01/17/2024 01:00 PM House RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB169 | |
| HB177 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 177 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 169 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
January 17, 2024
1:02 p.m.
DRAFT
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Tom McKay, Chair
Representative George Rauscher, Vice Chair
Representative Thomas Baker
Representative Kevin McCabe
Representative Dan Saddler
Representative Stanley Wright
Representative Jennie Armstrong
Representative Donna Mears
Representative Maxine Dibert
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Jesse Sumner
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 169
"An Act relating to certain fish; and establishing a fisheries
rehabilitation permit."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 177
"An Act relating to critical and essential minerals and the
global energy transition."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 169
SHORT TITLE: FISHERIES REHABILITATION PERMIT/PROJECT
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) CRONK
04/24/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
04/24/23 (H) FSH, RES
04/25/23 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120
04/25/23 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
04/27/23 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120
04/27/23 (H) Heard & Held
04/27/23 (H) MINUTE(FSH)
05/08/23 (H) RES WAIVED PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE, RULE
23(A)
05/08/23 (H) FSH AT 9:00 AM GRUENBERG 120
05/08/23 (H) Moved CSHB 169(FSH) Out of Committee
05/08/23 (H) MINUTE(FSH)
05/09/23 (H) FSH RPT CS(FSH) 5DP 1NR
05/09/23 (H) DP: MCCABE, STUTES, MCCORMICK,
CARPENTER, VANCE
05/09/23 (H) NR: HIMSCHOOT
05/10/23 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
05/10/23 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
05/12/23 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
05/12/23 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
01/17/24 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
BILL: HB 177
SHORT TITLE: CRITICAL NATURAL MINERALS PLAN AND REPORT
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) SADDLER
04/24/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
04/24/23 (H) RES, FIN
01/17/24 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
WITNESS REGISTER
MIKE CRONK
Alaska State Legislature
Tok, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of HB 169
DAVE STANCLIFF, Staff
Representative Mike Cronk
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
Gave the sectional analysis for HB 169.
FLIP PRYOR
Aquaculture Section Chief, Division of Commercial Fisheries
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT:
JOE FELKL
Legislative Liaison
Tok, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT:
KATIE MCCALL
Staff to Rep. Saddler
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave the sectional analysis on HB 177 on
behalf of Representative Saddler, Prime Sponsor.
BRENT SHEETS
Director, Petroleum Development Lab, University of Alaska
Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT:
KAREN MATTHIAS
Executive Director, Alaska Metal Mines
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT:
DEANTHA SKIBINSKI
Executive Director, Alaska Miners Association
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT:
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:02:06 PM
CHAIR TOM MCKAY called the House Resources Standing Committee
meeting to order at 1:02 p.m. Representatives McCabe, Baker,
Saddler, Wright, Mears, Armstrong, and Dibert were present at
the call to order. Representative Rauscher arrived as the
meeting was in progress.
HB 169-FISHERIES REHABILITATION PERMIT/PROJECT
1:03:33 PM
CHAIR MCKAY announced that the first order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 169, "An Act relating to certain fish; and
establishing a fisheries rehabilitation permit." [Before the
committee was CSHB 169(FSH).]
1:04:19 PM
MIKE CRONK, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor, read the
sponsor statement for HB 169 [original punctuation provided]:
This legislation would allow individuals, Alaskan
corporations, school districts or other organizations
to apply for a fish rehabilitation permit through the
Dept. Fish & Game. If the commissioner grants a
permit, the individuals, Alaskan corporations, school
districts or other organizations would be allowed to
collect a limited number of fish, fertilize and hatch
the eggs and then place the un-fed natural fish back
into the water where they were taken. This will boost
the survival rate of the fertilized eggs to emergent
fry stage from around 5 percent to roughly 90 percent.
Similar types of fish rehabilitation permits are
already allowed by the department for scientific
research or other educational purposes, but these
purposes are limited and thus the data collection,
fish rehabilitation projects and fish population
information is limited. This bill allows the private
sector and the department to work together in a
responsible collaborative effort to increase the
natural salmon populations and scientific data
collection throughout the state.
