Legislature(2019 - 2020)BUTROVICH 205
02/04/2019 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES
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| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s) | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
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| += | SB 22 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
February 4, 2019
3:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Chris Birch, Chair
Senator John Coghill, Vice Chair
Senator Cathy Giessel
Senator Lora Reinbold
Senator Click Bishop
Senator Scott Kawasaki
Senator Jesse Kiehl
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Douglas Vincent-Lang
-
CONFIRMATION ADVANCED
SENATE BILL NO. 22
"An Act relating to management of enhanced stocks of shellfish;
authorizing certain nonprofit organizations to engage in
shellfish enhancement projects; relating to application fees for
salmon hatchery permits; and providing for an effective date."
- BILL HEARING CANCELED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
DOUGLAS VINCENT-LANG, Commissioner Designee
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified for his confirmation hearing.
VIRGIL UMPHENOUR, representing self
North Pole, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported confirmation of ADF&G Commissioner
Designee Douglas Vincent-Lang.
MIKE CRAWFORD, representing self
Soldotna, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported confirmation of ADF&G Commissioner
Designee Douglas Vincent-Lang.
SAM ROHRER, President
Alaska Professional Hunters Association (APHA)
Kodiak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported confirmation of ADF&G Commissioner
Designee Douglas Vincent-Lang.
VIC VAN BALLENBERGHE, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed confirmation of ADF&G Commissioner
Designee Douglas Vincent-Lang.
NANCY BALE, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Expressed concerns about confirmation of
ADF&G Commissioner Designee Douglas Vincent-Lang.
JOHN STURGEON, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported confirmation of ADF&G Commissioner
Designee Douglas Vincent-Lang.
MARK RICHARDS, Executive Director
Residents Hunters of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported confirmation of ADF&G Commissioner
Designee Douglas Vincent-Lang.
ROD ARNO, Executive Director
Alaska Outdoor Council
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported confirmation of ADF&G Commissioner
Designee Douglas Vincent-Lang.
SYLVIA PANZARELLA, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed confirmation of ADF&G Commissioner
Designee Douglas Vincent-Lang.
MICHAEL HAUKEDALEN, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed confirmation of ADF&G Commissioner
Designee Douglas Vincent-Lang.
STACEE KLEINSMITH, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported confirmation of ADF&G Commissioner
Designee Douglas Vincent-Lang.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:30:06 PM
CHAIR CHRIS BIRCH called the Senate Resources Standing Committee
meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. Present at the call to order were
Senators Kawasaki, Giessel, Kiehl, Coghill, Reinbold, Bishop,
and Chair Birch.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
3:30:55 PM
CHAIR BIRCH announced the confirmation hearing of the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Commissioner Designee
Douglas Vincent-Lang. Chair Birch read the mission of ADF&G: To
protect, maintain, and improve the fish, game, and aquatic plant
resources of the state, and manage their use and development in
the best interest of the economy and the well-being of the
people of the state, consistent with the sustained yield
principle.
CHAIR BIRCH noted that ADF&G's major program areas include
habitat, commercial fisheries, sports fish, subsistence and
wildlife conservation.
3:31:48 PM
DOUGLAS VINCENT-LANG, Commissioner Designee, Alaska Department
of Fish and Game, Juneau, Alaska, shared that he grew up in
Wisconsin. He learned to fish and hunt with his Grandfather
Otto. He received his undergraduate degree from the University
of Wisconsin. In 1978 he went to graduate school at the
University of Alaska Fairbanks to obtain a Master of Science in
Biological Oceanography. He first worked between the North Slope
and Anchorage before getting a job with ADF&G, where he worked
for the next 34 years.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG said he worked in a variety
of projects and spent 20 some years in the sports fish division.
He worked as a research biologist for marine fisheries and a
research and manager coordinator. He became familiar with
federal and international treaty processes.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG said he and another person
developed a funding plan to build hatcheries in Anchorage and
Fairbanks using a bond package that did not use general funds.
It was paid for using a hatchery surcharge on sports fishing
licenses. That funding method was unique across the nation.
