Legislature(1993 - 1994)
03/30/1993 09:03 AM Senate CRA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
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SENATE COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
March 30, 1993
9:03 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Randy Phillips, Chairman
Senator Robin Taylor, Vice Chairman
Senator Loren Leman
Senator Al Adams
Senator Fred Zharoff
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 164
"An Act relating to municipal incorporation,
reclassification, and dissolution."
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 25
Urging the federal government to recognize the dire water
and sanitation conditions in rural Alaska and to become a
full partner with this state in improving this
health-threatening situation.
PREVIOUS SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION
SB 164 - No previous action to record.
SJR 25 - No previous action to record.
WITNESS REGISTER
Darrol Hargraves, Chairman
Alaska Local Boundary Commission
AK Local Boundary Commission
333 W. 4th Ave., #220
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 164
Dan Bockhorst
Department of Community & Regional Affairs
333 W. 4th, #220
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Outlined suggested amendments to
SB 164
Russell Heath, Executive Director
Alaska Environmental Lobby
P.O. Box 22151
Juneau, AK 99802
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SJR 25
John Sandor, Commissioner
Department of Environmental Conservation
410 Willoughby Ave., Suite 105
Juneau, AK 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SJR 25
Senator Georgianna Lincoln
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SJR 25
Bruce Geraghty, Deputy Commissioner
Department of Community & Regional Affairs
P.O. Box 112100
Juneau, AK 99811-2100
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of SJR 25
Willie Goodwin, Mayor
Kotzebue, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SJR 25
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 93-17 , SIDE A
Number 001
The Senate Community & Regional Affairs Committee was called
to order by Chairman Randy Phillips at 9:03 a.m.
SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS introduced SB 164 (MUNICIPAL
INCORP/RECLASSIFICATION/DISSOLUTION) as the first order of
business.
Number 015
DARROLL HARGRAVES, Chairman of the Alaska Local Boundary
Commission testified from Ketchikan on the teleconference
network. He said the legislation addresses a series of
changes to Title 29 as suggested in the LBC's report to the
legislature.
Number 070
DAN BOCKHORST, Department of Community & Regional Affairs,
serving as staff to the LBC testified via teleconference
from Anchorage. He said the department has reviewed SB 164
and finds that it does address many of the issues which the
Local Boundary Commission raised in its 1992 report to the
legislature.
Mr. Bockhorst said a number of other issues have arisen
since the report was made and he would be forwarding a
letter to the committee outlining suggested changes to the
legislation. Included is adding provisions which discuss
and permit merger and consolidation of home rule
governments. Also, they recommend some minor housekeeping
amendments to the statute which they think are appropriate
or necessary in the course of their work on this matter.
Mr. Bockhorst said as SB 164 presently exists and with the
changes that the department is proposing, there is zero
impact as far as the department is concerned.
Number 225
FRANCES HALLGREN, a member of the Alaska Local Boundary
Commission, noted she was present in Sitka listening to
testimony on SB 164.
SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS said SB 164 would be held in
committee pending receipt of more information from Mr.
Bockhorst on further suggested changes to the legislation.
Number 235
SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS introduced SJR 25 (IMPROVE
WATER/SANITATION IN RURAL ALASKA) as the next order of
business.
RUSSELL HEATH, Executive Director, Alaska Environmental
Lobby, testifying in support of SJR 25, stated their
organization considers the deplorable drinking water and
sanitation conditions that exist in the rural communities of
Alaska to be one of the most egregious environmental
problems facing the state today. He said every effort must
be made to bring rural water and sanitation services up to
the same standards that urban Alaska and the rest of the
Nation expect and demand.
Mr. Heath criticized proposed budget cuts in the Department
of Environmental Conservation, saying that cuts are so deep
that its drinking water and solid waste programs are
threatened.
Number 275
JOHN SANDOR, Commissioner, Department of Environmental
Conservation, stated DEC's support for SJR 25. He related
that during the previous week, the Environmental Protection
Agency brought together 25 people from various federal
agencies in Washington, D.C. in support of dealing with
Alaska's water sanitation problems. He said the group will
be getting together again in four to six weeks and he
believes the state has a strong commitment from the EPA and
will be on the way to getting a partnership effort of
various federal agencies to deal with the situation.
Number 292
SENATOR ADAMS commended Commissioner Sandor for his efforts
in addressing the problems in rural Alaska, and said he is
probably the only commissioner that is working for the
betterment of Alaska.
