02/13/2006 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

               SB 203-UNIFIED PERMIT APPLICATION                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR   THOMAS  WAGONER   announced   SB  203   to   be  up   for                                                               
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GRETCHEN  GUESS, sponsor  of SB 203,  said she  wanted to                                                               
create a one-stop  online permitting system whenever  two or more                                                               
agencies need  to permit  a project. SB  203 breaks  her proposal                                                               
down into  two phases, one for  each year. The first  phase would                                                               
be  for  designing the  permit  application  and the  second  for                                                               
development of the online system.  She explained that Legislative                                                               
Legal  did not  like  the language  on page  9  that excluded  De                                                               
Minimus projects that require only  a standard condition, but she                                                               
did not  intend to  include small permits,  but rather  to target                                                               
developments where  people have  to go  to multiple  agencies for                                                               
permits.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:44:50 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BERT STEDMAN moved to adopt Amendment 1.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                      A M E N D M E N T 1                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
OFFERED IN THE SENATE                          BY SENATOR GUESS                                                                 
     TO:  SB 203                                                                                                                
Page 1, line 4, through page 2, line 22:                                                                                        
     Delete all material.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Page 2, line 23:                                                                                                                
     Delete "Sec. 5"                                                                                                          
     Insert "Section 1"                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Page 9, following line 6:                                                                                                       
     Insert a new paragraph to read:                                                                                            
               "(3)  a limited entry permit under AS 16.43;"                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Renumber the following paragraphs accordingly.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WAGONER  announced  that  there  were  no  objections  and                                                               
Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  STEDMAN asked  how the  departments would  work together                                                               
under SB 203.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GUESS replied that she  hoped that there wouldn't be turf                                                               
battles  and that  people  would look  for  common elements,  not                                                               
diversity.  It  might   not  be  easy  on   the  departments  nor                                                               
inexpensive, but  the State  of Alaska would  be viewed  as being                                                               
open  for business.  The focus  would be  on writing  the correct                                                               
permit for the  area and, "Not trying to get  someone through the                                                               
hurdles of paperwork."                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:47:28 PM                                                                                                                    
DICK  MYLIUS,  Director,  Division  of Mining,  Land  and  Water,                                                               
Department of Natural  Resources (DNR), said he  was available to                                                               
answer questions.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
RANDY BATES,  Acting Director, Office  of Project  Management and                                                               
Permitting,  Department of  Natural  Resources  (DNR), said  that                                                               
ADF&G, DNR and DEC supported  the concept of permit streamlining,                                                               
but did  not support SB 203  for three reasons. The  first reason                                                               
was  that  the unified  permit  application  concept as  proposed                                                               
fails  for  practical  reasons;  secondly,  the  departments  are                                                               
already streamlining their application  process; and thirdly, the                                                               
financial support is not available to implement the bill.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:49:43 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR ELTON said it makes sense for people to apply on line.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. BATES replied  that it makes sense and DEC  is moving towards                                                               
online  permit  applications  and  DNR is  developing  an  online                                                               
coastal project  questionnaire for  an online permit  specific to                                                               
two of its  agencies. The interactive application  is a four-year                                                               
project that will cost a little more than $4 million.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELTON pointed out that  he didn't disagree with this part                                                               
of  the  bill,  but  language   on  page  6  talks  about  permit                                                               
application  information on  the Internet  being done  within one                                                               
year rather  than four. He  asked if  he disagreed with  just the                                                               
deadlines.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. BATES  responded that a  one-year deadline is a  worthy goal,                                                               
but it  is difficult  to fill  out 30 or  40 applications  in the                                                               
confines of one year.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELTON replied that he thought  that was why this bill was                                                               
needed  - if  all those  applications were  going to  be done  by                                                               
paper.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:53:58 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WAGONER  said that the  Alaska Mining Association  was real                                                               
hesitant about this  bill because the process  is already working                                                               
for them. They are getting their  permits in a timely fashion and                                                               
would rather rely on proven technology, not new technology.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:55:12 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GUESS  responded that  just because  one industry  or one                                                               
group of  people in Alaska  is familiar with the  process doesn't                                                               
mean that  it is the best  process, especially when the  state is                                                               
trying to encourage  new entrants into the market.  She wanted to                                                               
make clear for the record that  SB 203 is not changing the permit                                                               
process,  but  it  is  changing   the  application  process.  She                                                               
emphasized  that permits  would not  be written  differently. She                                                               
has asked DNR for any  suggested changes, but she hadn't received                                                               
any at  this time, but  she had received suggestions  from ADF&G.                                                               
She  thought that  creating one  unified online  application made                                                               
more  sense  than  creating three  different  online  application                                                               
systems.  The current  databases refer  to the  same elements  as                                                               
different things. She remarked:                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     I don't  think we  have an  efficient system  right now                                                                    
     and I think it would  behoove the state to move towards                                                                    
     it....  Although it  might fail  for practical  reasons                                                                    
     now, I  don't think it  fails for practical  reasons in                                                                    
     our future.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WAGONER stated  that he would hold the bill  and address it                                                               
again later and adjourned the meeting at 4:58:49 PM.