03/14/2012 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

                    SB 123-ALASKA MINING DAY                                                                                
3:32:34 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR WAGONER  announced consideration of SB  123 [version 27-                                                               
LS0792\M was before the committee].                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  PASKVAN  moved  to  report SB  123,  version  \M,  from                                                               
committee  to  the next  committee  of  referral with  individual                                                               
recommendations and attached fiscal note(s).                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR WAGONER objected for public  testimony. He asked Senator                                                               
Giessel if she had anything to add.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GIESSEL, sponsor of SB 123, answered no.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:34:17 PM                                                                                                                    
MIKE  SATRIE, Executive  Director,  Council  of Alaska  Producers                                                               
(CAP), Juneau, AK,  said he absolutely supported SB  123. He said                                                               
CAP  supports it  not just  because it  recognizes the  important                                                               
role mining  has in  the economy,  but also  the long  and varied                                                               
history of  the many  individuals who have  been involved  in the                                                               
mining industry  and mining  as a  way to  develop infrastructure                                                               
and settlement throughout the state.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
He related  that the first  evidence of  mining goes back  to the                                                               
jade  and  copper  that  was traded  throughout  Alaska  and  the                                                               
Pacific  Northwest  through  the original  inhabitants.  And  the                                                               
various  gold   rushes  brought  huge  immigrations   of  western                                                               
settlers  to  the   state,  but  as  people  came,   so  did  the                                                               
infrastructure.  This  bill talks about the  Alaska Railroad; and                                                               
in  Juneau,  the  lights  in the  committee  room  are  partially                                                               
powered  by  the  hydroelectric  facilities at  Annex  Creek  and                                                               
Salmon Creek that  were built to service the AJ  and other mines.                                                               
The water in this building that  people drink also comes from the                                                               
Salmon Creek  reservoir. The  capitol building  has the  pick axe                                                               
and shovel  motif, the gold  of the  sourdoughs dreams is  in the                                                               
state song on  legislative coffee cups and the seal  of the State                                                               
of Alaska has a smelter at the back.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
He concluded  saying that today, mom  and pop placer mines  up to                                                               
some  of  the  larger  mines  that get  featured  on  various  TV                                                               
specials are still working as  well as the dredging operations in                                                               
Nome. Modern-day  mining operations  produce the metals  that are                                                               
used in every-day life by people  around the world, and so Alaska                                                               
will continue to be a very strong piece of the economy.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:36:55 PM                                                                                                                    
CHRIS BIRCH,  Anchorage Municipal  Assembly, said  he is  also on                                                               
the  Board   of  Alaska  Miners  Association-Anchorage,   and  he                                                               
supports SB  123. South Anchorage  has one of the  only operating                                                               
mines at Crow  Creek. It's a good program and  a good opportunity                                                               
for appropriate recognition.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  WAGONER  closed  the public  hearing  and  removed  his                                                               
objection. Finding  no further objections,  he announced  that SB
 moved from the Senate Resources Standing Committee.