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 revised  only when                                                               
there was enough new federal  data 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  data update  occurred in 1988;  1983 was  the last                                                               
horizontal data update.  She  noted that the proposed legislation                                                               
would provide  a major revision and  a much better model  for the                                                               
earth.  She added that new  data 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 HB
 did not pass.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MR. WILLIAMS  advised 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, 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 system.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR. MAXWELL  answered 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                                                               
data.   He  indicated  his  desire to  stay  consistent with  the                                                               
federal government.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. GERVELIS  verified that "2022"  was the National  Oceanic and                                                               
Atmospheric  Administration  National   Geodetic  Survey's  (NOAA                                                               
NGS's) new designation for the data.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
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].