This legislation will be one more tool that can be
used to ensure that we both today and, in the future,
maximize our resources as stated in our state
constitution. Thus, Alaskans will benefit from
Alaska's natural fish resources to help feed our
families.
1:06:32 PM
DAVE STANCLIFF, Staff, Representative Mike Cronk, Alaska State
Legislature, went through the changes in CSHB 169: Section 1,
subsections a-j; Section 2, subsection e; and Section 3.
1:10:02 PM
CHAIR MCKAY invited questions from the committee for
Representative Cronk.
1:10:09 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked Representative Cronk to define what
are "existing propagating permits".
1:10:33 PM
MR. STANCLIFF explained that the permit is a new program that
would not conflict with any existing program. He said the idea
of HB 169 is to enhance salmon reproduction by 85 percent.
1:11:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER pointed to page five and inquired if the
plan is very expensive or elaborate and what would it take to
make it happen.
1:12:12 PM
MR. STANCLIFF replied the plan would be very fluid to maximize
the returns [of fish]. He pointed out the school districts get
involved to help teach students where salmon come from and how
to make more of them.
1:12:47 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER asked for more clarity about the plan
and how it relates to HB 169.
1:12:56 PM
MR. STANCLIFF answered that he tried to address the question
from Representative Rauscher but may have misunderstood.
1:13:05 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER said that he still didn't understand the
plan and asked Mr. Stancliff for an explanation of how the plan
would work.
1:13:18 PM
CHAIR MCKAY announced that staff from the Alaska Department of
Fish & Game was available to answer questions.
1:13:55 PM
FLIP PRYOR, Aquaculture Section Chief, Division of Commercial
Fisheries, of Alaska Department of Fish & Game introduced
himself to the committee and remained available for questions.
JOE FELKL, Legislative Liaison, Alaska Department of Fish & Game
introduced himself to the committee and remained available for
questions.
1:14:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER wanted more clarity on the plan and what
it would take to accomplish.
1:14:49 PM
MR. PRYOR directed the committee to the last page of HB 169 that
describes how existing regional hatcheries would continue with
current management plans and incorporate local knowledge into
the plan.
1:15:43 PM
CHAIR MCKAY asked Alaska Department of Fish & Game legislative
liaison, Mr. Felkl, to field the question.
1:15:48 PM
MR. FELKL described the last section of HB 169 as a conforming
amendment to existing regional salmon plans and rehabilitation
plans already in place.
1:16:17 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS asked if a permit isn't issued in a certain
amount of time, then it does not come into effect. She also
asked if a number of permits came in, would the Alaska
Department of Fish & Game be able to keep up with granting those
permit applications.
1:17:02 PM
MR. PRYOR indicated each application is judged by its' own merit
and multiple applications in the same spot would be analyzed by
this brood-stock each year of the returning salmon. He said
these factors would be taken into consideration during permit
review.
1:17:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS followed up with a comment that her
children went through the Anchorage school district with the
Fish-in-School-project by Alaska Department of Fish & Game.
1:18:07 PM
MR. PRYOR reiterated HB 169 would be an extension of the current
aquatic resources and the same processes for evaluation.
1:18:27 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE HB 169 is quite different than a regular
hatchery. He understood the genesis of the legislation arose
from an individual with a five-gallon bucket that began stocking
his own stream with fertilized salmon eggs in gravel bars.
Representative McCabe reassured the members that HB 169 would
work in concert with the existing hatcheries around the state
and would not serve as a mechanism to release too many eggs into
a spawning system.
1:19:52 PM
MR. PRYOR affirmed each regional hatchery has a plan for salmon
enhancement that would fall under the same umbrella as the HB
169 legislation.
1:20:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE observed that the difference between the
[five-gallon] "bucket plan" and a hatchery is this plan would
take fish eggs from the river and redeposit them back into the
same river.
1:21:17 PM
MR. PRYOR maintained another level of oversight is a permit for
fish transport and where they go. He said the difference is
that a permit is not necessary for the program proposed in HB
169.