Those hatcheries are now producing fish.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG said he spent about five
years working in the commissioner's office on Arctic, marine,
and the Endangered Species Act policies. The last three to four
years he was the Director of the Division of Wildlife
Conservation.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG said he then retired. When
the governor asked whether he would be the commissioner of Fish
and Game, he took his time to respond because he knew it is a
hard job. After talking to the governor about shared objectives
and goals, he said yes.
3:36:37 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG shared his philosophy for the
job. The commissioner of Fish and Game is managing public trust
resources. The public has entrusted him to manage those
resources. He must have the public's trust to be successful,
which means he must talk to people. He will have an open-door
policy. Leadership must seek a lot of input into making
decisions. He told staff that they can hold him accountable if
he's not asking for their input, although he makes the decisions
based on many different factors.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG said his goals are to put
food on the table of Alaskans; ensure trust by the public in the
department; and preserve the state right to manage. That is
critical. They fought hard as a state to get the right to manage
their fish and game resources. They fought hard during the
ANILCA [Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation] battles to
preserve those rights. The state is a better manager of fish and
game resources than the federal government. "I think you'd
rather be talking to me than some bureaucrat back in D.C., 4,000
miles away," he said. Finally, he wants to ensure the next
generation of hunters, fishers, anglers, and, of course,
commercial (Indisc.) . . . biologists to manage these resources.
It's time to get the next generation out there hunting and
fishing.
3:38:32 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG said some people have pointed
out weaknesses in his curriculum, including his background in
commercial fish, but he's been around the Board of Fisheries,
the council, the IPHC [International Pacific Halibut
Commission], and has been involved in issues. He has the skills
to learn commercial fisheries management. He's been reaching out
to the commercial fishing sector across the state. As he has
made hires, he asked them what they want in terms of a
commercial fish director and deputy commissioner that oversees
fisheries. He feels confident about his abilities to manage
commercial fisheries.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG addressed Prop 1 [Alaska
Ballot Measure 1, Salmon Habitat Protections and Permits
Initiative]. He said as a private citizen, he came out against
Prop 1. It is wrong to rewrite salmon habitat regulations by a
voter initiative, but he is a strong supporter of habitat. As
time goes on, it is appropriate to look at habitat regulations
to make sure they are the right set of regulations and rules and
update them as necessary.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG said the last weakness people
have pointed out is active management, which he does support.
The framers of the Alaska constitution meant for populations to
be managed actively, not passively. They will do active
management in the Department of Fish and Game on a scientific
basis for the benefit of Alaskans and the economy.
3:40:29 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI said he was going to ask the same question of
Mr. Vincent-Lang that he posed to the Department of
Environmental Conservation commissioner, which is whether he
concurred that human activity, including burning of fossil
fuels, agriculture, deforestation, and industry, is the primary
cause of climate change.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG responded that he did agree
that climate change is affecting fish and wildlife management
and they should be addressing climate change, as they do any
other factor.
SENATOR KAWASAKI stated that the question is whether he concurs.
His follow-up question would be about mitigation, but he wanted
a straight answer on that.
CHAIR BIRCH stated that Senator Kawasaki calling for straight
answers was impugning the program they had going that afternoon.
SENATOR KAWASAKI said it is a question because this is an agency
that deals with science.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG said that the Department of
Fish and Game is the only department with a climate change
assessment on its website. Climate is affecting fish and
wildlife. He won't get into the causes of climate change, but he
will pay attention to the factor it plays in sustaining fish and
game resources.
3:42:32 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI stated that the Chitina fishery is important to
him. They can tell when the commercial fisheries are going
because there is a dip before the fish migrate up to where he
fishes. He asked how Commissioner Designee Vincent-Lang would
prioritize or allocate between subsistence, personal use, sport,
and commercial.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG answered that allocation
decisions belong to the Board of Fisheries, so they will work
with the board. Clearly, subsistence is the priority of all
those issues.
SENATOR BISHOP mentioned that he and Commissioner Designee
Vincent-Lang had had many conversations in the past about cow
moose harvest. He said he was glad to hear Commissioner Designee
Vincent-Lang say that he would use science to make decisions and
that he would talk to a lot of people to make informed
decisions. He asked for his opinion about using UAVs [Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle] for pilot projects for cow moose surveys.
