Legislature(2011 - 2012)BARNES 124
03/21/2012 01:00 PM House RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB360 | |
| HB365 | |
| Overview(s): Oil & Gas Taxes & Credits | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 360 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 365 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 365-AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES
1:09:51 PM
CO-CHAIR FEIGE announced that the next order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 365, "An Act relating to the rapid response
to, and control of, aquatic invasive species." In response to
Representative Gardner, Co-Chair Feige requested Mr. Swanton of
the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G) to address the
status of the department's 2002 Alaska Aquatic Nuisance Species
Management Plan.
1:11:19 PM
CHARLES SWANTON, Director, Division of Sport Fish, Alaska
Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), explained that ADF&G's 2002
Alaska Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan was primarily
put together because such a plan was required under the National
Invasive Species Act [of 1996] to receive federal funding for
[invasive] species. The plan resulted in the state receiving
approximately $1.7 million in federal funds. Noting that the
noxious weeds identified in the plan are under the purview of
the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), he specified that
ADF&G's primary focus has been on northern pike because that is
the most pervasive issue ADF&G has had to deal with. He said
the department has been reasonably successful at addressing
northern pike - the most recent eradication efforts being in and
around Yakutat, along with a fair amount of work on northern
pike in and around the Anchorage area and the Kenai Peninsula.
He added that the 2002 plan is fairly comprehensive and in some
respects the authorities are well beyond what ADF&G has to
implement; however, as a guiding document it allows ADF&G to
focus its attentions, which the department has done.
1:13:37 PM
CO-CHAIR SEATON asked how the 2002 plan was implemented to
address the Didemnum vexillum (D. vex) situation in Sitka's
Whiting Harbor.
MR. SWANTON replied he is unsure about D. Vex in relation to the
plan. He said the D. Vex issue was discovered in 2010 through a
"bioblitz" conducted by a wide number of agencies. While the
2002 plan references a wide array of invasives, it does not
identify D. vex or tunicates. The plan has offered ADF&G some
guidance for addressing D. vex, but by and large that issue was
relatively unique and has required time to focus on what needs
to be done to move forward.
1:14:59 PM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON noted it has been two years since the
D. Vex was identified and voiced her hope that a plan has been
put in place to ensure it does not spread. She said she would
be very upset to find ADF&G has let it go and has no plans for
the future.
MR. SWANTON responded ADF&G has systematically addressed the
issue as best it can with the limited funding available. He
said ADF&G has requested a capital project within the governor's
budget specifically to Whiting Harbor and D. vex. That budget
will allow ADF&G the necessary funds to eradicate the species
and do some follow-up monitoring for several years after the
eradication to ensure that all of it was eradicated.
1:16:27 PM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON expressed her concern that D. Vex
eradication was not been included in the operating budget and
stated that it will take more than one-time funds since this
invasive has not been eradicated and has dispersed over quite an
area. Regarding the capital budget, she asked whether someone
has informed the other body that this is an emergency and is not
a one-time funding thing.
MR. SWANTON answered ADF&G has identified this as a priority on
the capital side and the department has had discussions
throughout the course of legislative hearings in terms of the
department's budget. He presumed folks are aware of what ADF&G
is trying to do with this capital project and the intent.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON expressed her deep disappointment.
1:17:58 PM
CO-CHAIR SEATON stated that this discussion shows the importance
of HB 365. He said D. vex is an invasive species that could be
extremely damaging to the economy of mariculture and to all
Southeast Alaska fisheries, yet the apparent authority was not
there to do an emergency response. The right emphasis is not
being put on the extreme importance of failing to give priority
to an invasion in a limited geographic area and HB 365 will
provide this priority. He shared in Representative P. Wilson's
deep disappointment about the response to the D. vex issue.
1:20:08 PM
CO-CHAIR FEIGE asked why this emergency was not included in the
supplemental budget request. He said ADF&G is not jumping up to
take care of what could be a pretty serious problem. The
committee did not know there was a capital request, which tells
that the issue has not received much emphasis; HB 365 will
therefore send the department a message.
CO-CHAIR SEATON added that while the committee heard a
presentation last year, that presentation was at the committee's
request after it learned about the issue from Representative P.
Wilson; the department did not come to the committee saying it
had an emergency that needed to be addressed right away. He
said the purpose of HB 365 is to tell ADF&G it needs to act.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON pointed out that this D. vex issue was
enough of an emergency that it went to a nationwide alert with
involvement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), the Smithsonian Institute, and the
University of Alaska. Many people knew how critical it was, yet
ADF&G said it did not have the money and could not do anything.
The state cannot let this happen because it could lead to the
devastating result of quarantined harbors. The state must have
something in place to provide direction so that a department
cannot say it has no money and will therefore not do anything.
1:23:29 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI noted HB 360 was amended to cut out
[freshwater aquatic species] so it now deals only with marine
aquatic species. He inquired whether ADF&G would want this
rapid response authority to address all aquatic species, if the
department believes it does not already have this ability.
MR. SWANTON replied he thinks ADF&G's ability to respond rapidly
has all to do with the circumstances surrounding the particular
species, the area, and the threat to other resources and the
economy. He said the revised fiscal note addresses the three
marine species that ADF&G should be paying attention to and
developing a plan for.
