Legislature(2017 - 2018)BARNES 124
02/27/2018 11:30 AM House ARCTIC POLICY, ECONOMIC DEV., & TOURISM
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB383 | |
| HJR33 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 383 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HJR 33 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HJR 33-DEVELOP ARCTIC INFRASTRUCTURE & DEFENSE
12:47:54 PM
CHAIR LINCOLN announced that the final order of business would
be HJR 33, Urging the Alaska delegation in Congress to pursue
the establishment of a U.S. Coast Guard port in the Arctic
region; supporting the increase in defensive capabilities in the
Arctic region; and encouraging the development of critical
Arctic infrastructure.
CHAIR LINCOLN stated his intent to bring before the committee a
committee substitute.
12:48:21 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK moved to adopt the proposed committee
substitute (CS) for HJR 33, Version 30-LS1350\D, Radford,
2/14/18, as a working document.
CHAIR LINCOLN objected for purposes of discussion.
12:48:56 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 12:49 p.m. to 12:51 p.m.
12:51:04 PM
MICHAL LOWE, Intern, Representative Chris Tuck, Alaska State
Legislature, presented HJR 33 on behalf of Representative Tuck,
prime sponsor. He outlined the changes made in Version D: [On
page 1, line 1, "Arctic naval station"] was changed to ["U.S.
Coast Guard port in the Arctic region"]; and [on page 2, line
30, "naval station"] was changed to ["Coast Guard port capable
of supporting naval contingency operations"].
12:52:23 PM
CHAIR LINCOLN removed his objection to the motion to adopt
Version D. There being no further objection, Version D was
before the committee.
12:53:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK expressed appreciation for the work Mr. Lowe
had done as his intern.
12:53:15 PM
MR. LOWE spoke to the importance of resolutions as talking
points to highlight what a state wants. He said bi-partisanship
and unanimity are important in showing "the intent of Alaska."
He began a PowerPoint presentation, and drew attention to slide
2, which covered the purpose and scope of the presentation and
offered the following bullet points:
• Introduce HJR 33 to AET Committee
• Cover evolving situation in the Arctic
• Provide primary sources and relevant information
to support claims
• Discuss benefits of port to the state
• Major challenges impeding implementation
MR. LOWE said the next few slides are overlays he acquired from
the Internet. He said receding polar sea ice has opened new sea
lanes for vessels, which reduces intercontinental routes by as
much as 5,000 miles. He said, "The basis for the U.S. Coast
Guard port stems from the opening of sea lanes in the Arctic."
He said one route that is important is shown in lime green on a
map on slide 3, and it is right above Russia.
12:57:39 PM
MR. LOWE directed attention to slide 4, which shows mineral and
economic potential of the Arctic. He said the U.S. conducted a
survey in 2008 which showed that 13 percent of the world's
undiscoverable oil and 30 percent of the world's natural gas
lies in the circumpolar Arctic. This potential is attracting
interest from other nations; Russia has the most land north of
the Arctic circle, and much of its economy lies in the Arctic.
He said Russia already gets approximately 20 percent of its
gross domestic product (GDP) from the Arctic. China is
involved, as well, and he said he would talk about that later.
MR. LOWE turned to slide 5, which shows an overlay of military
facilities in the Arctic, and he pointed out that the U.S. has
none. In contrast, Russia has about 20 [military] facilities
lining the northern sea route. He said it is clear that Russia
regards this sea route as "a very important route in the future"
and wants to ensure its presence there. Mr. Lowe opined that
[the U.S.] should have a presence there as well.
1:00:22 PM
MR. LOWE showed slide 6, which depicts China's involvement in
the Arctic. He said China has written its Arctic policy,
declares itself a "near-Arctic state," and seeks to build a
"polar silk road." He said China has built an ice breaker and
desires to "regulate and manage affairs of the Arctic." China
has joined forces with Russia, he said. Further, China recently
filed for permanent observer status in the Arctic Council, which
it was granted. Mr. Lowe stated that China sees the potential
of the Arctic.
MR. LOWE directed attention to slide 7, which addresses the
National Defense Strategy [of the U.S.], which replaces
terrorism with nation-state strategic competition as a primary
concern. He said reading this document is important in
understanding the shift happening in the nation's military
strategy and the need for facilities and investment in
infrastructure to shift, as well.