1:22:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE said the "bucket plan" would seem to be
closer to nature with the limit of 500,000 eggs per person
instead of releasing eggs from all over the place into different
rivers.
1:23:01 PM
MR. PRYOR replied, yes.
1:23:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked for a primer on the different kinds
of permits for fish hatcheries.
1:23:46 PM
MR. PRYOR replied there is currently an aquatic resource permit
limited to vegetational facilities; the other permit is for
[undiscernible] project. He said HB 169 would assess
rehabilitation projects which aren't currently the focus of
Alaska Department of Fish & Game.
1:24:52 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked why the permits [undiscernible].
1:25:08 PM
MR. PRYOR replied it is all in the incubation period--after eggs
are fertilized, they are protected using streamside,
temperature-controlled incubator boxes safe from predators and
freezing conditions.
1:25:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER appreciated the sponsor's goals due to
the dire state of the salmon fisheries in Alaska.
1:26:00 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS if the fiscal note cost of roughly $48,000
per year is for the processing of permits.
1:26:19 PM
MR. FELKL affirmed that the fiscal note allows for one part-time
biologist to be stationed in Juneau.
1:26:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS had a science question and asked if there
are other things to consider on a small-scale with HB 169.
1:26:59 PM
MR. PRYOR replied, HB 169 is addressing egg and fry survival;
most places in Alaska where salmon are struggling are not due to
a habitat issue similar to the south, HB 169 would increase the
number of fry into the spawning system to enhance habitat.
1:27:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE BAKER followed Representative Mears' comment
regarding the fiscal note that was coming out of the
unrestricted general fund. He wondered if the position could be
repurposed into an existing position at Alaska Department of
Fish & Game due to staff shortages in recent years.
1:28:21 PM
MR. FELKL said the statewide aquaculture permitting and planning
section has been reduced in past years. He said the Alaska
Department of Fish & Game has looked at other options and it was
determined that a part-time position is needed to do the
additional work.
1:28:45 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT said she was curious if this [program] was
happening elsewhere and if we can learn from other states across
the nation.
1:29:05 PM
MR. PRYOR was unfamiliar with other states but said it was
similar to aquatic resource permits that have been issued to the
Auke Bay Laboratory that produced fish over a 3-year period.
1:29:44 PM
CHAIR MCKAY invited Representative Cronk back to the testifiers
table to answer further questions.
1:30:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked Representative Cronk to elaborate on
how far salmon have to travel up the Yukon River to spawn and
why HB 169 is necessary for the Alaska Native community
subsistence, culture, and day-to-day existence. He used another
example from the Salcha River in the Interior that has one of
the highest Chinook salmon returns.
1:30:51 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK said the Yukon River is a really long river
with a lot of obstacles for salmon. He reported the Yukon River
is noticing the lowest returns of salmon in history and
fisherman haven't been able to subsistence-fish for Chinook in
three years with only a little fishing for Chum salmon. He
reemphasized the program design in HB 169 would essentially
double the salmon returns that are happening today. He insisted
in years past he had seen pictures of 40-60 lbs. female Chinook
in Eagle with a substantial amount of eggs, however the fish
returning in the last few years, have been much smaller with
fewer eggs. He said the essence of HB 169 is to return more fry
to the rivers. He said the most important fish--is the fish on
the table--HB 169 aims to continue that lifeway.
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK used the Gulkana Hatchery as a global
example that has produced millions of salmon in the Gulkana and
Copper Rivers that have reached the international market.
1:33:29 PM
CHAIR MCKAY invited closing comments.
1:33:35 PM
REPRESENATIVE CRONK appreciated the time and stated that Alaska
is at a crossroads and needs to do something and anything that
can benefit the fishery.
1:34:15 PM
CHAIR MCKAY thanked staff and set an amendment deadline for
January 22, 2024.
CHAIR MCKAY announced that HB 169 was held over.
1:34:39 PM
CHAIR MCKAY took a brief at-ease.
