Legislature(2001 - 2002)
01/03/2002 09:00 AM Senate TRA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
January 3, 2002
9:00 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator John Cowdery, Chair
Senator Gary Wilken (via teleconference)
Senator Kim Elton
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Jerry Ward, Vice Chair
Senator Robin Taylor
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Senator Loren Leman
Senator Ben Stevens
Representative Ken Lancaster
Representative Fred Dyson
Representative Scott Ogan
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
WORKSHOP ON THE TRANSPORTATION NEEDS IN UPPER COOK INLET
WITNESS REGISTER
Mr. Pat Gamble
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Alaska Railroad Corporation
PO Box 107500
Anchorage, AK 99510-7500
Mr. Allan Christopherson
Peratrovich Nottingham & Drage Inc.
th
1506 W 36 Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99503
Mr. John Tolley
Central Region
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
PO Box 196900
Anchorage, AK 99519-6900
Mr. Paul Fuhs
Cook Inlet Region Incorporated
Anchorage, AK
Mr. Bill Sheffield, Director
Port of Anchorage
PO Box 196650
Anchorage, AK 99519
Ms. Sarah Palin, Mayor
City of Wasilla
290 East Herning Ave.
Wasilla, AK 99654
Mr. Steve Boardman
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
CEPOA-PM Box 898
Anchorage, AK 99506
Mr. Bill Deaver
Totem Ocean Trailer Express
2511 Tidewater Rd.
Anchorage, AK
Mr. Frank Pete
CSX Lines
Anchorage, AK
Ms. Anna Fairclough, Legislative Liaison
Municipality of Anchorage Assembly
PO Box 196650
Anchorage, AK 99519
Mr. Frank Dillon
Alaska Truckers Association
3443 Minnesota Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99501
Mr. Mike Kreiber
House Transportation Committee Aide
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 02-1, SIDE A
Number 001
CHAIRMAN JOHN COWDERY called the Senate Transportation Committee
meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Present were Senators Kim Elton
and Gary Wilken (via teleconference). Other legislators present
were Senators Ben Stevens and Loren Leman and Representative Ken
Lancaster. Chairman Cowdery informed participants that he
scheduled the meeting to discuss whether a regional planning
authority and/or task force should be formed. He asked for
participant input and noted the Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities (DOTPF) has submitted a proposal to form an ad
hoc regional planning committee. He discussed his trip to the U.
S. Army Corps of Engineers' facility in Vicksburg and informed
members the Corps of Engineers will need authority to increase
the scope of the Cook Inlet study to include all proposed
projects.
MR. PAT GAMBLE, CEO of the Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC),
addressed the committee and made the following points about a
regional plan:
· although most participants agree that a regional planning
authority is a good idea, working out the specifics, for
example, defining the region itself, will not be easy;
· as a proponent of "effects based thinking," the operative
word needs to be transportation rather than geography;
· the nodes of transportation should be defined according to
activity level to determine the geography of the region.
He cautioned that the biggest difficulty confronting such a group
will be to stick to the purpose and focus on the nodes and modes
of transportation that have the potential to contribute the most
to state development, the economy and the "tie-in" that is
needed. He added that communication systems often exist along
transportation corridors so they will be a consideration.
MR. FRANK DILLON, Alaska Trucking Association (ATA), said ATA
advocates a regional planning concept because of the
interconnectedness of Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough
and the Kenai Peninsula. He felt the following must be done:
· the region will have to be defined;
· transportation needs have to be analyzed;
· the feasibility of projects given financial constraints must
be reviewed;
· the plan must be marketed to the public so that the public
has input at the outset; and
· the benefits of regional planning must be marketed to the
rest of the state because of the efficiencies that will be
gained.
MR. ALLAN CHRISTOPHERSON recounted the highlights of the trip he
and Chairman Cowdery took to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
facility at Vicksburg, an engineering research and development
center (ERDC) that does both military and civilian projects. They
were given tours of both indoor and outdoor model areas, labs
that do remedial ground testing where engineers are learning how
to use electricity to extract or isolate certain contaminants
from the ground, and a lab that is doing studies on zebra
mussels, they saw a project using natural predators for
vegetation control and a presentation of a modeling study done on
Grays Harbor, Washington.
