Legislature(1995 - 1996)
01/25/1995 08:04 AM House RES
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
January 25, 1995
8:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Joe Green, Co-Chairman
Representative Bill Williams, Co-Chairman
Representative Scott Ogan, Vice Chairman
Representative Alan Austerman
Representative Ramona Barnes
Representative Pete Kott
Representative John Davies
Representative Eileen MacLean
Representative Irene Nicholia
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Overview by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
WITNESS REGISTER
GENE BURDEN, Commissioner Designate
Department of Environmental Conservation
4l0 Willoughby, Ste. 105
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Phone: 465-5050
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided an overview of DEC and answered
questions
LEN VERRELLI, Acting Deputy Commissioner
Department of Environmental Conservation
410 Willoughby, Ste. 105
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Phone: 465-5100
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided an overview of DEC and answered
questions
MIKE BURNS, Section Chief
Facilities Construction and Operation Division
Department of Environmental Conservation
410 Willoughby, Ste. 105
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Phone: 465-5136
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information and answered questions
DAN KANOUSE, Director
Division of Information & Administrative Services
Department of Environmental Conservation
410 Willoughby, Ste. 105
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Phone: 465-5024
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information and answered questions
JOHN BARNETT, Executive Director
Board of Storage Tank Assistance
Department of Environmental Conservation
410 Willoughby, Ste. 105
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Phone: 465-5219
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information and answered questions
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 95-2, SIDE A
Number 000
The House Resources Committee was called to order by Co-Chairman
Joe Green at 8:04 a.m. No other committee members were present at
the call to order.
CO-CHAIRMAN JOE GREEN announced the committee would hear an
overview of the Department of Environmental Conservation.
GENE BURDEN, COMMISSIONER DESIGNATE, DEC, stated he would review
the direction and approach the department will pursue in managing
the programs. He said program performance objectives will be
implemented, which is a process of establishing clear mission
objectives for each of the functions and attempting to make those
objectives as measurable and performance related as possible. In
that process the department hopes to be able to share those
objectives with interested parties to ensure that the mission and
specific objectives are better understood.
MR. BURDEN stated DEC has initiated an employee attitude survey
which was conducted several weeks ago. Early indications from that
survey indicate employees want to see a clear chain of command and
embrace the idea of specific and measurable objectives. He said
DEC plans to instill customer service considerations into the
delivery of services the department provides. He felt that was
particularly important in view of several new regulatory
obligations DEC has.
MR. BURDEN advised DEC will also be examining how the agency
interacts with the public and the regulated community in all
program areas. He noted that DEC's components are involved in
enforcing a very technical set of laws and regulations representing
a challenge to clearly communicate what is required. He added that
DEC will do its best to translate very technical issues into
understandable issues.
Number 044
MR. BURDEN advised DEC has an organizational structure issue
involving the relationship of the program-based versus the
regional-based. He stated the department hopes to eliminate the
versus in that issue. There are four regions presently involved in
the day-to-day enforcement and program implementation activities.
He said there is a desire to work those two groups closer together.
He stressed DEC's objective is to bring a budget to the legislature
and respond to questions on a programmatic basis.
MR. BURDEN stressed the time period was very brief to establish the
initial organization and make decisions related to staffing, which
are important to the success of the program. He explained the
initial organization is an interim organization subject to further
tweaks. He said there will be an attempt to fill positions with
the best qualified people possible and make those appointments on
the basis of vacant existing positions.
Number 067
MR. BURDEN noted there will be an attempt to promote from within
DEC on appointments when possible. He said the technical aspect of
the programs generate a narrow group that can step in and get the
technical programs going immediately. He stated there are benefits
in implementing these programs from within by recognizing staff
professionals who have worked within the programs and are in
support of the direction being taken.
MR. BURDEN told committee members there are several program issues
needing to be addressed. He said the public health component
covers food inspections, animal industry inspections, and a variety
of public health areas. This component is an increasingly
challenging section of the department because there are more
expectations of paying your own way. He stressed DEC will give
this component more prioritization and attention as this section
works in conjunction with the state's efforts to promote and
improve the seafood industry within the state and other basic food
related industries.