HB 177-CRITICAL NATURAL MINERALS PLAN AND REPORT
1:37:57 PM
CHAIR MCKAY announced the final order of business would be HOUSE
BILL NO. 177, "An Act relating to critical and essential
minerals and the global energy transition." He said this is the
first hearing on HB 177 in House Resources and there would be
invited testimony with the intent to hold the bill in committee
until the following week.
1:38:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER, as prime sponsor, introduced HB 177 the
critical and essential minerals legislation. He offered HB 177
as a means for Alaska to be the lead in providing critical and
essential minerals to the global market. He defined "essential
minerals", as those that are necessary for industry and national
defense; "critical minerals" are limited and don't have enough
of or don't have reliable or a secure source of. He provided
examples of essential minerals like: copper; tin; gold; zinc;
graphite; lead; and silver. He also identified several more,
lesser-known, essential minerals such as: molybdenum and
chromium. He read the rest of the sponsor state [original
punctuation provided]:
These minerals are fundamental components of many of
today's ubiquitous technologies, such as computers and
household appliances. To keep our economy and our day-
to-day lives moving forward, we need to ensure we have
a plan for accessing these critical resources.
Demand for critical and essential minerals has
increased in recent years and is likely to continue
to increase, possibly exponentially as the demand
for renewable energy sources grows. Critical and
essential minerals are a key element of many emerging
energy technologies, ranging from electric vehicles to
solar panels.
What's more, critical and essential minerals are also
increasingly essential components of the high-
technology industrial processes and weapons systems
that play increasingly important roles in maintaining
a strong national defense.
Currently, China is home to most of the global market
for processing and refining critical minerals, which
has concerning implications for the health of our
nation's economy, and the strength of our nation's
armed services and defense capabilities. It is vitally
important that our nation be able to reliably produce
such minerals and use them to manufacture technology-
forward products and systems.
HB 177 helps meet that imperative. It directs the
Alaska government to assess the state's potential as
an alternative source of these minerals, identify
strategies to attract industry investment, and review
the possible impacts of potential regulatory regimes.
This proposal has the potential to not only decrease
our reliance on imported critical minerals, but also
increase investment in Alaska's natural resource
industry.
Alaska has an opportunity to position itself as a
competitive source of critical and essential minerals
in the global supply chain. HB 177 requires the
Departments of Natural Resources and Commerce,
Community, and Economic Development to provide the
information that industry experts and state officials
need to take the next steps toward making Alaska a
globally competitive source of critical and essential
minerals.
1:42:41 PM
KATIE MCCALL, Staff to Rep. Saddler, on behalf of Representative
Saddler, gave the sectional analysis for HB 177 as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
Section 1, Subsection (a) Page 1, Lines 3-15 & Page
2, Lines 1-4
Subsection (a) of HB 177 adds a new section of
uncodified law to direct the Office of the Governor to
develop a plan for the state to encourage exploration,
production, and refining of the minerals needed to
support emerging renewable energy technologies.
The plan must specifically identify strategies to
attract industry investment and position the state's
critical mineral production at the center of U.S.
production and manufacturing initiatives employing
critical minerals. The plan must also review the
impacts of various regulatory frameworks on mineral
development.
Section 1, Subsection (b) Page 2, Lines 5-18
Subsection (b) of HB 177 directs the Department of
Natural Resources to provide a report to the
Legislature by the start of the legislative session in
January 2026 that compares the state's current mineral
production and potential future production to national
and global production of critical and essential
minerals.
The report must identify strategies to increase
industry exploration and state production of critical
and essential minerals in the next three, five, and 10
years. The report must also compare the state's
permitting timelines and exploration incentives to
those in other jurisdictions.
The department may consult with other state and
federal agencies, the University of Alaska, industry
representatives, and advocacy organizations to compile
the required information for the report.
Section 1, Subsection (c) Page 2, Lines 19-31 & Page
3, Line 1
Subsection (c) of HB 177 directs the Department of
Commerce, Community, and Economic Development to
provide a report to the Legislature by the start of
the legislative session in January 2026
that identifies the state's role in the global energy
transition. The report must include the potential role
of Alaska's mineral resources in the supply chain for
electric batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and
consumer devices.
