Legislature(2003 - 2004)
05/04/2004 01:55 PM Senate L&C
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
CSHB 512(FIN)-HYDROGEN ENERGY RESEARCH PROGRAM
CHAIR CON BUNDE announced CSHB 512(FIN) to be up for
consideration.
REPRESENTATIVE HARRY CRAWFORD, sponsor, explained that HB 512
sets up an hydrogen energy partnership. He related how Wayne
Gretski, a great hockey player, said the difference between him
and all the other highly talented skaters in the National Hockey
League is that he always tried to skate where he thought the
puck was going to be, not where it was. Even though Alaska
depends on its natural gas and oil now, the fuel of the future
is going to be hydrogen - and Alaska has great potential.
CHAIR BUNDE asked if he thought this would undermine the need to
develop ANWR.
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD replied no. He thought opening ANWR is
necessary now to address the country's energy concerns and
lessen dependency on foreign oil. He noted that Governor
Schwarzeneger is putting together a network of hydrogen pumps
that are no further than 20 miles apart in California.
SENATOR SEEKINS asked what statute paragraph 44 would be added
to.
MR. JAY HARDENBROOK, staff to Representative Crawford, replied
that it would be placed under the Department of Community and
Economic Development.
SENATOR SEEKINS asked if the state was supposed to take up the
slack in funding if it wasn't forthcoming.
MR. HARDENBROOK replied that the bill is designed so that if
funding is not in place by 2009, the program will go away. The
Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) set up the
fiscal note so that it would be funded by program receipts and a
partnership with Alaska Industrial Development and Export
Authority (AIDEA).
MR. JERRY MCCUTCHEON, Anchorage, supported the idea behind using
hydrogen as an energy source in California, but noted that there
is no hydrogen in the state. It takes three times as much
natural gas to produce the hydrogen to run something than it
would to just use the natural gas in the first place. He said,
"Guess what! Alaska has the only game in town." The nearest
source of energy for California is the Susitna project in
Alaska. He, therefore, suggested adding California to market
evaluation language on page 3.
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD commented that he supported that idea.
SENATOR SEEKINS said he wasn't convinced that hydrogen is the
wave of the future in energy. "If it was something that vital, I
think that private industry would take care of it."
SENATOR BETTYE DAVIS moved to pass CSHB 512(FIN) from committee.
Senators French, Gary Stevens, Davis and Chair Bunde voted yea;
Senator Seekins voted nay; and CSHB 512(FIN) moved from
committee.
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