03/25/2011 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

           SJR  2-LIMIT FEDERAL INTERVENTION IN STATE                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:36:09 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN announced SJR 2 to be up for consideration.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR WAGONER moved to bring  CSSJR 2 (), version 27-LS0355\B,                                                               
before the committee.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN objected for discussion purposes.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON,  sponsor of SJR 2,  explained that it is  a simple                                                               
and direct expression of the  sense of virtually all Alaskans and                                                               
it is his intention that in  representing the people of Alaska he                                                               
supports what  leadership has been doing  in challenging "federal                                                               
overreach" in controlling the state's  natural resources. He said                                                               
just  yesterday   a  consortium  of  Alaska   Native  corporation                                                               
executives spoke to the House  concerning common state management                                                               
issues including wildlife,  land designations, Endangered Species                                                               
Act,  critical  habitat  on   Alaska  Native  Corporation  lands,                                                               
Department of  Interior management  plans for parks  and refuges,                                                               
EPA regulations and  programs, barriers to access  to state lands                                                               
and the  overreach of federal agencies  encroaching and sometimes                                                               
conflicting with state agency oversight.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:37:52 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  DYSON  said that  starting  with  statehood, Alaska  has                                                               
struggled  to get  control of  development of  its resources  and                                                               
that Alaskan  fisheries, for instance, has  prospered under state                                                               
management.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  FRENCH   said  he  supports  many   things  the  federal                                                               
government does  and, like Senator  Dyson, opposes some.  But for                                                               
the sake of  discussion the legislature keeps  sending "pokes" to                                                               
the  federal government  for this  or  that reason  and he  asked                                                               
Senator Dyson  if he  thought it  improved our  relationship with                                                               
them and  since about  one-third of  Alaska's economy  depends on                                                               
federal dollars, asked  if he thought these  kinds of resolutions                                                               
help or hurt our "need"  to keep federal dollars flowing strongly                                                               
to the state.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON  replied that his  district has two of  the largest                                                               
bases  in the  state and  while  he appreciated  the concern,  he                                                               
didn't think this resolution would  hurt the state's relationship                                                               
with the federal  government any more than the  state has already                                                               
done in  challenging it  over management of  state lands.  But it                                                               
might make a slight improvement  in demonstrating that the people                                                               
of the state support Alaskans having management of their lands.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:40:58 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  FRENCH  said  a  couple   of  times  the  sponsor  makes                                                               
references to leadership and asked if  he meant that in a generic                                                               
sense or whether  he was making legislative  references to people                                                               
like  the presiding  officers of  both bodies,  the co-chairs  of                                                               
Senate and House Finance and so forth.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON  replied "the former,"  the quality they  all share                                                               
that has been given them by their constituents.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH asked  if the clause on page 1,  line 7 that says,                                                               
"Whereas   the  federal   government  is   attempting  regulatory                                                               
actions" could  be softened a  little by inserting  "some" before                                                               
"regulatory"  since many  of the  regulatory actions  the federal                                                               
government takes are ones they agree with.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON said he thought that would be okay.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH  said he would  propose that as an  amendment when                                                               
they get to that point, but he would hold off till then.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  STEVENS   said  the  most  frustrating   thing  for  his                                                               
communities in  the fishing  industry is  the decisions  that are                                                               
made without scientific evidence and  just taking a "blind guess"                                                               
that this is the truth,  particularly with the Endangered Species                                                               
Act. How  do we get the  federal government to recognize  that we                                                               
can  accept scientific  fact, but  often these  decisions on  sea                                                               
lions, for instance, are not based on science?                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:43:10 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR DYSON replied that he  personally doesn't have any way to                                                               
influence the  federal government,  but he  hopes the  truth will                                                               
always win out. But that is not  often the case in the arena they                                                               
are serving in.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  PASKVAN  removed  his  objection  and  therefore  CSSJR
(RES) was before the committee.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:44:45 PM                                                                                                                    
JONATHAN KATCHEN,  Inter-Governmental Coordinator,  Department of                                                               
Natural Resources  (DNR), Anchorage, emphasized that  the Parnell                                                               
administration is  devoting a lot  of time and resources  to this                                                               
issue. But he  didn't want to give the impression  that they were                                                               
always fighting  and filing lawsuits,  because there is a  lot of                                                               
coordination and often  it is productive.{ The  Department of Law                                                               
steps in when necessary on things  like the OCS issue and opening                                                               
ANWR.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
BRADLEY   MEYEN,  Endangered   Species   Act  Attorney,   Natural                                                               
Resources  Section,   Department  of  Law  (DOL),   said  he  was                                                               
available  to   answer  questions.  He  said   they  are  working                                                               
diligently on the matters that have been discussed here.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  PASKVAN, finding  no  further  comments, closed  public                                                               
testimony.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:47:23 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  FRENCH  moved  Amendment   1  to  insert  "some"  before                                                               
"regulatory" on page  1, line 7. There were no  objections and it                                                               
was so ordered.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH  moved Amendment 2  to delete "the  leadership of"                                                               
and  insert "with  strong support  by" before  "the Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature" on  page 1, line  10. He  added that he  thought the                                                               
current  language  singled out  a  few  and  left  out a  lot  of                                                               
legislators including the bill's sponsor.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DYSON said  he supported  those changes.  There were  no                                                               
objections and Amendment 2 was adopted.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH  moved Amendment 3  on page  2, line 3,  to delete                                                               
"the leadership of".                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DYSON indicated  his support.  There were  no objections                                                               
and Amendment 3 was adopted.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  WAGONER moved  to report  CSSJR 2(RES),  version B,  as                                                               
amended  from committee  with  individual recommendations.  There                                                               
were no objections and it was so ordered.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN transferred the gavel back to Co-chair Wagoner.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:50:13 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease from 3:50:13 PM to 3:52:09 PM.