Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124
05/08/2023 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Marijuana Control Board | |
| HB146 | |
| HB143 | |
| SB123 | |
| SB93 | |
| HB137 | |
| HB138 | |
| HB145 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | HB 143 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 146 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 93 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | SB 123 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 137 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 138 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 145 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 143-ADVANCED RECYCLING AND FACILITIES
4:09:14 PM
CHAIR SUMNER announced that the next order of business would be
HB 143, "An Act relating to the Department of Environmental
Conservation; relating to advanced recycling and advanced
recycling facilities; relating to waste; and providing for an
effective date." [Before the committee was CSHB 143(RES).]
4:09:21 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TOM MCKAY, Alaska State Legislature, introduced
HB 143 on behalf of the sponsor, the House Resources Standing
Committee, on which Representative McKay serves as chair. He
stated that HB 143 would create a regulatory framework for a new
industry known as "advanced recycling." He stated that current
recycling processes are only able to recycle 10 percent of
collected plastic, and the proposed bill would clarify state
statute to allow for advanced recycling. He noted that 23 other
states have passed similar legislation.
4:11:06 PM
TREVOR JEPSEN, Staff, Representative Tom McKay, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of the sponsor, the House Resources
Standing Committee, of which Representative McKay serves as
chair, gave a PowerPoint presentation, titled "HB 143: Advanced
Recycling" [hard copy included in the committee packet]. He
began on slides 2 through 6 and stated that advanced recycling
is a relatively new technology which would allow the industry to
recycle plastics it currently does not have the ability to
recycle. He explained that chemicals are used to recycle post-
use plastics into petroleum-based products which can be used to
create new chemical building blocks, plastic additives, waxes,
lubricants, and feedstock for new plastics. He said that
advanced recycling uses gasification, pyrolysis, and solvolysis
to break down the plastics, and he showed a chart displaying the
pyrolysis process.
4:15:44 PM
MR. JEPSEN continued to slides 7 through 11 and stated that
advanced recycling is necessary because of the low amount of
plastics which are able to be recycled, and this does not
include plastic which ends up as waste or pollution. The bill
would incentivize markets to reuse products, preserve resources,
and allow waste to be reused. He said that there is an
estimated $70.2 million economic benefit for advanced recycling.
The proposed bill would allow the Alaska Department of
Environmental Conservation to develop regulations, define terms,
and stipulate the advanced recycling facilities be regulated as
manufacturing facilities, not waste disposal facilities.
4:19:16 PM
MR. JEPSEN gave the sectional analysis for HB 143 [included in
the committee packet], which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
Section 1: Amends the section to include the new
nonresident postsecondary student license.
Section 2: Adds a new subsection allowing for
nonresident students who are enrolled half-time or
part-time in postsecondary education to purchase a
special nonresident postsecondary student license for
sport fishing, hunting, or trapping at the same cost
as a resident license.
Section 3: Provides uncodified law that allows the
Department of Fish and Game to adopt regulations to
implement to the new license.
Section 4: Provides for an effective date.
Section 5: Provides for an effective date
4:20:07 PM
CRAIG COOKSON, Senior Director, Plastics Sustainability,
American Chemistry Council, provided invited testimony on HB
143. He stated that the American Chemistry Council represents
over 200 companies and supports HB 143. The ability to
mechanically recycle objects such as milk jugs, water bottles,
and certain tub lids has existed for years, but objects such as
snack wrappers are more difficult to mechanically recycle. He
said that using advanced recycling, also known as chemical
recycling, provides the opportunity to recycle materials which
are more difficult to recycle, and companies, such as Wendy's
and Under Armor, are selling products made with recycled
plastic. He noted that 24 other states and the federal
government regulate advanced recycling plants with the same
regulations as manufacturing plants.
4:23:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked how viable the industry would be in
Alaska.
MR. JEPSEN, in response, argued that even if the industry is not
yet viable in Alaska, it is necessary to have the regulations in
place for when it does become viable.
MR. COOKSON added that many companies are pledging to increase
their usage of recycled materials, and some states are mandating
certain amounts of products be recycled. He added that members
of the American Chemistry Council have invested $7 billion in
advanced recycling.
4:26:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS asked whether other states include
regulations for water and air emissions in similar legislation.
MR. COOKMAN answered that HB 143 is very similar to advanced
recycling legislation passed in other states, leaving these
types of regulations up to the respective environmental
conservation departments. He added that advanced recycling
facilities have been found to have very low emissions. In
response to a follow-up question, he said that defining advanced
recycling as a manufacturing facility is more appropriate for
the process than the current practice.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS asked how a company wishing to use the
advanced recycling process would be permitted under current
statute.
4:32:19 PM
CHRISTINA CARPENTER, Director, Division of Environmental Health,
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), stated that DEC
has not currently issued any permits for advanced recycling
facilities, although it has the authority to do so.
4:33:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS asked whether DEC would be able to inform
companies what the regulatory framework would be like.
MS. CARPENTER answered yes.
MR. JEPSEN added that the bill would provide clarification for
potential investors.
4:34:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK asked how much plastic material is
recycled in Alaska.
MR. JEPSEN expressed uncertainty. In response to a follow-up
question, he said that he would follow up with the total
recycling numbers to the committee.
4:35:41 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS asked whether there are specific companies
looking to invest in Alaska.
MR. JEPSEN answered that many large chemical and oil companies,
such as ExxonMobil, are looking at investment in advanced
recycling.
MR. COOKMAN added that he is unaware about Alaska specifically,
and the purpose of the bill is to create the regulatory
framework needed to attract investment.
4:38:25 PM
CHAIR SUMNER announced that HB 143 was held over.