MR. BURDEN stated the department is looking at a centralized
permitting operation within the Air Quality Management section. He
said DEC has obligations during 1995 to implement Title 5 - the
Clean Air Act. He noted the Clean Air Act is a federal law and
will require permitting from the current approximately 200 air
permitees to approximately 600 in the fall of 1995. Many of the
new permitees are small businesses making it important that DEC
communicate and work with the businesses to get them in compliance
with the law.
MR. BURDEN said DEC expects to employ seasonal task force efforts
to assist in getting areas cleaned up which can only be addressed
during a short season. He noted the department is also looking at
efforts to improve the time it takes to have a permit or
contingency plan reviewed and accepted or rejected.
Number 115
MR. BURDEN stated there is great interest in pollution prevention
efforts and he felt every program has specific obligations to be
actively engaged in pollution prevention work. He said the
department plans to review that area and make it become an adopted
objective of every program function. Mr. Burden distributed a hand
out (may be found in the House Resources Committee Room, Capitol
Alaska State Legislature, in the Legislative Reference Library)
which outlined the scope of services within the various existing
divisions as well as the operating budget.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN noted for the record that Representatives
WILLIAMS, OGAN, DAVIES, KOTT, BARNES and AUSTERMAN had joined the
committee.
REPRESENTATIVE RAMONA BARNES observed that Mr. Burden had referred
to the Clean Air Act as a federal act. She recalled the state
passed a law and now has new regulations to implement the law.
MR. BURDEN answered that was correct. He added that law was a
direct reaction to the Clean Air Act amendments.
REPRESENTATIVE BARNES clarified the state's act does replace that.
MR. BURDEN said that was correct.
Number 154
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN recalled Mr. Burden had indicated there was a
reorganization underway and there would be an increase in the
department's responsibilities. He asked if DEC will be able to
handle the increased load without an increase in staff.
MR. BURDEN stated at this time he would not be able to give a
knowledgeable answer. He said as the department goes through the
reorganization process and he becomes more acquainted with the
existing work units, he will then be able to answer the question.
He added that on the air program side, the department will be able
to meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act without additional
staff.
LEN VERRELLI, ACTING DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, DEC, stated if the other
programs come in like the air program did, the department will
realize a savings on permanent full-time staff.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN DAVIES clarified that air regulations have been
adopted but still require the Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) approval. If that is correct, he wondered if DEC had a time
frame established.
Number 182
MR. VERRELLI stated EPA has agreed to parallel processing of the
regulations and DEC hopes EPA will have them completed by the end
of June. It is important that DEC begin accepting permit
applications and processing them July 1, 1995.
REPRESENTATIVE BARNES noted Governor Knowles stated publicly he
will not be asking for increases in the budget but in the previous
Governor's budget which was presented, there was an increase. She
wondered if DEC plans to maintain what Governor Knowles has stated
publicly, so the fiscal year (FY) 1996 request of Governor Hickel
will be at the FY 1995 level.
MR. BURDEN responded that DEC's general fund budget represents a
slight reduction in 1996 versus 1995. The department is reflecting
an increase in federal funds coming into the program and is also
showing an expected reduction in the response fund.
MR. VERRELLI stressed the goal is to stay within the
administration's target. However, things do happen. For example,
the air program sustained a $1.4 million cut in program receipts
because DEC did not have the ability to collect those program
receipts.
REPRESENTATIVE BARNES reflected that program receipts are state
treasury dollars and she does not look upon them as something
belonging to the department.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN noted for the record that Representative NICHOLIA
had joined the committee.
Number 225
MR. VERRELLI, referring to the hand out, said on page 2 there is an
overview of the department and the major tasks within each
division. He stated the seafood inspection section is one of the
primary goals of environmental health and is viewed as one of the
driving forces in allowing Alaska's seafood to be processed. He
said a recent example is the problem with dungeness crabs. The
department was able to interact with that fishery to determine a
way to eviscerate the crab and still market it.
MR. VERRELLI stated the pesticide program is a very small program
with a $260,000 budget and is basically a federally funded program.