MR. STEVE BOARDMAN, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, explained that
the Corps of Engineers is working on several projects in the Cook
Inlet area: modification of water depth at the Port of Anchorage;
a potential causeway at port facilities at Fire Island; and a
physical model of the Port of Anchorage area to study the
dynamics and potential changes caused by expansion.
MR. PAUL FUHS, representing Cook Inlet Region Incorporated
(CIRI), informed committee members that the Vicksburg facility
was used when the Port of Nome facility was designed. The Corps
of Engineers built a 1.3-acre model of the Port of Nome with the
new causeway and the re-routed river. The ocean bottom was
modeled with the literal drift and river sedimentation and
engineers simulated past storms to test the design. He suggested
making the videos available to the public to answer some of their
questions.
MR. BOARDMAN said the Corps of Engineers is initially looking at
the Port of Anchorage but will expand the study as far out in
Cook Inlet as possible. NOAA is working on instrumentation to
deal with currents and tidal heights. That instrumentation will
be paired up with existing facilities in Seward. He suggested
investigating whether Congress might consider funding a regional
study so that decisions regarding infrastructure can be made. At
present, the Corps of Engineers is funded on a project basis.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY agreed that the entire transportation network
should be looked at.
MR. FUHS explained that CIRI owns Fire Island, a possible
deepwater port site in Anchorage that could be used for
industrial development. He cautioned that the authority of the
different players is in place and cannot be changed, i.e., port
authorities fall under the control of municipalities. He pointed
out that a task force formed last year to deal with oil spill
contingency plans was very successful, primarily because the
private sector and regulated community were involved. A new task
force would be taken seriously if its goal is to describe all
projects being considered and to study the coordination of the
various entities. He suggested that funding is not as important
as a forum. Those holding the purse strings, such as Congress and
the legislative finance committees, would welcome a coordinated
approach.
MR. JOHN TOLLEY, Planning Chief of the Central Region in DOTPF,
updated committee members on DOTPF's ongoing efforts in
conjunction with local governments. DOTPF will examine all
planning studies done to date and identify the major
transportation projects necessary to support future economic
development in the region. DOTPF will look for possible
redundancies, projects that are mutually exclusive, data gaps,
and who the appropriate bodies are to execute the projects. DOTPF
will use that database to look at the "universe" of
transportation projects that support development in the upper
Cook Inlet region. DOTPF's study will examine the successes and
failures of similar organizations in other regions. DOTPF is
working with two local governments in upper Cook Inlet (the Mat-
Su Borough and Municipality of Anchorage) and representatives
from the Kenai Peninsula on some of its initial studies. He
concluded that it is an opportune time to be setting the
foundation for the future development of the central region.
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON noted the harbor at Whittier is an
extraordinary asset, particularly in relation to hauling freight.
He asked if DOTPF considers the Whittier harbor to be part of the
upper Cook Inlet plan.
MR. TOLLEY said DOTPF has not defined all of the facilities at
this point but that will be one of its first tasks. He agreed
that Whittier is an important entry link to the transportation
system.
SENATOR LEMAN said he believes legislators will do whatever they
can to facilitate this discussion and concept.
MS. SARAH PALIN, Mayor of the City of Wasilla, thanked Chairman
Cowdery for initiating the discussion on regional planning and
noted its timeliness with discussions of a master plan for the
Mat-Su Valley.
MR. BILL SHEFFIELD, manager of the Port of Anchorage and former
Governor, emphasized that it is easier for Congress to help the
state if the state prepares a road map of priorities. He
cautioned that the state plans individual projects, but it has no
overall plan to tie those projects together. He noted that
development in Cook Inlet will affect a region that includes
Barrow to Cordova to Adak to Northwood.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY commented that right now the railroad is the
only transportation entity capable of hauling the infrastructure
necessary to build a gas line.
