05/18/2004 12:05 PM Senate BUD

                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
        JOINT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE BUDGET AND AUDIT                                                                       
                          May 18, 2004                                                                                          
                           12:05 p.m.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Ralph Samuels, Chair                                                                                             
Representative Mike Chenault                                                                                                    
Representative Beth Kerttula                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Ben Stevens                                                                                                             
Senator Con Bunde                                                                                                               
Senator Lyman Hoffman                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Mike Hawker                                                                                                      
Representative Vic Kohring                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Senator Gene Therriault, Vice Chair                                                                                             
Senator Gary Wilken                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
WOODS MCKENZIE STUDY PURCHASE                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
WITNESS REGISTER                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                              
[No witnesses to report]                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
ACTION NARRATIVE                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
TAPE 04-5, SIDE A                                                                                                             
Number 0001                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  RALPH SAMUELS  called the  Joint Committee  on Legislative                                                             
Budget and Audit meeting to  order at 12:05 p.m.  Representatives                                                               
Samuels,  Chenault,  and  Kerttula,  and  Senators  Ben  Stevens,                                                               
Bunde, and Hoffman were present at the call to order.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
^WOODS MCKENZIE STUDY PURCHASE                                                                                                
                                                                                                                              
CHAIR SAMUELS briefly explained the  purpose of the meeting which                                                               
is to  purchase the  Wood-McKenzie study.   He  said it  was good                                                               
timing  for the  legislature to  be looking  at the  oil and  gas                                                               
issues found in the study.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BUNDE   said  he  thought   that  Alaska  Oil   and  Gas                                                               
Association (AOGA)  had handed out  a fact sheet that  listed the                                                               
costs of producing oil, but not  any other information.  He asked                                                               
if [the Wood-McKenzie  study] would be an expansion  of that fact                                                               
sheet.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SAMUELS  replied  that  he thinks  that  the  study  would                                                               
contain  added  information  about cost  comparisons  in  various                                                               
regions of the  world, as well as how much  the government "take"                                                               
is in those regions.  He stated  that the purpose of the study is                                                               
to gather more information.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BUNDE moved  that the  [Joint  Committee on  Legislative                                                               
Budget  and  Audit] authorize  [Chair  Samuels]  to purchase  the                                                               
Wood-McKenzie study for  an amount not to exceed  $50,000.  There                                                               
being no objection, it was so ordered.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KERTTULA asked  when a copy of the  study would be                                                               
available.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SAMUELS replied that he does  not have a specific date, but                                                               
thinks it will be done by the end of the year.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KERTTULA inquired if  the members of the committee                                                               
would be getting a copy of the previous study as well.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SAMUELS said, "We are going to try."                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KERTTULA requested that she be kept informed.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no  further business before the  committee, the Joint                                                               
Committee on Legislative Budget and Audit meeting was adjourned.