10:00 AM House O&G

       HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON OIL AND GAS                                  
                  January 15, 1998                                             
                     10:00 a.m.                                                
                                                                               
                                                                               
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                             
                                                                               
REVIEW OF DUTCH HARBOR OIL SPILL OF NOVEMBER 1997                              
STATE POLICY OF OIL SPILLS CAUSED BY NON-CONTINGENCY PLAN                      
CARRIERS                                                                       
                                                                               
* HOUSE BILL NO. 274                                                           
"An Act relating to the qualifications of the members of the                   
Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission; and providing for an               
effective date."                                                               
                                                                               
    - BILL HEARING CANCELLED                                                   
                                                                               
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ALASKA OIL AND GAS                        
CONSERVATION COMMISSION                                                        
                                                                               
     - REMOVED FROM AGENDA                                                     
                                                                               
(* First public hearing)                                                       
                                                                               
TAPE(S)                                                                        
                                                                               
98-3, SIDE(S) A & B                                                            
98-4, SIDE(S) A                                                                
                                                                               
CALL TO ORDER                                                                  
                                                                               
Representative Hodgins, Chairman, convened the House Special                   
Committee on Oil and Gas meeting at 10:00 a.m.                                 
                                                                               
PRESENT                                                                        
                                                                               
Committee members present at the call to order were Representatives            
Hodgins, Kemplen, Ogan and Brice.  Representative(s) Ryan, Rokeberg            
and Bunde arrived as the meeting was in progress.  Other                       
legislators present were Representative Green.                                 
                                                                               
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                         
                                                                               
KURT FREDRIKSSON, Director, Division of Spill Prevention and                   
Response, Department of Environmental Conservation, testified                  
regarding the department's responsibilities and obligations                    
regarding oil spills around the state.    He also discussed the                
departments policies regarding non-contingency plan carriers.                  
                                                                               
BILL SCHOEPHOESTER, Alaska Chadux Corporation, testified on the                
background of Chadux and their responsibilities and obligations.               
He discussed the Kuroshima spill in Dutch Harbor, in November of               
1997, and some of the difficulties that were encountered during                
that spill response.                                                           
                                                                               
ROSS TUXHORN, Maritime Spill Response, United States Coast Guard,              
testified as to the federal perspective of spill hazards and vessel            
obligations under federal law.  He discussed the Oil Spill                     
Liability Trust Fund and the mechanisms used to trigger the use of             
that fund for clean-up costs.                                                  
                                                                               
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                               
                                                                               
The committee took no action.                                                  
                                                                               
RECESS                                                                         
                                                                               
The meeting was recessed at 11:59 a.m. until January 22, 1998 at               
10:00 a.m.                                                                     
                                                                               
NOTE:                                                                          
                                                                               
The meeting was recorded and handwritten log notes were taken.  A              
copy of the tape(s) and log notes may be obtained by contacting the            
House Records Office at 130 Seward Street, Suite 211, Juneau,                  
Alaska  99801-1182, (907) 465-2214, and after adjournment of the               
second session of the Twentieth Alaska State Legislature, in the               
Legislative Reference Library.