Legislature(2009 - 2010)BUTROVICH 205
04/09/2009 02:30 PM Senate ENERGY
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB143 | |
| SJR7 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 143 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SJR 7 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ENERGY
April 9, 2009
2:45 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Lesil McGuire, Chair
Senator Albert Kookesh
Senator Bill Wielechowski
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Lyman Hoffman
Senator Bert Stedman
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 143
"An Act establishing the Greater Railbelt Energy and
Transmission Corporation and relating to the corporation;
relating to transition, financial plan, and reporting
requirements regarding planning for the initial business
operations of the Greater Railbelt Energy and Transmission
Corporation; relating to a report on legislation regarding the
Regulatory Commission of Alaska and the Greater Railbelt Energy
and Transmission Corporation; authorizing the Alaska Energy
Authority to convey the Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Project and
the Alaska Intertie to the Greater Railbelt Energy and
Transmission Corporation; and providing for an effective date."
HEARD AND HELD
SENATE JOINT RESOULTION NO. 7
Opposing a United Nations designation of the Arctic Ocean as a
World Heritage Site.
MOVED SJR 7 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 143
SHORT TITLE: RAILBELT ENERGY & TRANSMISSION CORP.
SPONSOR(S): RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
03/09/09 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/09/09 (S) ENE, RES, FIN
03/19/09 (S) ENE AT 11:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
03/19/09 (S) Heard & Held
03/19/09 (S) MINUTE(ENE)
BILL: SJR 7
SHORT TITLE: OPPOSE UN DESIGNATION OF ARCTIC OCEAN
SPONSOR(S): THERRIAULT
02/19/09 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/19/09 (S) ENE, RES
WITNESS REGISTER
JOE BALASH, Intergovernmental Coordinator
Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 143.
SENATOR GENE THERRIAULT
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of SJR 7.
DAVE STANCLIFF
Staff to Senator Therriault
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on SJR 7 for the sponsor.
ACTION NARRATIVE
2:45:25 PM
CHAIR LESIL MCGUIRE called the Senate Special Committee on
Energy meeting to order at 2:45 p.m. Senators Kookesh,
Wielechowski, and McGuire were present at the call to order.
SB 143-RAILBELT ENERGY & TRANSMISSION CORP.
2:45:54 PM
CHAIR MCGUIRE announced the consideration of SB 143.
JOE BALASH, Intergovernmental Coordinator, Department of Natural
Resources (DNR), said since the last hearing on this bill he has
worked with utility managers on a variety of modifications to
bring some comfort to their concerns. The bill lays out a two-
step process putting the corporation and the governance
structure in place developing a course for the Railbelt as a
region and then putting together transition and finance plans
to be completed and based on the findings of the integrated
resource plan that is now under way.
He said he had provided a lengthy amendment to enact those
changes in a CS. However, since that time a meeting of all six
utility boards in the Railbelt was convened and they decided
that they would like more input into the governance portion of
the process. As a result, he was expecting a letter from all of
them on the process they will see as the ideal makeup of the
governance structure. He expected that the boards will endorse
the Greater Railbelt Energy Transmission Corporation (GRETC)
proposal, but with a few more important details added. He asked
the committee to hold SB 143, so it could be worked on in the
Interim.
2:48:47 PM
MR. BALASH said the fiscal note is about the startup money for
the corporation much of which would go into identifying a
business location, housing employees, getting the various pieces
of technology in place - a control room, communication-type
centers and things like that. But much of that might be
unnecessary. A significant portion of that fiscal note would
have been used by the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) to do its
part in carrying the load in the transition and finance plan
development process this fall. These funds would still be very
necessary for them to stay on track for having everything ready
for next session. It would then be a one-step bill.
CHAIR MCGUIRE asked what figure he was thinking about.
MR. BALASH answered less than $1.5 million. The total fiscal
note is $6.7 million and that the Railbelt Energy Fund be used
as the funding source.
2:50:52 PM
CHAIR MCGUIRE said the committee looked forward to working with
Mr. Balash in the Interim on SB 143.
SJR 7-OPPOSE UN DESIGNATION OF ARCTIC OCEAN
2:52:16 PM
CHAIR MCGUIRE announced consideration of SJR 7.
SENATOR GENE THERRIAULT, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of
SJR 7, said it was introduced after his staff saw an article
relating how a group of top U.S. and Canadian scientists
proposed that an ice park be established under the auspices of
the U.N. in the Arctic to protect the critically shrinking
Arctic ice from further damage. It would preclude trans-Arctic
Ocean shipping, resource development and any increased human
activity in the Arctic. With the uncertainty of exactly what is
going on with the Polar Ice Cap, the resolution calls for not
taking the step of creating an Arctic Ocean ice park as a World
Heritage Site.
2:53:57 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked what happens when something is
designated as a World Heritage Site.
DAVE STANCLIFF, Staff, to Senator Therriault, Alaska State
Legislature said the Kluane area in Alaska and Canada is a World
Heritage Site extending across international boundaries. It
creates a multi-jurisdictional management regime that goes
across sometimes cultural but most often international
boundaries. There is a movement in this case to suggest that
such a multinational effort would be advantageous
environmentally. The problem is that all the countries of the
world are still asserting and wrangling over who owns what part
of the Arctic.
2:55:17 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI questioned if the U.N. designates Kluane as
a World Heritage Site, would that doesn't usurp any jurisdiction
or take away any rights from the United States.
SENATOR THERRIAULT answered his understanding is that World
Heritage Sites are agreed to be managed according to the rules
that are set up by the United Nations (U.N.) The U.N. cannot
take away Alaska's right to control the acreage; it's whether we
are willing to go into it. If any step were to freeze those
suggestions of who owns what, that might be a disadvantage to
the U.S. and to Alaska, being that it is the only state of the
United States that is in the Arctic.
2:56:59 PM
SENATOR KOOKESH moved to report SJR 7 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There
being no objection, the motion carried.
2:57:30 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
the meeting was adjourned at 2:57 p.m.
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