Legislature(2009 - 2010)BELTZ 211
02/12/2009 03:30 PM Senate COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB93 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| = | SB 93 | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
February 12, 2009
3:33 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Donald Olson, Chair
Senator Joe Thomas, Vice Chair
Senator Hollis French
Senator Linda Menard
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Albert Kookesh
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 93
"An Act relating to a municipal property tax credit for an
improvement that aids in improving air quality."
MOVED SB 93 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 93
SHORT TITLE: MUNICIPAL AIR QUALITY PROPERTY TAX CREDIT
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) PASKVAN
02/04/09 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/04/09 (S) CRA, FIN
02/10/09 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 211
02/10/09 (S) Heard & Held
02/10/09 (S) MINUTE(CRA)
02/12/09 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 211
WITNESS REGISTER
SENATOR JOE PASKVAN
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of SB 93.
NADINE WINTERS, Presiding Officer
Fairbanks North Star Borough
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to questions related to SB 93.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:33:43 PM
CHAIR DONALD OLSON called the Senate Community and Regional
Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:33 p.m. Present
at the call to order were Senators Menard, French, Thomas and
Olson.
SB 93-MUNICIPAL AIR QUALITY PROPERTY TAX CREDIT
3:34:06 PM
CHAIR OLSON announced the consideration of SB 93.
SENATOR PASKVAN, Sponsor of SB 93, said the bill is designed to
give municipalities a tool to improve air quality and meet the
PM 2.5 EPA standard. The consequences for non-compliance are
very negative. He deferred questions to Nadine Winters about the
Fairbanks North Star Borough's assessment of the affordability
of potentially granting tax credits. There has been discussion
about potentially losing Eielson Air Force Base for non-
compliance and he's heard about losing a brigade at Fort
Wainwright. Clearly the financial consequences to the community
with respect to being out of compliance with the PM 2.5 EPA
standards are significant.
3:36:40 PM
CHAIR OLSON asked if there have already been negative financial
consequences.
SENATOR PASKVAN replied that is his understanding, and those
will continue if there is no effort to come into compliance.
"The federal government has all sorts of hammers that they can
hit us with."
CHAIR OLSON questioned how a municipality could afford to give a
tax credit when budgets are shrinking and costs are rising.
3:37:45 PM
NADINE WINTERS, Presiding Officer, Fairbanks North Star Borough,
said it will be a difficult tradeoff, but in the long term it
will be an economic development issue. The municipality is
trying to get the tools to balance the needs of individual
residents and businesses with the overall physical and economic
health of the community.
CHAIR OLSON asked if she can confirm or deny that Fairbanks has
lost a military brigade because on non-compliance with the
particulate matter standard.
MS. WINTERS replied it's more a matter of not gaining a brigade
than having lost one. When there was discussion about brigade
placement, Fort Wainwright scored high on all categories but air
quality. "It's my understanding that that impacted that."
Several years ago Eielson Air Force Base came close to being
closed under BRAC (base realignment and closure). It is a
concern that if Fairbanks is a community of non-attainment that
will impact the stability of both bases. They are a huge
economic impact to the community.
SENATOR THOMAS asked about the language in lines 9 and 10. He
assumes that granting the credit for more than one year allows
flexibility and potentially less immediate impact on the
borough.
3:40:40 PM
SENATOR PASKVAN agreed; the idea is to give discretion to the
municipality, which is where the financial impact is felt.
SENATOR THOMAS referenced line 8 and asked if the municipality
would develop a definition for improved air quality.
SENATOR PASKVAN said yes. The examples of how a municipality
might define improvement include: 1) reducing fine particulate
emissions, 2) weatherizing commercial buildings and homes to
reduce fuel consumption and 3) converting to alternative energy
sources to reduce carbon emissions. All three would improve air
quality and hopefully bring Fairbanks within the EPA standards.
3:42:42 PM
CHAIR OLSON closed public testimony.
SENATOR THOMAS moved to report SB 93 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note. There being
no objection, it was so ordered.
3:43:27 PM
CHAIR OLSON adjourned the Senate Community and Regional Affairs
Standing Committee meeting at 3:43 pm.
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