Legislature(2011 - 2012)BARNES 124
04/04/2011 01:00 PM House RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s): Big Game Commercial Services Board | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s): Board of Game | |
| HB186 | |
| HB106 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 186 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 106 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 186-WOOD BISON
1:29:10 PM
CO-CHAIR SEATON announced that the next order of business is
HOUSE BILL NO. 186, "An Act relating to the authority of the
commissioner of fish and game with regard to the importation or
relocation of wood bison in the state."
1:29:20 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 1:29 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
1:30:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DICK, speaking as the sponsor of HB 186,
paraphrased from the following sponsor statement [original
punctuation provided]:
Wood bison are an endangered species. The only herd of
Wood bison in the whole United States resides in the
Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage, AK awaiting
release. They have been promised a 10-J exemption to
the Endangered Species Act.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game has planned for
years to introduce those bison into the Innoko River
drainage, close to the villages of Shageluk, Anvik,
Holy Cross and Grayling.
The people of that area have cooperated with ADF&G,
unaware of the potential long-term, irreversible
impact of introducing an endangered species.
The Federal Government has never passed up on an
opportunity to lock up Alaskan lands. Environmental
groups are not likely to wait long before filing
litigation against the 10-J exemption.
The history of Federal and State governments, combined
with the unwavering assault against development in
Alaska by environmental groups makes the introduction
of an endangered species an extremely risky venture
that should not be undertaken without serious
deliberation. This is not a scientific issue, nor a
food issue. It is a totally political issue with grave
long-term consequences for any region of the state.
This bill does not prohibit the introduction of the
Wood Bison. It simply requires that the introduction
occur with permission of the Alaska State Legislature.
This safeguards people of any area of Alaska from the
introduction of Trojan Bison without fully informed
counsel.
In 40 years of conflict in the Delta Junction area the
State of Alaska has done very little to resolve the
unintended consequences that occurred from the
introduction of Plains bison into the region in the
1920's. The unintended consequences that will result
from the introduction of Wood bison into the Innoko
area will be much more significant than those in the
Delta area. Those who think they will be eating Wood
bison in ten years will more likely become embroiled
in a lawsuit within two.
1:32:35 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DICK then presented an 8-minute video on wood
bison; the written transcript from which he paraphrased follows
[original punctuation provided]:
My main concern with the introduction of Wood Bison
into our area is that the people of Holy Cross, Anvik,
Shageluk and Grayling are going to end up a sad
"Whereas..." in a sad petition to Washington DC where
the government is no longer of by and for the people.
Once you know the facts, I don't think you will
consider it for a nanosecond.
The wood bison that ADF&G plans to introduce into our
district is the ONLY Wood Bison herd in the US.
Should we think for one minute that the Federal
Government will uphold their 10-J exemption to the
Endangered Species Act?
Should we think that the 10-j exemption will last one
weekend before Environmental groups file a law suit
against it? We won't be hunters. We will become
litigators in lawsuits!
I wanted the bison in the headwaters of the Stony
River until I learned the story. They are Trojan
Bison. Once we allow them through the gates, they will
destroy our country from within.
Look at Delta. They have Plains bison to hunt. Over
16,000 people apply for a permit each year and only
130 people get one. What will our chances be ten years
from now when bison hunts are opened? (If our lawyers
perform a miracle and protect us from the Federal and
environmental nonsense.)
Do we want all those outsiders hunting in our
backyard? Do we really think we will get a permit? Our
chances are better at the local bingo hall.
Have you read the 10-J exemption to the Endangered
Species Act. Here it is. There's nothing there that
makes me feel safe.
The Feds have never rescinded a 10-J exemption yet...
yet! When did the Feds pass up a chance to lie to
Alaskans and take our land? When did the Feds not lie
to Indians?
This is an endangered species we are talking about
bringing into our country. These are the ONLY Wood
Bison in the whole United States.
Look at the polar bears. Reliable sources say there
are five times more polar bears now than there were in
the 70's, but the Feds recently have taken charge of
120 million acres, from the Canadian border to below
Kotzebue. And the polar bears aren't even endangered.
I think the Feds are using the bears to lock up the
country.
Doyon folks didn't want the bison in the Minto Flats
and made sure they stayed in Portage.
Should we trust the Federal government?
Look at the Statehood Act
The Feds knew we didn't have many people to tax in
order to run the State government, so the Feds agreed
to develop the resources of Alaska. The state was to
get 90% of the revenue to run the state. That was the
Statehood Agreement act.
