04/11/2011 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

           SJR 2-LIMIT FEDERAL INTERVENTION IN STATE                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:19:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SEATON announced that the  final order of business would                                                               
be  CS FOR  SENATE JOINT  RESOLUTION NO.  2(RES), Commending  and                                                               
supporting actions  taken by the  Office of the Governor  and the                                                               
attorney  general to  protect the  state from  federal government                                                               
incursion into the care and  management of state resources and to                                                               
promote  the economic  prosperity of  the state;  and urging  the                                                               
United States Congress and the  President of the United States to                                                               
limit  federal  government  overreach into  management  of  state                                                               
resources.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
2:19:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  FRED DYSON,  Alaska State  Legislature, speaking  as the                                                               
sponsor of  SJR 2, stated  that he  believed the State  of Alaska                                                               
has an admirable  record of doing a good job  of managing its own                                                               
natural resources.   He suspected that the  committee has already                                                               
tracked the  improvements in Alaska's fisheries  since statehood.                                                               
He   related  that   he  has   observed  some   very  unfortunate                                                               
overstepping by  the federal  government, which  hugely restrains                                                               
the state  from being stewards  of its resources and  the ability                                                               
for  the   state  to  develop   them  consistent   with  Alaska's                                                               
constitution.   He explained the purpose  of SJR 2 is  to let the                                                               
"powers that  be" understand  that the  people of  Alaska support                                                               
the state's  administration and its  actions with respect  to the                                                               
management  of  its natural  resources  to  promote the  economic                                                               
prosperity  of the  state.   He related  that the  resolution has                                                               
undergone  considerable  modification  in  the  Senate  Resources                                                               
Standing Committee  and the  Senate Judiciary  Standing Committee                                                               
and received unanimous support in the Senate.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON referred  to a handout in  members' packets titled,                                                               
"Alaska  Native Corporation's  Resource Development"  dated March                                                               
24,  2011 that  lists areas  of federal  overreach of  concern to                                                               
Native Corporations.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
2:21:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHARLES   KOPP,  Staff,   Senator   Fred   Dyson,  Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature,  stated that  the concerns  expressed in  SJR 2  are                                                               
consistent with the ones raised by the Native Corporations.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:22:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SEATON  related his understanding that  the document was                                                               
not presented  as testimony, but  that it corresponds  closely to                                                               
the resolution, SJR 2.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON answered yes.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:22:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER,  with respect to the  management of state                                                               
resources  mentioned throughout  the resolution,  inquired as  to                                                               
whether the  comments are made  with respect to the  entire state                                                               
and not just for state or federal land.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON  responded that under current  authority, the state                                                               
does not have much authority on  federal lands or with respect to                                                               
fish and  game resource  management.   He offered  that SJR  2 is                                                               
specifically  aimed  at what  he  believes  is  an over  step  by                                                               
federal regulators on state lands.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
2:24:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SEATON,  after first determining  no one else  wished to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on SJR 2.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
2:25:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DICK stated he is in  favor of the resolution.  He                                                               
expressed  an  interest  in  making a  stronger  statement.    He                                                               
inquired  as  to  whether  legislators  are  just  relieving  our                                                               
consciences or whether this really will have an impact.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON  said he  shared his concern  and frustration.   He                                                               
remarked that  generally speaking,  resolutions have  little more                                                               
value than the  paper they are written on.   He recalled a recent                                                               
article on the topic and advised he  tried to get SJR 2 passed to                                                               
support  the article  which was,  he  believed, in  the New  York                                                             
Times.   The resolution  did not  pass in time  to be  in concert                                                             
with the  article.  However,  he understood that the  Wall Street                                                             
Journal also  plans to publish a  similar article.  He  also said                                                             
that to the  degree that the legislature speaks on  behalf of its                                                               
constituents resolutions have  value.  He suggested  some hint in                                                               
court proceedings indicate that SJR  2 may be slightly helpful in                                                               
court,  not legally,  but to  demonstrate widespread  support for                                                               
Alaska's stewardship of its own resources.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GARDNER commented  that the  backup documents  do                                                               
not seem  to support the  proposed resolution, but seem  to speak                                                               
to resource development in general.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON  concurred.   He reiterated  that the  document was                                                               
not  presented to  endorse  this  resolution.   One  page of  the                                                               
handout  in  which  the corporations  listed  federal  overreach,                                                               
which is applicable to SJR 2, he said.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GARDNER acknowledged  his answer.   She  said she                                                               
asked the question  since SJR 2 pertains to  federal overreach on                                                               
state lands.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:28:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MUNOZ  moved  to   report  CSSJR  2(RES)  out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.    There  being no  objection,  CSSJR  2(RES)  was                                                               
reported from the House Resources Standing Committee.