3:44:21 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG answered that when they had
this discussion four years ago, the state didn't have the long-
range capacity to use UAVs to do aerial moose surveys, but now
the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) may have a drone
capable of flying more than 20 or 30 minutes. They need a drone
that will fly 100 miles, so he is very interested in talking to
UAF about the feasibility of using that drone to count moose.
Counting moose has become increasingly challenging, especially
with delayed winters. They are looking at different
technologies, including infrared.
SENATOR REINBOLD said she had had a lot of complaints about
sports fishermen. She asked him if had directed any closures.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG answered that one of the
biggest closures he had done since taking the job was Northern
Cook Inlet. Within the first week of taking the job he saw
projections for chinook salmon escapement for Northern Cook
Inlet streams. Even without any fishing, they were projected to
get half the escapement they needed for long-term sustainability
of those runs. They closed sport fishing, commercial fishing,
personal use fishing, and partially restricted subsistence
fishing based on a discussion with Tyonek. He won't hesitate to
close fisheries when necessary for long-term viability and
sustainability, but they will do it based on talking to people.
The biggest criticism for the department last year was not
giving enough notice regarding those closures, so this year they
did that in January when they issued the forecast and
projections.
3:46:41 PM
SENATOR REINBOLD asked what rivers are impacted, what areas of
commercial fishing and sports fishing are affected, and how
significant the impact is. She also asked what the pushback has
been.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG replied that it is
significant. It is basically the entire Northern Cook Inlet
drainages and the Little Susitna River. It excludes the hatchery
runs going into Eklutna in the Anchorage area. They looked at
every possibility of keeping some fisheries open. Even the
mortality rate for catch-and-release was too high. The closure
came at a cost, but it was the right thing to do considering the
long-term impacts.
SENATOR KIEHL said that in the last round of Pacific Salmon
Treaty negotiations, they gave up some of their share of
sockeyes from the Taku River, one of the big sockeye producers
in his district, to the Canadians with the promise of some
federal funding for much better science, much better counts. He
said it is not clear to him that that money will come through.
He asked Commissioner Designee Vincent-Lang what recourse they
have if that money does not come through.
3:48:28 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG said that other than the
Northern Cook Inlet drainages, the Pacific Salmon Treaty has
caused him to get more gray hair since he took this job two
months ago. The salmon treaty was negotiated with some chinook
and sockeye reductions up and down the coast. He wasn't in the
room when the treaty was negotiated, but the chinook reductions
were probably somewhat justified given the chinook levels across
the northern Gulf Coast. Sockeye was reduced because of concerns
in Canada and of lower 48 streams. The whole treaty was
predicated on a premise of a federally funded mitigation package
to offset some of Alaska's losses, including increased money for
hatcheries in Alaska. A second piece was money for Alaska to
manage resources according to the stipulations of the treaty.
And third, and probably most importantly, money was supposed to
be dedicated to mitigating the impacts to orcas and endangered
species in Puget Sound. For some reason, the treaty was signed
without the guarantee of money.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG said if he were a fisherman,
he would be worried about the money for Puget Sound orcas and
salmon because if the money doesn't come forward, NMFS [National
Marine Fisheries Service] has threatened Alaska with pulling its
incidental take permits to prosecute all of Alaska's fisheries.
They are working hard to get that federal mitigation package. He
has put the U.S. commissioners of the salmon treaty on notice of
what will happen in two years if the state doesn't get the
money.
SENATOR BISHOP asked how much money.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG answered from $50 to $60
million.
3:51:01 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI said there is now an expedited environmental
impact statement for the Pebble. Commissioner Designee Vincent-
Lang will have some say because he oversees the Habitat
Division. He asked how he will protect the state's rights and
whether he has enough support in the department to complete the
work.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG answered that he can't say
what he believes about Pebble because he is a permitting
authority for it. However, anyone giving out permits for large
projects such as Pebble should be cautious. They will look at
Pebble the way they would any big project. They looked at the
scoping document and asked all divisions at Fish and Game what
should be examined to evaluate impacts as part of that scoping
process. Everything the staff wanted to evaluate was forwarded
to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and eventually to
the Army Corps of Engineers. There was no vetting of the kinds
of information staff wanted to evaluate. He is confident that
because it is an environmental impact statement process, ADF&G
will have more than enough information to evaluate its Title 16
responsibilities as they move forward.
