04/07/2014 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

        SB 137-EXTEND SEISMIC HAZARDS SAFETY COMMISSION                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:29:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER  announced that the next order  of business would                                                              
be SENATE  BILL NO.  137, "An Act  extending the termination  date                                                              
of the  Alaska Seismic  Hazards Safety  Commission; and  providing                                                              
for an effective date."                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:29:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BRITTANY  HUTCHISON, Staff,  Senator  Click  Bishop, Alaska  State                                                              
Legislature, presented  SB 137 on  behalf of Senator Bishop.   She                                                              
paraphrased from the sponsor statement, which read:                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
          Alaska has more earthquakes than any other region                                                                     
     in the U.S. and is one of the most seismically active                                                                      
      areas in the world.  In fact, we are approaching the                                                                      
       th                                                                                                                       
       50 anniversary of the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake,                                                                       
     the most powerful in recorded North American history.                                                                      
          Given   the   historical  record   and   inevitable                                                                   
     potential  of future earthquake  activity, Alaska  needs                                                                   
     the  Alaska  Seismic  Hazards   Safety  Commission.  The                                                                   
     ASHSC  is statutorily  designated  as  an advisory  body                                                                   
     for  seismic  hazard  safety   mitigation.  The  ASHSC's                                                                   
     overarching  purpose  is  to   analyze  and  disseminate                                                                   
     information, review  predictions and proposed  warnings,                                                                   
     and  to  provide  recommendations   for  seismic  safety                                                                   
     mitigation.                                                                                                                
          I  would like to  see the  termination date  of the                                                                   
     Alaska   Seismic  Hazards   Safety  Commission   (ASHSC)                                                                   
     extended  from   June  30,   2014  to  June   30,  2020.                                                                   
     According  to the  Division  of Legislative  Audit,  the                                                                   
     commission   has   a  demonstrated   public   need   and                                                                   
     therefore the termination date should be extended.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     The public  need is  proven and  the public interest  is                                                                   
     served in the following ways:                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     1)   The commission  assists with seismic  hazard safety                                                                   
          training efforts.   For example, in 2011  and 2012,                                                                   
          the  ASHSC  coordinated   with  the  Department  of                                                                   
          Military   and  Veterans   Affairs  to   facilitate                                                                   
          training  workshops for volunteer first  responders                                                                   
          who would respond after a severe earthquake.                                                                          
     2)   They  hope to significantly  improve school  safety                                                                   
          by collaborating  with the Department  of Education                                                                   
          and   Early    Development   on   seismic    issues                                                                   
          concerning  school  construction  and  renovations.                                                                   
          Seismic hazard  mitigation efforts for  schools are                                                                   
          an  important commission  priority, as schools  are                                                                   
          critical infrastructure.                                                                                              
     3)   The  ASHSC served the  public's interest by  making                                                                   
          seismic hazards  mitigation recommendations  to the                                                                   
          governor,   legislature    and   private   entities                                                                   
          through annual reports.                                                                                               
     4)   The  commission   helps  facilitate   collaboration                                                                   
          amongst   agencies   with  related   missions   and                                                                   
          private   sector   entities   on   seismic   hazard                                                                   
          mitigation.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:31:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER opened public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:32:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ROBERT  SCHER, Chair,  Alaska Seismic  Hazards Safety  Commission,                                                              
explained that the  commission was, effectively,  an advisory body                                                              
charged  with  recommending  goals   and  priorities  to  mitigate                                                              
seismic hazards.   He stated  that the commission  would recommend                                                              
policies for  research, mapping,  and monitoring, while  reviewing                                                              
practices   of  recovery   and   reconstruction   after  a   major                                                              
earthquake,  and to  recommend improvements  to  mitigate loss  in                                                              
similar  future  events.    He  noted  that  the  commission  also                                                              
gathered,  analyzed,  and  disseminated   information  of  general                                                              
interest,  on  behalf  of the  Legislature,  the  governor,  local                                                              
governments,  and the  public  and private  sector.   He  declared                                                              
that  this  was  an eclectic  body  of  volunteers,  comprised  of                                                              
geologists,   the  State   of  Alaska   seismologist,  civil   and                                                              
structural  engineers,  emergency  responders, and  the  insurance                                                              
industry.    He   shared  that  he  was  a   civil,  geo-technical                                                              
engineer.    He  directed  attention to  the  recent  Division  of                                                              
Legislative  Audit report  that the commission  functioned  in the                                                              
best  interest of  the state  and the  public.   He expressed  his                                                              
desire for  the commission  to be extended  for an additional  six                                                              
years,  and  he assured  the  committee  that some  projects  were                                                              
already  underway, and  others were  considered,  for this  future                                                              
period.  He  directed attention to the commission's  Annual Report                                                              
to  the Governor  and  State  Legislature  for 2013  [Included  in                                                              
members' packets]  which included the most recent  strategic plan,                                                              
as  well as  two  letters of  support  for proposed  SB  137.   He                                                              
assured the  committee that  the commission  was always  available                                                              
for   consultation  and   assistance  with   matters  related   to                                                              
earthquakes and tsunamis.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:34:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER pointed out the fiscal note of $10,000.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:35:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KAWASAKI directed attention  to the  fourth bullet                                                              
point in the  Executive Summary from Mr. Scher,  which accompanied                                                              
the  aforementioned   annual  report,   and  read:   "Amend  State                                                              
regulations to  assure seismic knowledge  of registered  civil and                                                              
structural  engineers."   He asked how  frequently these  building                                                              
codes for seismic hazards were updated.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR.  SCHER explained  that the  current  regulations were  adopted                                                              
from  the International  Building  Code  (IBC), which  was  issued                                                              
every three  years.  In  2012, the state  had adopted  the current                                                              
regulations,  which  were the  2009  IBC.   He  reported that  one                                                              
policy recommendation  and a position  paper were  currently being                                                              
prepared for  future legislation.   He pointed  out that  the 2012                                                              
IBC was  released within  months  of the state  adopting the  2009                                                              
code,  and  the  commission  was   pursuing  legislation  to  make                                                              
adoption of  the building codes  timelier, as it  currently lagged                                                              
the state  of practice  in engineering  and building  construction                                                              
by 6-8  years.  He  pointed to  changes from the  2009 IBC  to the                                                              
2012 code,  which were  "particularly applicable  in Alaska."   He                                                              
reported that he  was preparing a suggestion to use  the 2012 code                                                              
within the context  of the 2009 code for all  new public buildings                                                              
and public schools.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:38:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR  asked if the  commission had  participated in                                                              
any  of the  recent  1964 earthquake  anniversary  events, and  if                                                              
there should  be more coordinated,  communitywide training  events                                                              
in the future.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR.  SCHER  responded  with agreement  that  the  training  events                                                              
would  be a  good strategy,  and this  would be  addressed at  the                                                              
coming face-to-face  commission meeting.   He shared that  many of                                                              
commission  members  were  involved   in  the  recent  anniversary                                                              
events, and would be reporting on these to the commission.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER closed public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:41:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FEIGE  moved to report  SB 137, labeled  28-LS1318\A, out                                                              
of   committee    with   individual   recommendations    and   the                                                              
accompanying fiscal  note.  There  being no objection, SB  137 was                                                              
reported from the House Resources Standing Committee.