1:35:05 PM
With ANILCA, President Carter violated the Statehood
Act! The statehood act gave the State of Alaska 104 M
acres of land. ANILCA locked up an equal amount, 104 M
acres. The Feds promised they would NEVER do that
again.
Recently, President Obama, in violation of ANILCA, set
in motion the process to take another huge chunk of
Federal land in Alaska and lock that up too in the
name of "wild lands."
They lie. Not once, but always. They lied with the
statehood act, they lied with ANILCA, and now they are
doing it again. Who in the Federal Government could
sign a paper that you would believe?
I passed through Oregon when one Federal Judge shut
down most of the logging industry in that state
because of the spotted owl. Environmental groups said
the Endangered spotted owl only nested in old growth
trees, so they needed to be protected. Thousands of
people were put out of work because of the owl.
But the truth is the spotted owl loves to nest in old
pickup trucks and other such places. The
environmentalists used the owl to lock up the state
and put people out of work.
1:36:37 PM
Recently on the House floor we passed HJR 17 urging
the Federal Government to reconsider the situation in
Unalaska.
Unalaska had an exemption but the EPA revoked the
exemption that Unalaska had regarding their water and
secondary treatment plants. The EPA requirement is now
an unfunded mandate of $9.5 million for treatment for
cryptosporidium and there is NO cryptosporidium in
Unalaska! The secondary treatment mandate is between
$20-50 million. That totals over $6,500 for every man,
woman and child in the town of 4,370 folks.
When Unalaska appealed, the EPA said "Too bad." The
deadline for filling for an exemption had passed. They
don't care about the people of Unalaska.
The reason I mention this is that we will be trusting
in an exemption the same way Unalaska did.
Look how the Feds locked up the Tongass Forest.
Remember, the Statehood Agreement said that Alaskans
could develop resources on the Federal lands and the
state would get 90% of the revenue. Thousands of
people were put out of their jobs by the Federal
lockup of the Tongass. South East villages are dying
now because there is no economy. Do we think the Feds
care any more for us?
1:37:56 PM
Should we trust the environmental groups? Do we think
they will not immediately file a law suit against the
10-J exemption?
Do you remember how the environmental groups lied to
the people of Alaska during the predator control
issue? This is why we have a few moose in many parts
of the state. Environmental groups made big bucks on
the wolf issue, bleeding money out of the uninformed
people of the lower 48 to "save the wolves" that wiped
out our moose population.
They would love to take your case to court... the ONLY
wood bison herd in the United States.
This will be a big fund-raiser for them. They will
make millions of dollars by challenging the 10-J
exemption. We Alaskans have no way to fight back.
Should we trust our own State government? A herd of
Plains Bison have been in Delta since the 20's. They
are not an endangered species, but the Delta hunt is
so popular, the State has ignored the cries of the
Delta farmers for decades. The bison trampled $150,000
worth of barley just last year, but ADF&G hasn't done
a thing about it. If the State won't do something for
the Delta farmers, what makes us think they will do
something for us against the Federal Government when
the Trojan Bison have our land locked up?
1:38:55 PM
Concern
The bill I have submitted to the House only requires
the Department of Fish & Game to get permission from
the Legislature before introducing the Endangered
Bison into a location in Alaska. It doesn't prohibit
the introduction of bison; it just helps keep folks
from being buffalo-ed by the buffalo.
If the land gets locked up, does the State government
lose? No. Biologists still get to have their pet
project to study bison.
Do professional hunting groups lose? Well they will
lose the money they put into the project, but their
country won't be locked up.
Who is the loser? The people who will be hurt the most
are the people of Holy Cross, Anvik, Shageluk and
Grayling, but the whole state will be negatively
affected as well.
1:39:34 PM
What is the best-case scenario?
In ten years we get a one-in-a-hundred chance to hunt
a bison, while competing with scores of outsiders in
our country.
What is the worst-case scenario? Your corporation
land, and all surrounding Federal and State land, will
be locked up while the bison roam free. We will spend
our lives in court, and some Federal judge no one
every voted for, who could care less whether we live
or die, will decide whether we can tiptoe on the
tundra.
The effect of the release of the Trojan Bison will be
irreversible. Once they are loose, the problems they
bring will never go away.
People of Holy Cross, Grayling, Anvik and Shageluk I
think introducing the bison into your backyard is a
HUGE mistake.
Some of your young guys will go out on a snowy winter
night to taste bison meat and will end up in Federal
prison for killing an endangered species. The bison
will be free roaming and the people will be locked up.