SENATOR KIEHL said the Resource Committee had discussions about
economic opportunities in mariculture, in hatchery restoration.
There was public comment about the balance between the
precautionary principle and mariculture. He asked how
Commissioner Designee Vincent-Lang sees the department balancing
those internal tensions between both missions for the agency.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG answered clearly there is a
lot of ocean out there and some opportunity for mariculture to
occur. He has made no formal commitment yet about the
mariculture bill before them. They are still looking at that in
terms of fiscal impact and a variety of other things, but
clearly, hatchery production across the state is adding to the
economy. He wouldn't want to put it on top of the more heavily
used parts of the state, but the state has a lot of coastline.
3:53:35 PM
SENATOR KIEHL said he has heard a fair amount of concern about
how the board decision was made about the location of an
upcoming meeting about Cook Inlet issues. He asked Commissioner
Designee Vincent-Lang about the value of hearing from folks who
are directly impacted in a variety of areas.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG said he tries to leave
decisions about where board wants to meet to the board as long
as it doesn't cost a significant amount of money for his agency.
There was little cost difference, so he left it up to them. For
this one they will hear from everybody no matter whether the
meeting is in Kenai, Anchorage, or the Mat-Su Valley. It's all
relatively close to each other.
3:55:04 PM
CHAIR BIRCH opened public testimony.
VIRGIL UMPHENOUR, representing self, North Pole, Alaska, said he
has known Commissioner Designee Vincent-Lang for 25 years. He
has worked with him on the state Board of Fisheries and several
other projects as the chairman of the Fairbanks Fish and Game
Advisory Committee. He is exceptionally well qualified. He
demonstrates the leadership principles taught to military
officers. His integrity is beyond reproach. He has extensive
knowledge about fisheries management.
3:58:27 PM
MIKE CRAWFORD, representing self, Soldotna, Alaska, said he was
chairman of the Kenai-Soldotna Fish and Game Advisory Committee
and director-at-large for Safari Club International.
Commissioner Designee Vincent-Lang is open minded and
understands the importance of opportunity and food security
issues for Alaskans. He is an expert on federal overreach
issues. He has diverse qualifications. He has expertise in
fishing and hunting. He is pro state rights and most important,
he has common sense. He is excited to see him on board.
4:00:15 PM
SAM ROHRER, President, Alaska Professional Hunters Association
(APHA), Kodiak, Alaska, said he is a hunting guide and president
of APHA. Their support for Commissioner Designee Vincent-Lang is
based on three considerations: sound wildlife management,
commitments to building public trust, and a desire to see ADF&G
set the highest standards nationally. During Commissioner
Designee Vincent-Lang's tenure as Director of Wildlife, his
number one priority was wildlife conservation and sound
scientific management. He brought science and defensibility to
intensive management (IM), which can be controversial. Alaskans
who rely on wildlife and enjoy hunting recreationally generally
support IM. Others do not. Everyone does agree that the program
should be justified by sound science and research. As director
of Wildlife Conservation, Commissioner Designee Vincent-Lang
recognized the need to reform the division's approach to IM. His
tough reforms as director of Wildlife demonstrated his
commitment to science-based wildlife management. Mr. Vincent-
Lang was a fierce advocate for his staff and division but also
was available to meet with stakeholders and work through tough
issues. Mr. Vincent-Lang successfully built trust with APHA.
Alaska was granted full authority to manage fish and wildlife
within its borders when it became a state. Mr. Vincent-Lang's
staunch support of state wildlife management authority is
balanced by his commitment to sound management. Under his
leadership, ADF&G will maintain its position as the preeminent
fish and game department in North America.