Initially, the department did not feel there was a problem with
pesticides in the state. However, with increased farming
activities in the Delta, Kenai, etc. many pesticides are starting
to be used in the state and are finding their way into the
waterways. He said the pesticide program, therefore, is becoming
more important.
MR. VERRELLI informed members that DEC has laboratory monitoring
facilities in Palmer and Juneau which handle all the health related
issues. In regard to the meat/poultry/animal health and dairy
program, he said one of the failures in the state was that it has
not come up to speed with the Midwest in farming products.
MR. VERRELLI stated the Environmental Quality Division includes the
public drinking water section. He said a goal of all
administrations, particularly the current one, is to bring safe
drinking water to the table. He noted there is a lot of
controversy regarding drinking water regulations. A few years ago,
the department only had 67 anolytes to look at and now there are
over 127 anolytes to review. He noted this issue is being
discussed at the National Governors Conference and in Congress
because there are additional costs involved.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN questioned if there is a way to review anolytes
regionally rather than statewide.
MR. VERRELLI stated the initiatives were started during the last
administration and arrangements were being made with the states of
Oregon and Washington which would eliminate the need for Alaska to
have the entire array of instruments to test all the anolytes. He
said the only problem is that travel might be required. The
program has not started yet however, so the pros and cons need to
be determined.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN noted for the record that Representative MACLEAN
had joined the committee.
Number 288
REPRESENTATIVE DAVIES wondered if after the first round of testing
no anolytes are found, whether or not that anolyte can be removed
from the list.
MR. VERRELLI confirmed that is the ultimate goal. Currently the
anolytes have to be looked at all the time and the cost is
prohibitive. He felt there is so much outcry, however, that
eventually there would be a more rational approach.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN noted there are several cooperative attempts to
reduce the number of federal mandates. He asked if there are other
states involved in the attempt to reduce this mandate.
MR. VERRELLI said the National Governors Association is organizing
an effort.
MR. VERRELLI stated the air quality management program is ongoing
and the goal is to implement the Clean Air Act program under
budget. He felt the staff has done an excellent job of
consolidating what is required to be done in the Act and a good
service will be provided for the dollar.
REPRESENTATIVE EILEEN MACLEAN asked what DEC is doing in regard to
public drinking water, particularly the problem with hepatitis in
rural Alaska.
MR. VERRELLI said many of the areas in the state which have
specific problems are being addressed directly.
REPRESENTATIVE MACLEAN asked what the program is called.
MR. VERRELLI said it is called the Village Safe Water Program.
REPRESENTATIVE MACLEAN asked if those problem areas are on the
priority list for DEC in the capital bill.
MIKE BURNS, SECTION CHIEF, FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION
DIVISION, DEC, answered that the projects have been prioritized.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN noted there had been a significant effort made by
the prior administration to review water quality. He wondered if
the current review is in addition to or a redesign of that review.
MR. VERRELLI answered it is a continuation.
Number 355
MR. VERRELLI continued that the water quality management program
addresses water quality standards which have been quite
controversial. He said DEC is in the process of bringing the issue
before the public again due to the challenge brought forth by the
Sierra Legal Defense Fund. He stressed the solid waste management
problem remains and will become a major issue with the state. He
noted the commissioner has ideas on how to best approach the
problem and hopefully will help mitigate some of the situations
existing all over the state.
MR. VERRELLI explained the hazardous waste management program has
been attempting to receive authorization over the years, but due to
budget cuts, the program is only at a maintenance level. In regard
to the industrial and domestic wastewater control programs, he
determined that the new proposed regulation on mining wastewater
was a result of the A-J Mine and the fish kill last spring.
REPRESENTATIVE MACLEAN asked for an update on the A-J Mine
situation in regard to the dead fish.
MR. BURDEN stated in regard to the most recent fish kill, DEC had
people on the scene taking samples and fish. It was determined
there was no water in the area where the fish were discovered.
Speculation is that due to the city taking its water, there had
been a draw down and the fish had been left dry. He stressed there
is no indication of any relationship between the fish kill and the
mine.
Number 425
MR. VERRELLI told committee members the pollution prevention office
is a separate group within the department. The commissioner's plan
includes blending the office in with all the programs. He said
most of the programs have incorporated pollution prevention
efforts. He stated the environmental analysis laboratory has been
controversial due to the expense of the building and equipment
maintenance.