Let me make a suggestion. Tell Fish & Game you want
Plains bison like Delta, Fairwell and Copper River. I
bet Plains Bison taste just as good as Trojan Bison.
You will get all the benefits with none of the risk.
Tell Fish and Game to find another place for the
Endangered Bison.
The real solution is effective predator control to get
our moose back.
I fear that we will become a very sad "Whereas" in a
very sad petition to Washington DC that doesn't listen
to our Governor or any other entity in this state.
Consider the facts and get back to me. Thanks.
1:41:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DICK concluded:
Do you remember the Charlie Brown cartoon? Every year
Lucy promised not to pull the football away, every
year Charlie trusted her, and every year she found
another excuse to break her word and leave Charlie
Brown flat on his back. It's like that, the federal
government will find some excuse to break a promise,
they always do.
1:41:28 PM
[Co-Chair Seaton returned the gavel to Co-Chair Feige.]
1:41:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DICK, in response to Representative Herron, said
that he is still trying to understand the definition of the term
nonessential experimental population, which he opined is being
redefined. In fact, the 10(j) exemption of the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) is being re-worded so the people of Alaska
will have greater assurances. In further response to
Representative Herron, Representative Dick said that he hasn't
submitted comments to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service regarding
the reclassification of the wood bison from endangered to
threatened. He related his opinion that there isn't any wording
of the 10(j) exemption that would make any difference,
particularly due to his mistrust of the federal government.
1:43:48 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FOSTER asked if Representative Dick had received
any film credits for the earlier presented film.
REPRESENTATIVE DICK replied no.
1:44:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI inquired as to how [HB 186] will impact
the current bison in Portage and whether the legislation will
delay the existing proposal.
REPRESENTATIVE DICK said that he has had conversations with ADF&G
staff and learned that there is the possibility that this might
delay the moving of the bison one more year. He clarified that
he doesn't intend to cause delay, but rather to be sure those in
the area where the bison would be located are fully informed.
1:45:55 PM
CO-CHAIR FEIGE surmised from Representative Dick's video that
it's not so much of an issue of trust of the federal government.
Rather, it's that if bison are introduced, the state is subject
to any nongovernmental unit bringing a lawsuit.
REPRESENTATIVE DICK indicated that to be the case. He then
related that he trusts the current governor and commissioner of
ADF&G. However, he recalled times when past governors had no
concern for rural Alaskans. Therefore, he expressed concern
that in the future ADF&G won't be able to move these bison into
a place in Alaska without the consent of the legislature. In
this case, Representative Dick opined that residents of Anvik,
Shageluk, and Grayling have been given the positive side of
introducing wood bison, but don't understand the irrevocable
consequences.
1:47:52 PM
CO-CHAIR FEIGE then announced that HB 186 would be held over,
noting that public testimony will be taken on 4/6/11.
1:48:03 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 1:48 p.m. to 2:06 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Big Game Commercial - Polley#2.docx |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| Game - Hoffman.doc |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| Game - Spraker.doc |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| Letters of Support for Ted Spraker.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| HB 186 Hearing Request.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 186 |
| HB 186 Sponsor Statement.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 186 |
| HB0186A.pdf |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 186 |
| HB186-DFG-WC-04-01-11.pdf |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 186 |
| Bison Damage _ 2010.doc |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| DBWG Recommendations 1 11 11 (2).doc |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| Endangered Species Law and Policy.pdf |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| Federal Register Vol 76 No 26.pdf |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| HB 186 Wood Bison Back Up - A.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 186 |
| HB 186 Wood Bison Backup - B.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 186 |
| HB 186 Wood Bison Backup - C.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 186 |
| HB 186 Wood Bison Backup - D.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 186 |
| Proposed Downlisting to Threatened.pdf |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| Wood Bison News 1.pdf |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| Wood Bison News 3.pdf |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| Wood Bison News 4a.pdf |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
|
| HB 106 Amendment 9 -A.30 & Amendment 10 - A.31.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 106 |
| HB 106 Letter of Intent.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 106 |
| HB 106 Amendment 11 - A.32.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 106 |
| HB 106 Amendment 12 - A.33.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 106 |
| HB 106 Amendment 7 - A.27.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 106 |
| HB 106 Amendment 8 - A. 28.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 106 |
| HB 106 Amendment Summary 4.4.11.pdf |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 106 |
| HB 106 Amendment 1 - A.2.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 106 |
| HB 106 Amendment 6 - A.16.PDF |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 106 |
| HB 106 Conceptual Amendment Changing statewide standard references 4.4.11.pdf |
HRES 4/4/2011 1:00:00 PM |
HB 106 |