4:04:11 PM
VIC VAN BALLENBERGHE, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, said
he has worked as a wildlife biologist. He was appointed to the
Board of Game three times by two different governors. Governor
Dunleavy was sworn in on December 3, 2018. One of his first acts
was to appoint Doug Vincent-Lang as acting commissioner of
ADF&G. One month later Mr. Vincent-Lang sent a letter to the
U.S. Department of the Interior with a 41-page enclosure of a
long list of grievances against the department and its agencies.
Included were at least 65 specific recommendations pertaining to
fish and wildlife management. These were generally intended to
appeal federal regulations, amend federal statutes, modify
federal policies, and revise agency directors' orders in order
to rectify perceived federal overreach of authority. The
recommendations would hamper the federal agencies from managing
fish and wildlife on federal land according to directives in
federal statutes. Since the passage of the Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) in 1980, federal
managers have sought collaborative relationships with the state
of Alaska. These relationships have eroded in recent years as
the state is taking an increasingly aggressive posture toward
wildlife management issues. Mr. Vincent-Lang will accelerate
this unfortunate process. The resulting conflicts will not
benefit the state or federal government. They deserve a
commissioner who understands the importance of working with
federal partners. Mr. Van Ballenberghe encouraged the committee
to read his submitted written testimony.
4:08:04 PM
NANCY BALE, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, said that she
has lived in Alaska since 1971. She spent over 20 years living
in the Alaska Bush and working in Denali National Park. Although
she moved to Anchorage, she continued to pay attention to
wildlife management Wildlife Management Units 20A and 20C. Mr.
Vincent-Lang is qualified based on executive experience with the
department, but based on his public statements and management
focus, she is concerned. She hunted and ate moose meat. She is
not antihunter. She believes in using resources to benefit
Alaskans. She believes the federal presence of Denali Park and
other federal units in Alaska is a good thing and is undervalued
by the legislature and Department of Fish and Game. Tourists
come from all over to hunt and fish on federal and state land.
There is a good balance, but little state celebration of it. So
much of what she sees from Mr. Vincent-Lang is antifederal
sentiment and accusations. Sometimes it is not accurate or
reasonable or reflective of the broad public consensus in
Alaska. She disagrees with Mr. Vincent-Lang about whether
federal park preserves have the authority to prohibit certain
hunting practices. The federal barriers are not a significant
impediment to Alaska game managers or to her access to hunting.
It is important to recognize the role federal land management
plays. She hopes Mr. Vincent-Lang and committee will tone down
dangerous antifederal rhetoric on fish and game policy.
4:12:33 PM
JOHN STURGEON, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, shared that
he is on the boards of the Safari Club International Alaska
Chapter, the Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation, and the Alaska
Outdoor Council. He has worked with Mr. Vincent-Lang in various
capacities. Mr. Vincent-Lang is a professional and knowledgeable
person with extensive experience. The federal government is
trying to usurp state authority. Mr. Vincent-Lang will be a
strong advocate of state rights
4:14:15 PM
MARK RICHARDS, Executive Director, Residents Hunters of Alaska,
Fairbanks, Alaska, said as Executive Director of Resident
Hunters of Alaska he represents 2,000 Alaskans and their
families. Mr. Vincent-Lang is unique among past commissioners in
that he has experience in both fisheries and game. When he was
director of the Wildlife Division in the Parnell administration,
he always engaged the public on various issues, some very
controversial. He always sought to bring people together. He
will protect Alaska's right to manage wildlife as Alaskans deem
best. Mr. Richards urged the committee to read the letter to the
Department of the Interior defending the state's rights to
manages its own fish and game. Mr. Vincent-Lang is supremely
qualified for this position.
4:16:58 PM
ROD ARNO, Executive Director, Alaska Outdoor Council, Palmer,
Alaska, said the Alaska Outdoor Council has over 10,000 members
statewide representing 47 different outdoor clubs. He has worked
with Mr. Vincent-Lang for decades. He has always made himself
available to the public. The council has seen Mr. Vincent-Lang's
knowledge of dealing with federal legislation that determines
the use of public resources of fish and game on 220 million
acres of this state grow. At this juncture in Alaska history
they are fortunate to have a person qualified and willing to be
commissioner and work through issues with federal land managers
and continue to make Alaska a national example, if not a world
example, of a publicly-run fish and game department that gets
allocation decisions from the public. Many of the hunters who
buy hunting and fishing licenses trust Mr. Vincent-Lang to
ensure that those funds will be used for the ability of all
Alaskans to participate in fish and game outdoor activities.