REPRESENTATIVE DAVIES asked if the laboratory being referred to is
the one which is envisioned to be operated in conjunction with the
university.
MR. VERRELLI replied it was.
MR. BURDEN stressed the facility is under-utilized in its present
arrangement and is an expensive activity to maintain. Therefore,
partnerships will be looked at to attempt to get better utilization
of the laboratory and save money in the process.
MR. VERRELLI continued that the Facilities Construction and
Operation Division works on sewer and water projects around the
state. He noted additional grants requiring matching funds are
being sought for that program. He stated there is $14.9 million in
federal funds for the state available with the appropriate match.
MR. VERRELLI explained the Spill Prevention and Response Division
was a result of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
REPRESENTATIVE MACLEAN asked if DEC plans to deregulate any of the
Alaska Clean Water regulations because they over exceed the federal
standards.
MR. BURNS replied statute changes occurred last spring which
brought the state in line with the federal standards.
Number 515
MR. VERRELLI stated everyone struggled with SB 215 resulting in
what is contained in the chart being handed out (may be found in
the House Resources Committee Room, Capitol #124, and after
adjournment of the second session of the 19th Alaska State
Legislature, in the Legislative Reference Library).
DAN KANOUSE, ACTING DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF INFORMATION AND
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES, stated he would outline the Oil &
Hazardous Substance Release Prevention and Response Fund for the
committee, which is also called the Response Fund. He said last
year, after much deliberation, the legislature passed SB 215 in the
form designated in the handout. He noted the law took effect
October 2, 1994.
MR. KANOUSE said originally a five cents per barrel surcharge was
collected and put into the General Fund for appropriation to the
Response Fund. The intent was to ultimately reach a $50 million
cap. He noted, however, because of the language in the former law,
there was difficulty in reaching the $50 million cap. He explained
that SB 215 provided a change providing for a split of the nickel,
with two cents being dedicated to reach the $50 million cap. Once
the cap is reached, the two cents collection will be suspended. He
stated it is anticipated the $50 million cap will be reached at the
end of March 1995.
REPRESENTATIVE BARNES said the 470 Fund has been in effect for a
number of years and it has been a short time since the fund began
the division of the surcharge. She felt the fact the $50 million
cap will be reached in March says something about what was
happening to the nickel a barrel previously.
Number 573
MR. KANOUSE stated the two cents is for emergency spill response
and the three cents is for ongoing spill prevention type
activities. He explained the three cents covers a spectrum of the
spill prevention response division activities, as well as other
agencies participating in spill response type of activities.
REPRESENTATIVE MACLEAN asked the total amount expected to be
collected in the prevention mitigation account for one year.
MR. BURDEN replied the projected flow cannot be predicted at this
point.
REPRESENTATIVE MACLEAN questioned what the total amount collected
to date is. She felt there are many problems the department has to
deal with and she is concerned about the storage tank assistance
fund.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN thought the amount would total approximately
$13-15 million.
MR. BURDEN commented that prevention efforts are the biggest and
most important aspect of the program DEC has. He said if the
interest in expanding the development of the oil and gas industry
is reviewed, the avoidance and preparedness for an accident is the
department's best defense in not having the problems and delays in
development which occurred following the Exxon Valdez spill.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN added that the committee, as well as the
legislature, feels prevention is better than trying to clean up and
there is no question that it is a justifiable use of the money. He
noted criticisms are due to misappropriations from the fund.
REPRESENTATIVE BARNES clarified the commissioner could not project
the amount the three cents surcharge would bring in. She wondered
if the commissioner is aware of how many barrels of oil go down the
pipeline daily.
MR. BURDEN replied approximately 1.5 million barrels a day.
REPRESENTATIVE BARNES stated if 1.5 million barrels a day go down
the pipeline a day and there is a three cents surcharge collected
on each barrel, it should not be too difficult to calculate the
total amount to be collected in a year.
Number 705
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN stated there have been changes in the fees DEC
charges, many of which have received negative reactions. He
wondered if there had been a projection on the user fees required
to cover DEC's operating costs.
