03/01/2024 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

        SB 199-STATE LAND: DISPOSAL/SALE/LEASE/RESTRICT                                                                     
                                                                                                                              
3:32:16 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR BISHOP  announced the consideration  of SENATE  BILL NO.                                                               
199 "An  Act relating  to access roads;  relating to  state land;                                                               
relating to  contracts for  the sale of  state land;  relating to                                                               
the  authority   of  the  Department   of  Education   and  Early                                                               
Development to dispose  of state land; relating  to the authority                                                               
of  the Department  of Transportation  and  Public Facilities  to                                                               
dispose  of  state  land;  relating   to  the  authority  of  the                                                               
Department  of   Natural  Resources  over  certain   state  land;                                                               
relating to the state land  disposal income fund; relating to the                                                               
sale  and  lease  of  state   land;  relating  to  covenants  and                                                               
restrictions  on   agricultural  land;   and  providing   for  an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:32:19 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR BISHOP opened public testimony on SB 199.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:33:03 PM                                                                                                                    
JOHN  SONIN,  representing  self, Juneau,  Alaska,  testified  in                                                               
opposition to  SB 199. He  said he represents  civilized humanity                                                               
and expressed  his belief that  in order to remain  civil, people                                                               
must have the  ability to tend to  themselves. People's wellbeing                                                               
requires a stable system, which  cannot adequately function under                                                               
a  capitalistic structure.  Alaska, a  place long  known for  its                                                               
stability,  is  now facing  instability  due  to the  pursuit  of                                                               
profit  through  private  control.  The  current  system  demands                                                               
energy but  fails to give back,  ultimately destabilizing itself.                                                               
He stated his belief that public  lands are the last hope to slow                                                               
down the  system's breakdown as  society ages, but  the situation                                                               
is  worsening. He  urged prioritizing  preserving and  conserving                                                               
public lands,  while resisting the push  for privatization driven                                                               
by capital interests. In essence,  leasing or disposing of public                                                               
lands is detrimental to the well-being and sanity of humanity.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:36:20 PM                                                                                                                    
LEONARDO WASSILIE,  representing self, Nenana,  Alaska, testified                                                               
in  opposition  to  SB  199.   He  expressed  opposition  to  the                                                               
utilization of  public resources  by private interests.  The U.S.                                                               
was  founded  on  the  principle of  public  land  ownership.  He                                                               
highlighted  the  significance  of  land  as  a  shared  resource                                                               
utilized  by  communities  to   contribute  to  local  economies.                                                               
Selling  public  lands  to  private   parties  goes  against  the                                                               
intended  purpose.  He  expressed hope  that  concerns  regarding                                                               
external   control   over   significant   state   resources   are                                                               
acknowledged.  This   type  of  mechanism   facilitates  external                                                               
control, leading  to corporate  dominance over  public resources.                                                               
He  emphasized  the  importance  of  considering  the  impact  of                                                               
outside interests on local communities.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:39:00 PM                                                                                                                    
MORGAN ALDRIDGE,  representing self, Soldotna,  Alaska, testified                                                               
in  opposition  to  SB  199. She  expressed  concerns  about  the                                                               
consequences  of  making  public  land available.  She  said  the                                                               
disposal of public lands may  not align with the constitution and                                                               
could compromise transparency.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:39:54 PM                                                                                                                    
KATIE  ROOKS,   representing  self,  Prince  of   Wales,  Alaska,                                                               
testified in  opposition to SB  199. She  said she has  worked in                                                               
every  level of  government and  now  works for  a regional  non-                                                               
profit. She expressed  concerns about SB 199,  which she believes                                                               
would  expand  government  authority regarding  the  disposal  of                                                               
public lands  by allowing two  additional state  departments, the                                                               
Department   of   Education   (DOE)   and   the   Department   of                                                               
Transportation (DOT), to  directly sell or lease  public lands to                                                               
private  entities for  commercial  development. Currently,  these                                                               
departments     are    limited     to    government-to-government                                                               
transactions, but the bill would  remove this requirement. SB 199                                                               
would also extend lease terms  by ten years, potentially reducing                                                               
monthly payment rates.  This would favor industry  at the expense                                                               
of Alaska's  interests, while the  state should be  recouping all                                                               
it can  from wealthy  industrial owners  and operators.  The bill                                                               
would also  permit the sale  of public  land at 30  percent below                                                               
fair  market  value  under  the   guise  of  using  best-interest                                                               
findings.  However, best-interest  findings  are already  grossly                                                               
misused in  the state. She cited  Prince of Wales as  an example,                                                               
which  has  demonstrated  the misuse  of  best-interest  findings                                                               
through timber  sale among  other issues.  The bill  would expand                                                               
the commissioner  of the Department  of Natural  Resources' (DNR)                                                               
authority to  identify and  reclassify public  lands for  sale to                                                               
commercial  developers.  She  argued  that  this  undermines  the                                                               
public land  and resource management process  and prioritizes the                                                               
interests  of commercial  buyers  over Alaskans.  Classifications                                                               
like 'Wildlife Habitat' and  'recreational settlement' would lose                                                               
their  significance,  as  the  state  could  alter  public  lands                                                               
without    considering     public    input     or    longstanding                                                               
classifications.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:42:05 PM                                                                                                                    
THOMAS  PEASE, representing  self,  Anchorage, Alaska,  testified                                                               
with concerns about  SB 199. He expressed  concerns about Section                                                               
3 under SB 199 and said  the provision outlines how the DOT would                                                               
dispose of  land. He urged  the committee to remove  this section                                                               
from  the bill  considering its  potential for  misuse of  public                                                               
resources.   Section  3   grants  unlimited   authority  to   the                                                               
Commissioner of DOT  to dispose of public land  if the Department                                                               
of Natural Resources  (DNR) does not act within  45 days, without                                                               
spelling  out  a  process  or placing  restrictions  on  the  DOT                                                               
commissioner. He  emphasized that  any responsible  land disposal                                                               
process  should  prioritize  the  highest and  best  use  of  the                                                               
resource, requiring transparency,  fairness, and competitiveness.                                                               
However, Section  3 of SB 199  would grant sole authority  to the                                                               
DOT commissioner,  a political appointee, while  excluding public                                                               
involvement  entirely.  He  noted  the  absence  of  maps  or  an                                                               
inventory of  DOT lands that  are available to the  public, which                                                               
would be  useful for  understanding the  potential impact  of the                                                               
legislation. He questioned the necessity  of changing the current                                                               
DOT  land  disposal process  since  the  department is  primarily                                                               
intended for road development rather  than land disposal, whereas                                                               
DNR employs  professional land managers.  He concluded  by urging                                                               
the committee to omit Section 3 from SB 199.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:44:35 PM                                                                                                                    
ADAM  CUTHRIELL, representing  self, Girdwood,  Alaska, testified                                                               
in opposition to  SB 199. He said  SB 199 poses a  risk to Alaska                                                               
and  its  public  lands.  SB  199  would  jeopardize  significant                                                               
economic revenue  for the  state, impacting  activities including                                                               
hunting, fishing, and tourism.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:45:42 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR BISHOP closed public testimony.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR BISHOP held SB 199 for future consideration.