Legislature(2001 - 2002)
04/28/2001 04:58 PM House FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
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HOUSE BILL NO. 260
An Act requiring the owners or operators of certain
passenger vessels operating in the marine waters of the
state to register the vessels; establishing
information-gathering, record keeping, and reporting
requirements relating to the vessels' gray water and
sewage; prohibiting the discharge of untreated sewage
from the vessels unless exempted; placing limits on
discharges of treated sewage and gray water from the
vessels unless exempted; establishing a commercial
passenger vessel coastal protection fund; establishing
a fee on commercial passenger vessels, that are not
exempt from the fee, for each voyage during which the
vessels operate in the marine waters of the state based
on the overnight accommodation capacity of the vessels
determined with reference to the number of lower
berths; establishing penalties for failure to comply
with certain laws relating to the vessels; authorizing
the Department of Environmental Conservation to
encourage and recognize superior environmental
protection efforts related to commercial passenger
vessels; authorizing exemptions from some laws relating
to discharges from the vessels and from the fee
requirements related to the vessels; requiring a report
from the Department of Environmental Conservation
concerning matters relating to the vessels; and
providing for an effective date.
Co-Chair Mulder provided Committee members with Amendments
#21 - #25. [Copies on File].
DALE ANDERSON, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE MULDER, explained
Amendment #21 which would add the language, "AS 46.03.488,
or other applicable law or regulation" to Page 4, Line 6.
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #21. There being
NO OBJECTION, it was adopted.
Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #22 on Page 5, Lines 1-4,
deleting all the material and inserting, "Sec. 46.03.465.
Logbook and sampling requirements, etc.".
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #22. There being
NO OBJECTION, it was adopted.
Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #23 to Page 5, Line 30,
adding the language "information gathering, gathered the
type of information required under (a), [OR] (b), or (c) of
this section,." He noted that the amendment would bring the
information gathered through testing in subsection (c) under
the same "let's not duplicate other efforts" provision in
subsection (d).
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #23. There being
NO OBJECTION, the amendment was adopted.
Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #24, which would address
reports that the cruise ship lines would have to follow,
outlining discharging of hazardous wastes or hazardous
substances.
Co-Chair Mulder interjected that the reports would have to
be filed within 21 days.
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #24, which he noted
would provide a significant change. There being NO
OBJECTION, the amendment was adopted.
Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #25 which would add
language to Page 8, Lines 13-16, "© The legislature may make
appropriations from the fund to the department to pay for
the department's operational and administrative costs
necessary to carry out activities under AS 46.03.460-
46.03.490, the assessment report required of department and
activities under department regulations establishing
standards for marine vessel visible emissions adopted under
AS 46.14."
Mr. Anderson noted that the amendment would allow the
Legislature to make appropriations from the Alaska
Commercial Passenger Vessel Coastal Protection Fund to the
Department in order to cover the costs of preparing the
assessment report. Otherwise, the Department would have no
identified funding source for the assessment work.
In response to comments made by Co-Chair Williams, Co-Chair
Mulder advised that the following language would be
inserted: "assessment report required of department, and
activities".
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #25. There being
NO OBJECTION, the amendment was adopted.
MICHAEL CONWAY, DIVISION OF AIR AND WATER QUALITY,
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, agreed that the
legislation had been improved with the addition of the
amendments. He added that HB 260 "falls short" of the bill
proposed by the Governor.
Representative Hudson MOVED to report CS HB 260 (FIN) out of
Committee with individual recommendations and with the
accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was
so ordered.
CSHB 260 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with a "do
pass" recommendation and with a fiscal note by Department of
Environmental Conservation.
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