Legislature(2001 - 2002)
05/11/2002 10:30 AM Senate RES
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HB 165-KENAI RIVER SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA
CHAIRMAN JOHN TORGERSON called the Senate Resources Committee
meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. and announced HB 165 to be up for
consideration.
REPRESENTATIVE KEN LANCASTER, sponsor, said the Kenai River
special management area group that manages the Kenai River
corridor started holding public meetings in 1997 regarding adding
more state-owned property into the management area. As a result,
the group came up with an additional 7,900 acres, which was the
amount in the original bill. In the course of the last year,
there has been some concern about relicensing the Cooper Lake
hydroelectric project by FERC. Therefore, he proposed an
amendment in the last committee to take out land on the Snug
Harbor Road on the south side of Kenai Lake and up to the Damon
Firehouse site on Kenai and Cooper Lake, which the committee
adopted. He noted Chairman Torgerson has some concerns with other
properties. He explained that the bill now adds about 536 acres
of EVOS land on the lower river between Kenai and Soldotna. He
referred members to a map and asked them to support the bill.
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON proposed two amendments. One would remove all
lands except for EVOS lands. The other amendment would limit the
membership on the advisory board to only citizens and municipal
employees. It would restrict state agency and federal government
personnel from serving on the board. He asked Representative
Lancaster to comment on that.
REPRESENTATIVE LANCASTER said he agrees with the board provision
as he sat on the board for 10 years as the mayor of Soldotna and
watched how it worked. Some of the agency folks were somewhat
self-serving or had the potential to be and sometimes were in
conflict when they voted on Kenai River issues.
SENATOR ELTON asked if the amount of acreage has decreased from
7,900 acres to about 500 acres.
REPRESENTATIVE LANCASTER said that is correct.
SENATOR ELTON noted the amendment says a majority of the members
of the advisory group shall be residents of the Kenai Peninsula.
He asked why all members wouldn't be residents of the Kenai
Peninsula.
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON replied that some people from Anchorage serve
on the board also because, "The Kenai River is physically located
in our area, but it's shared with a lot of people of the state."
REPRESENTATIVE LANCASTER said the current chair of the Board is
an Anchorage resident who owns a large amount of property on the
Kenai River.
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON asked if board members have to be owners of
property on the river.
REPRESENTATIVE LANCASTER replied that they do not.
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON noted that a quorum was present: Senator
Stevens, Senator Wilken, Senator Elton and himself.
SENATOR WILKEN moved to adopt amendment 1, which reduces the
addition of property to only EVOS-purchased property. There were
no objections and it was so ordered.
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON explained that the second amendment restricts
board membership to citizens and municipal employees.
SENATOR WILKEN moved to adopt amendment 2. There were no
objections and it was so ordered.
SENATOR WILKEN moved to pass SCS HB 165(RES) from committee with
individual recommendations and its attached fiscal note.
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON announced that without objection, the bill
moved from committee. He then adjourned the meeting at 10:38 p.m.
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