1:25:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI, noting that northern pike is one of the
six [freshwater] species that would be excluded from the bill as
amended, asked whether that means northern pike would not be
identified as a priority invasive species.
MR. SWANTON responded that northern pike has been a priority in
the freshwater aquatic environment through the department's
planning exercise that took place in 2002 and the subsequent
document. The department has had several successful eradication
efforts around the state and will continue to use the resources
it has sequestered for that particular instance.
1:26:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI pointed out that the bill deals with
rapid response because the department felt it did not have the
ability to rapidly respond to an invasive species. For example,
flooding of the Salcha River near Fairbanks occurs regularly,
sometimes spilling water into the Harding Lake tributary system.
Given that ADF&G stocks Harding Lake with silver salmon and
rainbow trout, he inquired whether the department would have the
ability under HB 365, as amended, to respond rapidly if pike got
into the Harding Lake area from one flooded season.
MR. SWANTON answered he believes ADF&G has the ability,
especially along the road system, to address those issues fairly
rapidly, as opposed to other areas of the state even in marine
waters. Regarding the aforementioned Harding Lake scenario, he
said he feels comfortable that ADF&G would have the ability to
take care of those issues.
1:27:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ asked what the current situation is in
Whiting Harbor and whether there is evidence that D. Vex is
still there or has been eradicated.
MR. SWANTON replied ADF&G has not undertaken eradication
efforts, but has removed from the water the nets for oyster
spatter that were the most contaminated and that were not on the
sea floor. Some of the superstructure has been cleaned up, he
continued, and most of the tunicate currently exists on the sea
floor fairly prominently in the head of that bay. Mapping has
been done and the invasive species coordinator has made in-roads
as to what permits are going to be necessary in preparation of
hopefully receiving this capital project to conduct the
eradication efforts, which will start in earnest as soon as the
funding is available.
1:29:37 PM
CO-CHAIR FEIGE, regarding the fiscal note mentioned by Mr.
Swanton, inquired what has changed in the current fiscal note as
opposed to the original one.
MR. SWANTON responded ADF&G has removed three of the six species
it was going to develop rapid response plans for. In essence,
the original note has been carved in half because those rapid
response plans would not be referenced. Should HB 365 pass and
funding become available, ADF&G would develop rapid response
plans for the invasive tunicate, European green crab, and
Spartina cordgrass. In further response, Mr. Swanton said the
revised amount would be $430,000 for fiscal year 2013 and
$215,000 for fiscal year 2014 for finalization of those plans.
REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ understood the fiscal note is to help ADF&G
develop the plan and identify information around each of the
species. She asked what the capital amount is for the
eradication efforts.
MR. SWANTON answered that this fiscal note does not reflect any
cost with implementing any plans if ADF&G does find any of these
species for eradication. This fiscal note is solely to develop
plans that would allow for the various agencies and interested
parties to understand their roles in removing that threat.
1:31:43 PM
MR. SWANTON, in response to Co-Chair Feige, said the current
capital request for eradicating D. vex in Whiting Harbor is
$500,000. In response to Co-Chair Seaton, Mr. Swanton said the
mechanism for this eradication has yet to be determined. There
has been some success within the literature, he continued, that
suggests some sort of matting structure to cover the substrate
and choke off the invasive. The department is planning to put
it out for bid as soon as possible to a qualified contractor to
conduct the eradication. In response to Representative Gardner,
Mr. Swanton said ADF&G believes the matting will likely be the
best approach and will take care of most of the eradication; the
department is suggesting the contractor use other methods to
clean up the other spots. The remainder of the money will be
used for monitoring to ensure the invasive does not resurface.
1:34:17 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI, noting that D. vex is not included in
ADF&G's 2002 Alaska Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan,
asked whether the plan will be updated.
MR. SWANTON replied the 2002 plan is not a rapid response plan;
rather, it is a broader perspective plan put together for
purposes of securing federal funding for invasive species work.
He said ADF&G has received about $1.4-$1.7 million in federal
funding to implement elements of the plan, primarily focused on
northern pike. He reiterated that he cannot speak to the
noxious weeds elements in the plan [because that falls under the
purview of the Department of Natural Resources].
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI commented that page v of the 2002 plan's
executive summary states that protocols shall be developed for
early detection, rapid response to, control and management of
new invasive species. Therefore, he said, some of this might be
redundant and the fiscal note should reflect this.
1:37:06 PM
CO-CHAIR SEATON moved to report HB 365, as amended, out of
committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying
pending fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSHB 365(RES)
was reported from committee.
CO-CHAIR FEIGE added that HB 365 is being reported from
committee with the understanding to ADF&G that it has some work
to do on the plan as well as the general approach to those
things that threaten Alaska's economy and environment.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DOR.H.RES.Presentation.3.21.12.pdf |
HRES 3/21/2012 1:00:00 PM |
|
| HRES 3.21.12 Credits Table.pdf |
HRES 3/21/2012 1:00:00 PM |
|
| HRES 3.21.12Credits Summary.pdf |
HRES 3/21/2012 1:00:00 PM |