4:20:12 PM
SYLVIA PANZARELLA, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, said
she and her husband are not against ethical hunting, but from
what she has read about Commissioner Designee Vincent-Lang,
instead of representing the state, he represents an extremist
group, Safari Club International. The Safari group puts notches
on their belts from how many animals they have killed, not how
much meat they have put in the freezer. Mr. Vincent-Lang is the
treasurer of Alaska chapter of the Safari Club. As acting
commissioner, he appointed Edward Grasser, a registered lobbyist
for the Safari Club, as director of the Wildlife Division. This
is not the balanced opinion that Alaskans need. She wants
someone who represents the state more than a special interest
group like the Safari Club.
4:23:05 PM
MICHAEL HAUKEDALEN, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, said
Mr. Vincent-Lang represents continuation of the status quo and
business as usual for ADF&G and the Board of Game. He works with
individuals in grass roots organizations who understand and
respect sports hunting, especially subsistence hunting. The
department falls short of its mission to manage shared resources
in the best interests of the economy and the people of Alaska.
Two examples discussed have been predator control and intensive
game management. This is, at best, questionable science. He has
found consistent opposition in the legislature and the
Department of Fish and Game to listen to anything that comes
from outside--peer-reviewed scientific articles and opinions.
One example of predator control problems is the Upper Yukon
Tanana wolf control program, which ADF&G itself admitted was a
failure. Another example is the department refusal to
reestablish the Denali buffer zone, which imperils the tourism
economy. The board has approved a buffer before and then
rescinded the buffer, an arbitrary and capricious decision.
4:26:46 PM
STACEE KLEINSMITH, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, said
she is an active outdoor enthusiast and bow hunter. She has
served on boards with Mr. Vincent-Lang. He is an ardent
conservationist and very approachable.
4:28:52 PM
CHAIR BIRCH closed public testimony. He invited Commissioner
Designee Vincent-Lang to address the committee again.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG explained that he did write a
41-page letter to the Department of the Interior to respond to a
request from the Secretary of the Interior Zinke. When he called
the Department of the Interior to ask what type of response the
department wanted, the answer was a comprehensive list. The
staff had been working on the list during the previous
administration. This is what the Department of the Interior
wanted from them.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE VINCENT-LANG concluded by saying that he
is excited about serving as commissioner. There are lots of
challenges ahead in finding the right balance among different
users. He's ready for it and excited about it.
4:30:49 PM
CHAIR BIRCH stated that in accordance with AS 39.05.080, the
Senate Resources Committee reviewed the following and recommends
the appointment be forwarded to a joint session for
consideration: Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game,
Doug Vincent-Lang.
CHAIR BIRCH reminded members that signing the reports regarding
appointments to boards and commissions in no way reflects
individual members' approval or disapproval of the appointees;
the nominations are merely forwarded to the full legislature for
confirmation or rejection.
At ease
4:33:04 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Birch adjourned the Senate Resources Standing Committee at
4:33 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DF&G Commissioner-Designee Doug Vincent-Lang - Resume.pdf |
SRES 2/4/2019 3:30:00 PM |
|
| Vincent-Lang Confirmation-Letter Jennifer Yuhas 1-28-19.pdf |
SRES 2/4/2019 3:30:00 PM |
|
| Vincent-Lang Confirmation-Letter Edward Schmitt 1-28-19.pdf |
SRES 2/4/2019 3:30:00 PM |
|
| Vincent-Lang Confirmation-Letter Marybeth Holleman 1-28-19.pdf |
SRES 2/4/2019 3:30:00 PM |
|
| Vincent-Lang Confirmation-Letter Resident Hunters of Alaska 2-4-19.pdf |
SRES 2/4/2019 3:30:00 PM |