TAPE 02-01, SIDE B
MR. SHEFFIELD said he fully supports regional transportation
planning because individual transportation entities are capable
of developing needed infrastructure inside their boundaries but
those efforts often affect the outcome of other areas of master
planning, such as access. For example, railroad access to the
Port of Anchorage is necessary to make the port an intermodal
marine terminal. New rail access needs to be part of AMATS and
the long-range transportation plan (LRTP) should be amended to
allow for the use of federal funds. The AMATS amending process is
nearly complete, which will allow federal funds to be used to
complete an EIS on a bridge across Knik Arm. That study will
also affect Gambell-Ingra, East Fifth Avenue, Seward Highway,
Ship Creek Development, and Alaska Railroad Ship Creek Point
access to the Knik Arm bridge. Planning is necessary to protect
the growth of Anchorage and improve transportation in
Southcentral Alaska to continue to serve 90 percent of Alaska's
population. He suggested that Commissioner Perkins of DOTPF head
up the committee that will oversee the contractor who will be
doing regional planning, and that some of the Senate
Transportation Committee members sit in an advisory capacity.
MR. SHEFFIELD pointed out that DOTPF is doing a study of
transportation in the Arctic. That study will surely recommend a
rail link to the Artic, which will have a big effect on
Anchorage. A right-of-way will need to be set aside after the
study is completed. Coal from the Arctic and ore from the Red
Dog Mine could be hauled to the year-round ice free Port of
Anchorage, creating more jobs. He repeated that it will be
easier for Alaska's congressional delegation to help the
transportation infrastructure in Alaska if they have a plan to
follow.
MR. SHEFFIELD said an additional problem is that it is almost
easier to get funding than it is to spend it. A newly formed
planning committee could and should have some influence on state
and federal agencies to streamline the process of releasing the
funds appropriated by Congress. Too much time and money is spent
securing the funds once they have been appropriated.
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON asked Mr. Sheffield if he thinks Whittier
should be part of a transportation plan for the future.
MR. SHEFFIELD said he does.
MR. CHRISTOPHERSON said he agrees the state needs a regional road
map and that it should prioritize projects. He recommended that
a group of the planning, or strategic thinkers, be formed to
develop the list of projects and then work the problem with the
more technical people, such as Fed Ex and the Port of Anchorage.
MR. BILL DEAVER, Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE), said that
TOTE fully supports a regional concept and view of
transportation, as it is to everyone's benefit to have a cohesive
plan when looking for funding. But, most important, the state
needs to have a sense of urgency in regard to funding. He felt
any group that is formed should focus on freight.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked that all participants send a list of their
projects to the committee so that the committee can get an idea
of what the region boundaries should be.
MR. FRANK PETE, CSX Lines, said a coordinated effort is
absolutely critical and exciting. He agreed that a sense of
urgency is critical. CSX is at a crossroads regarding some
investment decisions in terms of what types of ships it should
build to service Alaska for the long term. CSX's focus is on
being able to serve the people in the Railbelt communities.
Currently, the Port of Anchorage does not have the necessary
infrastructure to accept the next class of container vessels.
SENATOR BEN STEVENS observed that since the last meeting this
conversation has evolved from the concept of the establishment of
a committee that would prioritize and endorse projects to the
establishment of another planning committee. He said he is not a
proponent of establishing another planning authority. He stated
the projects are already on the books so, at this point, it
should be a matter of determining how they will be prioritized
and endorsed by everyone involved so that they can be presented
to Congress soon.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY said if the legislature can gather all of the
projects into one list, it can work with the congressional
delegation. He noted that someone pointed out that 35 percent of
previous funding went to studies and consultants to deal with the
funding agency.
SENATOR STEVENS asked about the completion date of DOTPF's
consulting study.
MR. TOLLEY said he hopes to have the contract signed by the end
of the month and the study done by the end of the year.
SENATOR STEVENS asked if the consultant will submit progress
reports.
MR. TOLLEY said the study will be divided into about six tasks
and the consultant will provide ongoing reports. He said DOTPF
will keep the committee informed and make all information
available.
SENATOR STEVENS said his concern is that the study may recommend
the formation of a redundant group.
MR. TOLLEY said that is not DOTPF's intention. He explained that
when DOTPF began this effort last year, the impetus was to put
together a group to endorse the transportation priorities for the
whole region because that does not exist right now. The Mat-Su
Borough and Municipality of Anchorage are separate entities;
bringing the separate interests together bogged DOTPF down. As a
result, DOTPF started to work with the chambers of commerce, the
local governments, AMATS and other transportation interest groups
to put a body together to make advisory recommendations. He
noted he agrees that, in talking with local governments, it will
be impossible to get consensus on an authority with power in and
of itself. However, people will be willing to allow an advisory
group to come up with recommendations of transportation
priorities for the region. The major purpose of DOTPF's effort
is to help define what that advisory body should look like.
