Legislature(2017 - 2018)SENATE FINANCE 532

03/12/2018 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+= SB 158 OIL/HAZARDOUS SUB.:CLEANUP/REIMBURSEMENT TELECONFERENCED
Moved SB 158 Out of Committee
+= HB 131 RELOCATION ASSISTANCE FOR FED. PROJ/PROG TELECONFERENCED
Moved HB 131 Out of Committee
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
                 SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE                                                                                       
                      March 12, 2018                                                                                            
                         9:01 a.m.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:01:31 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair MacKinnon called the Senate Finance Committee                                                                          
meeting to order at 9:01 a.m.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Senator Lyman Hoffman, Co-Chair                                                                                                 
Senator Anna MacKinnon, Co-Chair                                                                                                
Senator Click Bishop, Vice-Chair                                                                                                
Senator Peter Micciche                                                                                                          
Senator Donny Olson                                                                                                             
Senator Gary Stevens                                                                                                            
Senator Natasha von Imhof                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
None                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
ALSO PRESENT                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Kristin Ryan, Director, Division of Spill Prevention and                                                                        
Response,   Department   of   Environmental  Conservation;                                                                      
Representative Adam Wool, Sponsor.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SB 158    OIL/HAZARDOUS SUB.:CLEANUP/REIMBURSEMENT                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
          SB 158 was REPORTED out of committee with a "do                                                                       
          pass" recommendation and with one previously                                                                          
          published fiscal note: FN 1(DEC).                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
HB 131    RELOCATION ASSISTANCE FOR FED. PROJ/PROG                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
          HB 131 was REPORTED out  of committee with a "do                                                                      
          pass" recommendation and with one new zero fiscal                                                                     
          note from  the Department of  Transportation and                                                                      
          Public Facilities.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATE BILL NO. 158                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to  oil and hazardous substances and                                                                      
     waiver of cost recovery for containment and cleanup of                                                                     
     certain  releases;  and  providing for  an  effective                                                                      
     date."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:02:22 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair MacKinnon  outlined the  history of  the  bill in                                                                      
committee. She relayed that  the bill was previously heard                                                                      
in committee on March 8th, 2018.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:02:53 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KRISTIN RYAN,  DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF  SPILL PREVENTION AND                                                                      
RESPONSE, DEPARTMENT OF  ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, (DEC)                                                                      
recapped the highlights of the bill. She reported that the                                                                      
bill was  requested by the governor. The  bill would offer                                                                      
cost recovery  relief to homeowners  when they experienced                                                                      
releases of oil from their home heating oil tanks. Current                                                                      
statutes   require   the   Department   of   Environmental                                                                      
Conservation  (DEC) to  seek  complete  cost recovery  for                                                                      
cleaning up  the  spilled petroleum product.  She surmised                                                                      
that the  situation inhibited homeowners from  reporting a                                                                      
spill.   The  department   provided  "essential  technical                                                                      
assistance"  to  homeowners  who often  had  "very  little                                                                      
knowledge or experience" about how  to properly remedy the                                                                      
spill. She believed the legislation enabled the department                                                                      
to carry out the important work that benefitted the public.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:03:57 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Micciche wondered whether any national grant money                                                                      
was available to help recover the cleanup costs. He stated                                                                      
his support for the bill. Ms. Ryan replied in the negative.                                                                     
She clarified that the bill only addressed the department's                                                                     
costs for cleanup  and the homeowner was still responsible                                                                      
to pay other  costs associated with cleaning up the spill.                                                                      
She informed the  committee that the homeowner was charged                                                                      
$.095 cents  per gallon  of heating  fuel for  the state's                                                                      
cleanup expenses. She maintained that the homeowner already                                                                     
paid for the assistance through their heating oil bills.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Bishop MOVED  to REPORT SB  158 with individual                                                                      
recommendations and accompanying fiscal  note. There being                                                                      
NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                                
SB  158 was  REPORTED out  of committee  with a  "do pass"                                                                      
recommendation and  with  one previously  published fiscal                                                                      
note: FN 1(DEC).                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:05:55 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:09:45 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
HOUSE BILL NO. 131                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An  Act   relating  to   relocation  assistance  for                                                                      
     federally assisted public construction and improvement                                                                     
     projects and programs; and providing for an effective                                                                      
     date."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair MacKinnon indicated that  the bill was previously                                                                      
heard in committee on March 6th, 2018.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:10:41 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ADAM WOOL, SPONSOR, introduced himself, and                                                                      
addressed the  bill. He recounted  that HB 131  allowed an                                                                      
increase in the maximum relocation benefits available to a                                                                      
person  or  a  business  displaced  by  a  federally-funded                                                                     
highway, bridge, or facilities project.  He noted that the                                                                      
reimbursement amount was not updated in 30 years.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:11:20 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Bishop  MOVED to  REPORT HB 131  from committee                                                                      
with individual recommendations and  attached fiscal note.                                                                      
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
HB  131 was  REPORTED out  of committee  with a  "do pass"                                                                      
recommendation and with one new  zero fiscal note from the                                                                      
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:12:01 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:14:31 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair MacKinnon discussed the week's schedule.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:15:01 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The meeting was adjourned at 9:14 a.m.                                                                                          

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
SB 158; Waiver of cost recovery; Comment.pdf SFIN 3/12/2018 9:00:00 AM
SB 158