Legislature(2001 - 2002)
05/09/2002 09:37 AM Senate FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 53(STA)
"An Act establishing the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety
Commission."
This was the first hearing for this bill in the Senate Finance
Committee.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN DAVIES, the bill's sponsor, informed the
Committee that this bill would establish a nine-member Alaska
Seismology Safety Commission.
SFC 02 # 92, Side A 06:38 PM
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Representative Davies continued that the purpose of the Commission
would be to identify and mitigate earthquake disasters. He noted
that the State has established procedures regarding emergency
responses, but does not have established procedures on how to
prepare for and mitigate disasters before they occur. He stated
that this legislation would address such things as building codes
and land use patterns.
Representative Davies qualified that these plans should be
implemented gradually, but systematically, as not to incur general
public panic. He expressed that while disasters such as earthquakes
have huge impacts; their infrequency tends to make people
complacent. He added that because most earthquakes are minor,
people are "misled" regarding the potential severity. He asserted
that building codes should mandate that buildings be constructed to
withstand severe earthquakes, as 80 percent of the loss of life and
damage resulting from an earthquake occurs within the interior of a
building. He explained that the Commission should be a component of
the Governor's Office rather than within a specific department in
order to provide effective coordination between affected State
agencies.
Representative Davies noted that a $33,000 fiscal note accompanies
this legislation and that the Commission would be required to meet
four times a year. He expressed that Alaska is the only western
state that does not have an established seismic Commission,
although residents of the State "live in earthquake country and we
ought to be prepared."
Co-Chair Kelly asked the function of the State's seismologist.
Representative Davies responded that the State's seismologist has
some authority to address these issues; however, this position does
not have the authority to coordinate procedures between various
departments. He explained that the seismologist could offer
workshops, but is not in a position to coordinate a widespread
effort to address such things as upgrading building codes.
Co-Chair Kelly stated that while it is possible to predict where an
earthquake might occur, it is difficult to predict when one might
occur or its resulting damage. He stated that being prepared for a
disaster would be the prudent course of action, especially since
populated areas of the State could be affected.
Representative Davies asserted that it is important to establish
this Commission in order to gather new research information. He
stated that the Municipality of Anchorage is conducting
"microzonation" research that identifies neighborhoods within the
City that are more prone to earthquake activity, and he continued
that this information should be compiled to determine appropriate
building codes. He contended that when confronted with the
possibility of a large loss of life, the tendency is to "over-
design." He stated that it would be possible to identify differing
building codes for different areas, which would generate sound
fiscal investments. He asserted that "the smarter we can get, the
more efficient we can be in the whole process."
Senator Green asked whether the Commission would concentrate on
municipal areas rather than more remote areas and/or areas where
codes currently exist.
Representative Davies replied that the tendency would be to
concentrate on areas where structures exist.
Senator Green questioned whether the Commission would address
issues on a statewide basis or would concentrate on areas such as
Anchorage and Fairbanks where building codes currently exist. She
mentioned that the Mat-Su area does not have building code
regulations.
Representative Davies clarified that while the City of Fairbanks
has building code regulations, the Fairbanks North Star Borough
does not. He furthered that it is fairly common for lending
institutions to require structures to meet nationally recognized
industry standards before a loan is granted, and he stressed that
these codes should be continually up-dated and appropriate for each
region. He informed the Committee that a recent national coding
entity placed the communities of Fairbanks, Ketchikan and Juneau in
the same category as Anchorage, even thought it is less likely that
those communities would experience earthquakes the magnitude of
those that Anchorage might receive. He stated that if these codings
had been accepted, building costs would have increased in the
affected communities. He exclaimed that Alaska must be proactive
rather than reactive in addressing the earthquake situation.
Senator Austerman asked whether new building codes would affect
existing structures.
Representative Davies replied that the Commission could only issue
recommendations. He noted that requiring existing buildings to meet
new codes would be "extremely expensive;" however, he contended
that were an existing structure to undergo major remodeling then
implementation of the new building codes should be required. He
announced that there is a safety concern regarding many existing
structures, including a high school in the Kodiak school district.
Senator Austerman agreed, but continued to voice the concern about
imposing new codes upon existing structures.
Representative Davies responded that the nine-member Commission
would be comprised of engineers, insurance professionals,
earthquake scientists, and other individuals from appropriate
fields of expertise who would consider the various factors and
manage the process in the most cost effective manner for the State
in those circumstances.
Co-Chair Kelly clarified that the language in the bill specifies
that the Commission could primarily "recommend" and would have no
policing powers.