Number 303
SENATOR LEMAN asked if it was likely that the state may be
able to get a match on the VSW projects on the order of $25
million a year, over beyond what the Public Health Service
is now investing in the state. COMMISSIONER SANDOR
responded that was their objective, and he has met with
Senator Stevens and he endorsed this proposal for $25
million each year for a five-year period. He pointed out
that this kind of investment over not just a five-year
period, but a 20-year period, is actually going to save
money in the reduction of the tremendous health costs
associated with the health problems. He added that the EPA
volunteered to be the lead federal agency in putting the
program together, and DEC would be the lead state agency,
working with DCRA and with the local communities.
Number 355
SENATOR GEORGIANNA LINCOLN voiced her support for SJR 25 and
stated the improvement of water and sanitation conditions in
rural Alaska has been one of her very top priorities in her
whole tenure in the legislature.
Senator Lincoln commended the Alaska Sanitation Task Force
on their report and final recommendations. One of their
recommendations was to develop new water and sewer
technologies, which are adaptable to conditions in rural
Alaska, by conducting field tests on innovative and
decentralized water and waste disposal technologies to
collect and analyze the housing related building and
infrastructure technology information from other states and
countries. She emphasized the importance of field tests to
see what works and what doesn't work in different parts of
Alaska. She also emphasized the importance of the training
and certification for maintenance workers at the rural
sites.
Senator Lincoln encouraged the legislature, DEC and the
federal government to work closely with the rural
communities throughout this entire effort. She stressed the
need to work with the communities to plan from the bottom up
on every project and program that is put in place for their
benefit.
Number 500
SENATOR TAYLOR asked Commissioner Sandor if his department
is applying for waivers for these people in the rural
communities so that a simple latrine ditch can be dug so
that we can start getting some better water and better sewer
conditions out there. COMMISSIONER SANDER responded that
the department is applying for and has received assurances
that they will be exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act
requirements and that they design systems for drinking water
and sewage that make sense in local communities.
Number 516
BRUCE GERAHTY, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Community
& Regional Affairs, stated the department's support for SJR
25, and said Commissioner Sandor has been doing an exemplary
job in making the federal government aware of the problems
in rural Alaska.
Number 525
SENATOR LEMAN referred to page 2, line 23 of the resolution
and suggested deleting the word "not" and replace the word
"successful" with "enhanced" and change the word "without"
to "with." He moved the suggested changes as Amendment No.
1.
On page 2 lines 32 and 33, as Amendment No. 2, he suggested
deleting the words "is necessary if" and replace with the
phrase "will enable accelerated transformation for" and then
delete the phrase" are to no longer to consigned to" and
insert the word "from."
TAPE 93-17, SIDE B
Number 010
There was brief discussion on Senator Leman's proposed
amendments. COMMISSIONER SANDOR stated his support for the
changes, saying that what we really are after is an
enhancement of what we are doing in this state. SENATOR
ZHAROFF said he thought the changes watered the section down
and thought it should be left as is in order to send a
strong message. He added that a state that spends $2.5
billion a year on an operating budget and still has the
deplorable conditions that we have in our rural communities
is totally unacceptable.
Number 055
SENATOR LEMAN moved the adoption of Amendment No. 1 Senator
Adams objected. A hand vote was taken with the following
result: Senators Leman and Phillips voted "Yea"; Senators
Adams, Taylor and Zharoff voted "Nay." The Chair stated the
motion failed.
SENATOR LEMAN moved and asked unanimous consent that
Amendment No. 2 be adopted. Hearing no objection, the
motion carried.
Number 075
WILLIE GOODWIN, Mayor of Kotzebue, voiced his support for
SJR 25. He said currently, raw sewage, in some cases, is
being mixed with chemicals which they didn't have years ago.
In some cases, it is being dumped by the rivers. DEC does
have the ability to give permits to municipalities to dump
secondary sewage. They do it in Kotzebue because their
sewer lagoon is overflowing every year.
Mr. Goodwin also said landfills are posing a health hazard
in the communities. In the last forty years, Kotzebue has
moved its dump three times. He said there are other
communities in the state that have a landfill problem and
EPA is coming down hard on them, and it is very difficult
for the smaller communities to be able to even manage their
own dumps.
Mr. Goodwin said his community has worked as a partnership
with the federal government and with the state government in
the past and they have been successful.
Number 130
SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS proposed a conceptual amendment which
would add sending copies of the resolution to heads of the
various federal agencies involved in the effort. SENATOR
TAYLOR moved that Hillary Clinton be added to that list and
that the conceptual amendment be adopted. Hearing no
objection, the motion carried.
Number 145
SENATOR TAYLOR moved that SJR 25, as amended, be passed out
of committee with individual recommendations. Hearing no
objection, it was so ordered.
There being no further business to come before the
committee, the meeting was adjourned at 10:05 a.m.
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