MR. LOWE, showing slide 8, stated that federal investment is
good for Alaska's economy, and a U.S. Coast Guard base would add
to that and provide not only initial stimulus but would boost
the economy over time. He mentioned Joint Base Elmendorf-
Richardson (JBER) is one of the reasons Anchorage is the
population hub of Alaska; the military requires a diverse work
force; and the base is an economy within itself. Directing
attention to slide 9, Mr. Lowe talked about the mission of the
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA). He talked
about The Adjutant Generals (TAG) vision for DMVA. He
indicated a [Venn diagram] on the slide, which shows "Viable
Arctic Strategy," "Engagement with Alaska Communities," and
"Emergency Management Capacity," with "Rural Engagement"
connecting them all. He said the U.S. Coast Guard does search
and rescue, and the station closest [to the Arctic] is in
Kodiak, Alaska. He said with an increase of oil tankers and
cruise ships through the Arctic sea lane, if one were to get
stranded, it may be Canada that would have to help, because a
U.S. Coast Guard vessel would not be able to get there in time.
In other words, he said, U.S. capabilities in the Arctic are
lacking.
1:05:23 PM
MR. LOWE turned to slide 10, and he stated that the primary
challenge is get the U.S., as a whole, to embrace its role as an
Arctic nation. Alaska is the reason the U.S. is an Arctic
nation, but the rest of the country does not have that fact in
its consciousness or realize the importance of protecting the
nation's interest in the region and providing emergency response
capabilities to the region. He said there are extended time
horizons for construction in the region because of the extreme
weather. He said the U.S. is behind in its investment in the
Arctic, and he opined that the nation should invest soon. He
said there are so many threats that face the nation that it can
be difficult to bring attention to the Arctic, but Mr. Lowe
stated, "I still think we should try."
MR. LOWE showed slide 11, which recapped the PowerPoint and the
following ideas that had been covered: the evolving tensions
and rising opportunities in the Arctic; primary documents from
federal agencies; and benefits to the state economy as well as
to the state military missions.
1:07:32 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KNOPP offered his understanding that the U.S.
Coast Guard had, for the last few years, maintained a seasonal
station in Nome, Alaska.
MR. LOWE confirmed that that station has been seasonal. He
explained that HJR 33 proposes a permanent deep-water port in
Nome, with infrastructure development.
1:08:27 PM
CHAIR LINCOLN asked Mr. Lowe if he has an opinion regarding an
ideal location for an [Arctic] port in Alaska.
MR. LOWE answered he does not. He said Nome has graphite
development; he mentioned the Chinese and a natural gas pipeline
and streaming the natural gas there instead of to Nikiski,
Alaska; and development of a U.S. Coast Guard base there. He
added that he was not advocating the idea, but it was one he had
heard that would give a deep-water port in Nome multiple
functions.
1:09:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK, as prime sponsor of HJR 33, commented that
the United States would not be an Artic nation without Alaska.
He said that even though the federal government owns
approximately 60 percent of Alaska and gives Alaska a lot of
federal money, he thinks the federal government overlooks the
economic potential of the Arctic, as well as overlooking
national security needs. He noted that there had been a
presentation to the House Special Committee on Military and
Veterans' Affairs by a retired U.S. Coast Guard member regarding
the history of the Coast Guard. He opined that it makes sense
to have a base "up here." He said the guard had revenue cutters
that were small, two-sail ships that collected revenue from
merchant ships. Eventually that became the U.S. Coast Guard
that exists today in Alaska. He said the guard has brought
reindeer to people starving on islands; it has brought building
supplies and built infrastructure. He said it makes sense to
have a U.S. Coast Guard base [in Nome] so that "we can police
our waters."
1:11:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN talked about the tremendous amount of work
that was put into the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission and his
work on this issue, and he emphasized that there is a strategic
plan laid out within the commission regarding development of
infrastructure, including telecommunications, what resources are
available, and how they can be marketed and developed. He
encouraged the committee to look at the findings of the
commission. He concluded, "There is a plan for this set out."
1:12:38 PM
CHAIR LINCOLN announced that HJR 33 was held over.