Senator Green asked how the Commission would coordinate activities
with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
Representative Davies reiterated that the State's disaster response
mechanism is very effective and that the Commission would include
the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs in its coordination
efforts. He stated that a good working relationship exists between
the State and federal agencies regarding response efforts, and he
exclaimed that, "Alaskans have a can-do spirit that when something
happens we tend to all pull together." He stressed that Alaska's
response efforts "are in pretty good shape;" however, he stressed
the mitigation efforts are lacking. He expressed that an
appropriate mitigation plan would have a positive impact on
response efforts.
Representative Davies continued that while emergency response
personnel currently undertake mitigation efforts such as
establishing evacuation routes in the event of a tsunami, these
efforts are limited. He reiterated that the most significant
portion of the mitigation effort would be the development of
building code models.
Senator Leman stated that he is impressed with the work conducted
by the Municipality of Anchorage's Geotechnical Advisory
Commission. He asked whether the proposed Commission would function
in a similar fashion but on a statewide basis.
Representative Davies stated that is correct.
Senator Leman asked how the Commission would interact with the
State Emergency Response Commission (SERC).
Representative Davies anticipated SERC would have representation on
the proposed commission; however, he did not anticipate, "there
being much overlap" in the two Commissions' endeavors.
Senator Leman stated that the nine-member Commission appears to be
"light on the technical side of it" and "heavy on bureaucracy."
Representative Davies responded that the intent of limiting the
Commission to nine members was to prevent it from being too large.
He explained that in addition to the designated three public
members, technical expertise would be further available from the
University of Alaska representative who is also currently the State
Seismologist; from the Department of Natural Resources
representative who would probably have expertise in seismic
hazards; and from the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs'
representative who would be qualified in the earthquake response
component. He asserted that the Departments would be able to
provide technical expertise.
Senator Leman asserted that the Governor should appoint qualified
technical experts to serve as Commission members.
Representative Davies agreed.
ROD COMBELLICK, Chief, Engineering Geology Section, Alaska Division
of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Department of Natural
Resources, testified via teleconference from Fairbanks to voice
that the establishment of this Commission "has little to do with
generating State revenues, but would have everything to do with
preserving State resources." He stated that the Commission's
recommendations would strengthen buildings and the State's road
system and result in making the State's "critical buildings safer."
He asserted that these recommendations would save the State
significant money because requiring higher standards of building
construction to reduce earthquake vulnerability would result in
less damage in the event of an actual earthquake. He noted that the
outcome of similar commissions in other states has resulted in
lowering earthquake damage costs. He urged the Committee to support
this bill.
MILT WILTSE, State Geologist and Director, Alaska Division of
Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Department of Natural Resources,
testified via teleconference from Fairbanks to attest, after
studying other states' mitigation commissions, that the subject of
earthquake mitigation is complex in that it impacts a wide spectrum
of society including: infrastructure, utilities, local governments,
and access corridors. He stated that it is important to bring a
wide spectrum of representatives together "to mitigate the effects
that a very large-scale earthquake" could produce. He stated that
the Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) has studied
this issue for years and has determined that the establishment of
this sort of Commission would be very beneficial to the State.
GARY CARVER, Geologist, testified via teleconference from Kodiak
that his expertise is in earthquakes and seismic geology. He noted
his long-term involvement in earthquake studies in the State and
spoke of his experience with the California Seismic Commission. He
asserted that the proposed Commission could provide the avenue to
consolidate diverse ideas and opinions and provide a synopsis
addressing how to reduce earthquake hazards. He noted "that Alaska
is the most seismically active State in the Union," and he warned
that the State's most populous areas are located in extremely
hazardous earthquake zones. He stressed that it could be just a
matter of time before a major earthquake might impact the State,
and he avowed that mitigation is the key to offsetting major
damage. He noted that the establishment of the Commission could
relieve the burden placed on small community governments to attempt
to develop and implement local mitigation plans. He asserted that
the passage of this bill would, "in the long run" save Alaskan
lives and tax dollars, as it would cost much less to recover from a
major earthquake were the State prepared. He urged the Committee to
support this bill.
Senator Ward offered a motion to report "the committee substitute
for House Bill 53 State Affairs out of Committee with individual
recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes."
There being no objection, CS HB 53(STA) was REPORTED from Committee
with a previous fiscal note for $33,500 dated April 19, 2002 from
the Office of the Governor.
Senator Leman asked the length of terms for Commission members.
Representative Davies stated that Commission members would be
appointed for three-year terms.
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