The department may consult with the appropriate state
and federal agencies to compile the required
information for the report.
The report must include the value of the state's
location in the global supply chain and identify
strategies for in-state innovation, manufacturing, and
transportation for the next three, five, and 10 years.
1:45:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ARMSTRONG was curious why working with local
communities wasn't explicitly written into the HB 177 draft.
1:46:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER believed it was written into HB 177 from
existing system of legislation but did not see any reason to
leave out language that included input from local communities.
1:46:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ARMSTRONG followed up with the suggestion of
adding, "other relevant products that may come up" into HB 177.
1:47:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER said he thought it was a good idea in
order to keep up with the rate of technology.
1:47:41 PM
CHAIR MCKAY opened invited testimony on HB 177.
1:48:15 PM
BRENT SHEETS, Director, Petroleum Development Lab, University of
Alaska Fairbanks, joined invited testimony via Teams. He
explained they are heavily involved in resources issues in
addition to petroleum. He informed the committee that the lab
is involved in carbon capture and sequestration, small-scale
coal technology, and rare-earth mineral projects. He updated
the committee that the petroleum engineering program is
transitioning to the energy resources engineering program.
1:49:34 PM
MR. SHEETS moved to slide 2, titled "Mineral Resources," with a
map showing current mines and advanced mineral exploration
projects with potential mines highlighted in red. He also
emphasized the partnership between the University of Alaska
Fairbanks (UAF) and the Division of Geological and Geophysical
Surveys (DGGS). He imparted Alaska has numerous untapped
mineral resources that could be developed. He cited the recent
finds of world-class Germanium and Gallium deposits in Ray
River, near the Yukon River, which would be attractive for the
state to lease to developers.
1:51:41 PM
MR. SHEETS moved to slide 3, titled "Background-Alaska's
Critical Mineral Potential," that displayed a bar chart of the
underdeveloped critical minerals in Alaska. He said Alaska has
the potential to supply most of the commodities shown on the
graph, especially zinc, which Alaska in leads market production
thanks to Red Dog Mine.
1:53:06 PM
MR. SHEETS advanced to slide 4, titled "Applications/Products,"
that proposed the use of these minerals for magnetic products,
metal alloys, defense mechanisms, catalysts, glass and polishing
compounds, ceramics and phosphors.
1:53:50 PM
MR. SHEETS described slide 5, titled "Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, &
Critical Minerals," which outlined the vision to bring Alaska's
Carbon Ore, Rare Earth-Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) into
perspective and echo the mission to establish a CORE-CM industry
in Alaska by working with industry and other stakeholders to
identify opportunities and address challenges.
1:54:45 PM
MR. SHEETS moved to slide 6, titled "Budget By Phase" outlined
three phase of how to compete with China. He posited, Phase 1
is a planning period, Phase 2 and 3 will be a cost challenge but
with the partnership and funding with DGGS, UAF can count on an
in-kind match. He stressed the importance of that partnership
and suggested bringing in the Department of Environmental
Conservation for additional input.
1:56:30 PM
MR. SHEETS moved to slide 7, titled "Overview," that outlined
the Department of Energy and equivalent UAF/DGGS tasks such as
[original punctuation provided]: Task 2: Basinal Assessments;
Task 3: Waste Stream Reuse; Task 4: Strategies for
Infrastructure, Industries and Businesses, Task 5 Technology
Assessment, Development and Field Testing; Task 6: AK-TIC and
Task 7: Stakeholder Outreach and Education.
He pointed out that rare earth elements (REE) are not that rare,
but they are difficult to mine economically.
2:02:53 PM
MR. SHEETS moved to slide 8, titled "REE Value Chain," that
illustrates the progress of value from exploration, to mining,
to on-site concentrations, to separation, to metal making and
finally, alloy production.