MR. VERRELLI replied a savings will be appreciated in the reduced
overall budget. He said the air program, based on program receipts
and federal dollars coming into the state, should not have any
drawdown except for the matching part of the grant. With other
programs, there is some resistance to paying for a service.
TAPE 95-2, SIDE B
Number 000
MR. VERRELLI said many are used to getting services for free.
Therefore, there is a large resistance to pay a fee. He stressed
as funds available for these services decline, the only alternative
other than stopping the service is collecting fees.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN wondered if user fees will increase the need for
staffing or a shifting of responsibilities.
MR. VERRELLI responded that a core group will be developed to
handle the fees but added that with a consolidation of efforts, a
savings will be realized.
MR. BURDEN added that as the department sees expanded funds coming
in from other program receipts, it is possible a centralized
accounts receivable and billing function will be developed to
service all of the programs. Therefore, duplicated efforts will be
avoided.
REPRESENTATIVE ALAN AUSTERMAN recalled an earlier discussion on the
Clean Water Act. DEC took the regulations mandated by the federal
government and expanded on them. Now the department has gone back
and is now on a level basis with the federal government. He hoped
that was an indication that DEC will continue to evaluate the
programs and determine how far the regulations have gone from the
original intent. He asked Mr. Burden what his top priorities are
as commissioner of DEC.
Number 049
MR. BURDEN replied he has four top priorities but cannot rate them.
He noted the administration has established a high priority of
moving further along with the elimination of the honey bucket scene
in rural Alaska. He stressed that is a program the department will
vigorously support and attempt to expand. He said another high
priority is to improve the consistency and predictability of the
services provided by DEC. He felt it was important to avoid
situations where the regulated community is confronted with new
regulations and requirements, without having those communicated
adequately.
MR. BURDEN stated another priority is to have clearly defined
program objectives which the department can interact on with the
community and the legislature, enabling everyone to understand the
direction a certain program is going.
REPRESENTATIVE DAVIES wondered if the storage tank assistance
program is an area of concern with the department and asked if the
fund provided for the program is adequate. He said his question
also relates to the bulk fuel issue in rural Alaska and the
contaminated sites remediation issue.
Number 097
MR. BURDEN responded the bulk fuel storage issues facing Alaska are
enormous. The costs associated with addressing those problems
could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Although he did
not have specifics, he said in dealing with those issues, the
department must first focus on how to best protect the public's
health in areas that have deteriorated or deteriorating storage
facilities. Hopefully, the department will be able to determine
measures to prevent and mitigate further degradation of the water
supply in those communities. He stated in terms of contaminated
site remediation, he does not have a full appreciation of the scope
of that issue at this time.
REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN noted there is a lot of talk around the
capitol in regard to privatization. He asked if the department is
looking at areas within the department which may be privatized.
MR. BURDEN replied at this time he has not looked at anything
related to privatization. He felt privatization is an option which
has to be looked at in terms of the alternatives available when
trying to more efficiently do the job.
MR. VERRELLI stated in regard to the air program and the small
business assistance program, there will be consulting firms
performing much of the work. He said there are other areas, such
as inspections, where private people may be less expensive than
state employees. He added one of the reasons the laboratory is in
such poor financial shape is because of privatization. All of the
labs in the state doing drinking water samplings are taking
business away from the state.
REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN said he was confused as to why the
laboratory was built originally.
MR. VERRELLI responded the lab was built because the state is
required to have a laboratory fully capable of doing samples. He
added that EPA has a mirror image behind the state. If the state
fails, EPA is required to have a laboratory. He advised if the
state turns the program over to the federal government, it would be
more stringent and additional costs would be involved. He said the
state is allowed to operate below the national standards which is
a benefit. For that reason, privatization usually makes sense.
Number 179
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN wondered if the department might be able to
return to the committee in two to three months and review some of
these issues.
MR. BURDEN stated they could definitely talk to the committee with
a lot more authority at that time.
REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT OGAN said he was aware of several cases of
hostility by DEC towards certain businesses, including
inappropriate comments and actions and withholding food permits
without a normal hearing process. He noted DEC has a lot of
authority to shut down a business, which prevents a business from
recovering. He wondered if DEC is willing to look into the
problem. He felt the situation is self-defeating when the state is
trying to diversify its economy and an agency with a lot of
authority is putting people out of business, instead of working
with them to try and resolve the problem.
MR. BURDEN stressed the department needs to be aware of any
regulated entity which has been treated unfairly. He noted if an
inspector encounters a situation which poses an eminent threat to
the public health and safety, presently there is that authority to
stop the operation until the problem is corrected. He said the
manner in which that is done and communicated is important.
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN said the specific case he was referring to
involved a business who hired an attorney. The attorney was
attempting to show DEC the regulation and the fact that the
inspector was not following the regulation.
MR. BURDEN told Representative Ogan to contact him or someone in
the department and provide a brief description of the incident so
it could be reviewed.
Number 228
REPRESENTATIVE DAVIES stated a laboratory is required because the
state has the responsibility to certify the private sector labs.
As a consequence, the state laboratory has to maintain the
instrumentation in order to accomplish that certification. He
wondered if Alaska could use Washington State's labs to satisfy the
certification requirement, therefore eliminating the need to
maintain such an expensive array of instruments.
REPRESENTATIVE DAVIES agreed that privatization often results in
cost savings but not always. He stated in the case of the septic
tank certification program, it appears the state is getting double-
dipped. The private sector is getting their nickel and the state
is still charging an unreasonable amount for that stamp of approval
of the private sector inspection.
MR. BURDEN responded he is familiar with the situation. He added
that the department feels there are ways to address the situation
and eliminate the duplication.
REPRESENTATIVE MACLEAN questioned if the state laboratory is still
being used. She recalled last winter the lab froze up.
MR. BURDEN replied the laboratory is in operation and is very busy.
REPRESENTATIVE MACLEAN agreed that the laboratory should be
privatized and felt privatization would save the state dollars,
especially in light of the benefits involved.
Number 272
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN recalled the legislature had a painful two years
in connection with the 470 fund. He wondered in light of the costs
involved with a contingency plan, if DEC might be looking at
helping small entities who may contribute to a potential for a
spill, to either make the costs less or proportionate to a
potential spill. He stated the oil industry has a burden on them
through the 470 fund but there are other industries who may be
involved in a fineable offense such as cruise ships, harbors, etc.
He questioned whether other potential discharges might be charged
some sort of user fee or be required to file a contingency plan.
MR. BURDEN said he would add it to the growing list.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN observed this legislature is incensed with
requirements and mandates from the federal government and noted
many of DEC's requirements are an outgrowth of federal acts. He
wondered if there are other issues which may not have justification
or applicability for Alaska. If there are, he requested that DEC
bring those issues to the attention of the legislature.
REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN suggested privatization may be the answer
in regard to the bulk fuel tanks issue in the rural areas. He said
there is technology now available to add fuel tanks which are safe
and to regionally monitor those tanks.
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN encouraged DEC to develop a program to help
small businesses follow the law.
MR. BURDEN responded there is a small business assistance program
on the air side. He added one of the objectives in having
centralized permitting activities is to enable the department to
provide assistance to a broader range of permit applicants.
REPRESENTATIVE IRENE NICHOLIA wondered which division in DEC the
small business assistance program will fall under.
MR. BURDEN stated it will be under the Environmental Quality
Division.
Number 382
MR. VERRELLI introduced the staff present.
MR. BURNS told committee members the Facilities Construction and
Operation Division has three sections: Village Safe Water Program;
Municipal Grant and Loan Section; and Operations Section.
JOHN BARNETT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BOARD OF STORAGE TANK ASSISTANCE,
DEC, said he works with DEC in the Spill Prevention and Response
Division to address underground storage tank problems throughout
the state and the rural bulk fuel program.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN thanked the DEC staff for their presentation.
CO-CHAIRMAN GREEN informed committee members that meeting packets
will be available in Room 126 at 3:00 p.m. on the day prior to each
committee meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the House Resources
Committee, Co-Chairman Green adjourned the meeting at 9:20 a.m.
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