SENATOR STEVENS asked if DOTPF is determining who should be
incorporated into the advisory committee.
MR. TOLLEY said DOTPF will come up with recommendations.
SENATOR STEVENS asked who helped to develop the scope of work for
the consultant.
MR. TOLLEY said an ad hoc group of 50 to 75 people met over the
last year. That group was driven by the chambers of commerce
with a lot of participation from local governments and
transportation organizations. At the final meeting, the group
came up with a final concept of what it wanted the study to
produce. The group then charged DOTPF with creating a scope from
that.
MR. FRANK DILLON, Alaska Trucking Association, explained that, in
reference to that process, the group discussed ways to prevent
another level of planning at length because everyone agreed we
have plenty of plans but no progress. The idea was to come up
with something that has a regional effect so that people could
buy into and support it. He recommended early on that the first
project to champion would be a Knik Arm Crossing. He does not
believe the group was looking to create another planning entity
because every entity already has an empowered planning group.
Those entities need to take care of local streets and planning
efforts. What is needed is a regional planning group to oversee
larger projects with a statewide impact. People in the private
sector are interested in seeing something happen, not something
get planned.
MR. FUHS commented, in reference to Senator Stevens' concern,
that there are two points in this discussion: a longer range plan
than DOTPF is working on and immediate issues. He pointed out
that CSX's decision to buy a new class of vessels to service the
state is huge and cannot be considered without looking at the
available facilities. He felt if a request from our
congressional delegation and the House and Senate Finance
Committee members to see a coordinated effort and list of
projects would go a long way toward bringing people together to
determine immediate needs. He stated that Fairbanks
representation will have to be included on the committee.
MS. ANNA FAIRCLOUGH, Anchorage Assembly member, informed
committee members that she was on the ad hoc committee and that
the Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce had the original idea
to form a group to prioritize regional transportation projects
because of limited resources. She informed Representative Dyson
that port development in Whittier is in the [MOA's] 2002 plan so
that the railroad and deep port can be tied more closely to the
Anchorage port. She commented that the MOA is looking at the new
committee and wondering if the airport is going to come to the
table when regional port authorities are being discussed. The
Port of Anchorage will provide an economic factor through
taxation powers and revenue and provide dollars for other
infrastructure improvements. The two airports do that also so
the MOA would like to see the state include the airport to create
assets large enough to facilitate some of the necessary changes.
She added that Fairbanks is very much on board, as well as Kenai.
The [MOA's] 2002 plan also reflects a mirror image to what was
adopted by the Mat-Su Assembly so that the two Assemblies could
approach the state delegation with projects that are important to
both.
MR. GAMBLE said aside from geographical boundaries, the group
will need to have boundaries put around its mission statement but
doing so may be difficult because the group cannot act in
isolation and will need to understand the bigger state picture.
The discussion will also have a time dimension and the group will
have to look at what will be transported, making the economy part
of the discussion. Access is crucial to a developmental economy
so the group's job will become significantly more complex. He
stated the advisory group will play an important part in defining
Alaska's future which will, in turn, define what kind of a
transportation region we are talking about for the longer term.
Additionally, services will be supported because services grow
with the developmental economy to support it. He advised that
rather than have the group turn the question of what is to be
accomplished over to the consultant, he believes the group should
define its objectives and let the consultants figure out how to
achieve those objectives.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY commented that he formed the Anchorage caucus in
1983 and 1984, which is still in existence. He noted that he
hopes the regional caucus, or whatever is formed legislatively,
keeps the attention on the region because priorities are likely
to change over the long term.
MR. SHEFFIELD agreed that transportation is everything to this
state. He believes it is up to the federal government to help
get the infrastructure in place, because the private sector
cannot afford to develop the infrastructure and projects at the
same time.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY repeated his request for written comments from
participants on ideas.
MR. MIKE KRIEBER, staff to the House Transportation Committee,
said he is a planner-engineer who, with Mayor Palin, has been
able to identify and prioritize projects in the Mat-Su Valley
that have led to economic development. He agrees with Senator
Stevens that these projects need to happen in the near future as
they are critical to the economic development of the entire
state.
With no further business to come before the committee, CHAIRMAN
COWDERY adjourned the meeting.
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