2:05:15 PM
MR. SHEETS moved to slide 9, titled "Additional Assets,"
highlighting additional resources from DGGS such as: ICP-MS
installation, hyperspectral imaging, an advanced instrumentation
laboratory, bioreactors to separate elements from ores without
the use of acids, and the UAS/UAF effort to expand mining
training.
2:07:15 PM
CHAIR MCKAY thanked Mr. Sheets and expressed his excitement
about the subject matter especially for those having visited
Iceland and toured the energy infrastructure of that country.
2:08:21 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS asked Mr. Sheets if there were requirements
for continuing through the phases that would need support from
the legislature.
2:08:48 PM
MR. SHEETS replied the main one would be able to meet matching
funds with DGGS to progress through all of the phases of the
budget. He said the department has a 20 percent cost match.
2:10:05 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS noticed there wasn't a fiscal note with HB
177.
2:10:31 PM
MS. McCALL replied to Representative Mears there are two fiscal
notes with the HB 177 legislation.
2:10:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT directed her comment towards Mr. Sheets
and expressed her excitement and where HB 177 is heading. She
asked specifically about the critical minerals in Ray River; if
the communities and workforce have a bridge between them to
provide local jobs moving forward.
2:12:18 PM
CHAIR MCKAY invited more questions; seeing none, he introduced
the next presenter Ms. Karen Matthias.
2:13:03 PM
KAREN MATTHIAS*, Executive Director*, Alaska Metal Mines*,
Anchorage, Alaska {testified in support of HB 177.} She
reiterated the increasing demand for essential and critical
metals in several sectors of the economy. She warned imports
from adversarial countries are a risk, therefore, the United
States need more domestic mineral production and Alaska should
be part of the solution. She contended the term, "critical
minerals", are defined differently by DGGS, DNR and other
departments and change through time. Ms. Matthias pointed out
the copper is not on the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
critical mineral list as an example opposed to the United States
Department of Energy. Ms. Matthias emphasized the amount of
copper needed to produce clean energy is insufficient to meet
the federal government goals. In addition, Ms. Matthias
highlighted the rich goal and silver deposits in Alaska.
2:15:30 PM
MS. MATTHIAS said there are only a small number of mines which
have economic challenges to develop; she suggested a diverse
mining economy for the state to succeed. Ms. Matthias advocated
for HB 177 to encourage investment, exploration, and production.
2:17:57 PM
DEANTHA SKIBINSKI*, Executive Director, Alaska Miners
Association*, Anchorage, Alaska {introduced herself to the
committee.}
2:20:33 PM
CHAIR MCKAY invited questions from the committee for Ms.
Skibinski.
2:20:42 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked Ms. Skibinski about the weather in
Big Lake today.
2:20:53 PM
MS. MATTHIAS answered the weather was cold but not as cold as
the Lower 48.
2:21:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE appreciated this suggestion for the change
from transition to expansion and would offer it as an amendment.
2:21:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER was amenable to Representative McCabe's
amendment and offered the term, "energy addition" as an
alternative.
2:21:50 PM
CHAIR MCKAY invited online testimony but there was none. He
then asked Mr. Sheets to further explain slide 6, "Budget By
Phase" expenditures and asked if he was looking for funds from
the legislature.
2:23:13 PM
MR. SHEETS said the slide pointed out what the "DOE" should be.
He attested the State will have to contribute a $1.7 million
match in order to meet the proposed 20 percent requirement.
2:24:53 PM
CHAIR MCKAY concluded the budget subcommittee work on DNR, we
will look under DGGS budget.
2:25:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE BAKER asked Mr. Sheets or the HB 177 sponsor
[Representative Saddler] how landowners will be incorporated and
wanted to make sure local traditional ecological knowledge is
being put into it the legislation.
2:26:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER answered DNR has worked very well with
local communities, listened to input from tribal organizations
and was confident those voices have been heard and incorporated.
2:27:25 PM
CHAIR MCKAY thanked the committee, set the amendment deadline
for 12:00 p.m. Monday January 22, 2024 and will hold HB 177 in
committee for further consideration.
2:28:22 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Resources Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:28 p.m.