04/17/2021 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

            HB  148-ALASKA COORDINATE SYSTEM OF 2022                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:35:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS  announced that the final  order of business                                                               
would  be HOUSE  BILL NO.  148, "An  Act relating  to the  Alaska                                                               
Coordinate System of 2022."                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:35:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REECE WILLIAMS,  Staff, Representative Laddie Shaw,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, introduced HB 148 on  behalf of Representative Shaw,                                                               
prime sponsor.   He paraphrased  the sponsor  statement [included                                                               
in the committee packet], which read as follows [original                                                                       
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     HB 148  House Bill  148 revises Alaska  Statute chapter                                                                    
     38.20,  known  as  the  Alaska  Coordinate  System,  to                                                                    
     reflect changes  in the  federal datum  used as  a base                                                                    
     for  the  coordinate system  and  to  allow for  future                                                                    
     updates.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     The   system   is   comprised  of   rectangular   plane                                                                    
     coordinates  used  to   define  accurate  positions  or                                                                    
     locations of points on the surface of the earth.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Currently, forty-eight states  have adopted state plane                                                                    
     coordinate  systems  into  their  statutes.  This  bill                                                                    
     revises the  Alaska Coordination  System as  an ongoing                                                                    
     modernization  of the  U.S  National Spatial  Reference                                                                    
     System  to  reduce  the   distortions  present  in  the                                                                    
     current   system.   In   addition  to   improved   zone                                                                    
     locations,  that will  cover  population and  resources                                                                    
     areas,  a  new  statewide  zone  will  be  created  for                                                                    
     Alaska.  This   will  reduce  the  distortion   of  the                                                                    
     projection currently in use and  improve the display of                                                                    
     statewide geographic data.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     This is an  important and practical step  for Alaska to                                                                    
     adapt  to this  coordination system.  Alaska will  have                                                                    
     the   advantage  of   improvements   in  the   geodetic                                                                    
     positioning, and with  the new gravity-based elevation.                                                                    
     This will  dramatically improve the ability  to measure                                                                    
     elevations  in Alaska.  This modernization  effort will                                                                    
     benefit  scientists,  surveyors, design  professionals,                                                                    
     GIS  specialists,  and  the geospatial  community.  The                                                                    
     improved    coordinate    system    minimizes    linear                                                                    
     distortions  and  is  designed  to  include  population                                                                    
     centers and resource development.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     I encourage  your support in  the passage of HB  148 as                                                                    
     it  is  critical  to  Alaska  maintaining  accuracy  to                                                                    
     surveying and mapping.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS  noted that most members  were familiar with                                                               
the legislation, as an identical  bill was heard by the committee                                                               
last   session.     After  ascertaining   that   the  full   bill                                                               
introduction was not necessary, he invited committee questions.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:38:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  VANCE  asked how  often  the  statute [AS  38.20]                                                               
required revision.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MR. WILLIAMS  responded that  the statute  was only  revised when                                                               
there  was  enough  new  federal datum  acquired  to  justify  an                                                               
update.  He noted that the last update was in 1988.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:39:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GWEN  GERVELIS,  Surveys Manager,  Division  of  Mining Land  and                                                               
Water, Department of Natural Resources  (DNR), confirmed that the                                                               
last vertical  datum update occurred  in 1988; 1983 was  the last                                                               
horizontal   datum  update.     She   noted  that   the  proposed                                                               
legislation  would provide  a major  revision and  a much  better                                                               
model  for  the earth.    She  added  that  new datums  were  not                                                               
expected for another 50 of 60 years.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS commended the efficient data compilation.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:40:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN asked whether it  would be harmful if this                                                               
bill did not pass.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MR. WILLIAMS explained  that if the proposed  legislation did not                                                               
pass, Alaska would  be severely lacking in its  ability to survey                                                               
and map, which would have a fiscal impact.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS  directed Representative  Eastman's question                                                               
to Mr. Maxwell.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:41:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JAKE MAXWELL,  Executive Member,  Alaska Society  of Professional                                                               
Land  Surveyors,  asked  Representative  Eastman  to  repeat  the                                                               
question.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN  asked Mr. Maxwell to  quantify the public                                                               
impact if the proposed legislation did not pass.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. MAXWELL conveyed that the  bill was necessary because private                                                               
and public industries could not  support the new system unless it                                                               
was codified.   He added that  every state was expected  to adopt                                                               
similar  legislation.   He  concluded  that  updating the  Alaska                                                               
Coordinate System would be beneficial to the state.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  EASTMAN  sought  to clarify  whether  failing  to                                                               
update the  statute would financially  impact Alaskans  or result                                                               
in  less  accurate  data.     He  asked  for  a  more  "tangible"                                                               
explanation  of   the  effects   of  not  passing   the  proposed                                                               
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. WILLIAMS  said if the  bill did  not pass, Alaska  would lack                                                               
the  advantage  of increased  consistency  in  its surveying  and                                                               
would not be able to use the updated technology.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. MAXWELL explained  that the legislation would  help develop a                                                               
modern  and  more  functional  statewide  coordinate  system  for                                                               
mapping.  He  reported that the vastly improved  2022 system used                                                               
space and  gravity measurements and would  enhance the coordinate                                                               
system model.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:45:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS gathered  that there would be  no changes to                                                               
pricing if  the bill were  to pass.   He concluded that  the only                                                               
impact would be to surveys,  as their accuracy would be improved.                                                               
He asked if that was correct.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. WILLIAMS answered yes.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR   KREISS-TOMKINS   sought   to  identify   the   real-world                                                               
implications of  passing the  bill.   He asked  whether surveyors                                                               
would  have to  buy  new equipment  because  their old  equipment                                                               
would be tethered to the old datum system.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MAXWELL stated  that surveyors  would  not need  to buy  new                                                               
equipment.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:46:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  EASTMAN  asked  whether the  bill  sponsor  would                                                               
object to labeling  the coordinate system as  "2021" [rather than                                                               
2022]  if the  governor and  the Senate  had indicated  that they                                                               
were strongly supportive of passing this legislation [in 2021].                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. WILLIAMS  believed the number  corresponded with  the federal                                                               
datum.   He  indicated his  desire  to stay  consistent with  the                                                               
federal government.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS.  GERVELIS  verified  that "2022"  was  NOAA  NGS's  [National                                                               
Oceanic   and   Atmospheric  Administration   National   Geodetic                                                               
Survey's] new designation for the datum.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:48:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LADDIE  SHAW,  Alaska  State  Legislature,  prime                                                               
sponsor  of  HB 148,  reiterated  that  the proposed  legislation                                                               
would bring [the Alaska Coordinate  System] into the twenty-first                                                               
century by defining accurate positions and locations.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:49:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS [announced that HB 148 was held over.]