05/14/2025 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

               SJR 17-HONORING THE ENERGY COUNCIL                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:22:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR BURKE  announced that the  next order of  business would                                                               
be SENATE JOINT  RESOLUTION NO. 17, Recognizing  and honoring the                                                               
50th anniversary of The Energy Council.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:22:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BERT   STEDMAN,  Alaska  State  Legislature,   as  prime                                                               
sponsor,  introduced  Senate  Joint Resolution  17  and  provided                                                               
background  information   regarding  the  Energy  Council.     He                                                               
explained  that  Alaska has  belonged  to  the council  for  many                                                               
years.   The resolution recognized five  decades of contributions                                                               
in advancing energy policy.   The council was established in 1975                                                               
as a  non-partisan platform and  includes state  legislators from                                                               
14 states  and representatives  from several  Canadian provinces.                                                               
The  focus   emphasizes  energy  stability,   affordability,  and                                                               
reliability and  educates legislators  on emerging  energy trends                                                               
including  renewables.   He  explained  that  the energy  council                                                               
tries to be aware of trends and  keep a couple of years ahead, so                                                               
they  can  advise  legislatures regarding  what  changes  may  be                                                               
taking place  in the  marketplace.  The  council also  works with                                                               
the national labs  and keeps up-to-date regarding  how to respond                                                               
to  oil  spills,  including  using  enzymes that  eat  oil.    He                                                               
addressed  energy-specific issues  in the  artic and  invited the                                                               
legislators  to  the  Energy  Council  meeting  in  Anchorage  in                                                               
September 2025.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:33:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER  expanded on  a number of  points brought                                                               
up by Senator Stedman regarding the work of the Energy Council.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:35:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR   STEDMAN    responded   to   several    questions   from                                                               
Representative  Coulombe, explaining  that  each  state has  four                                                               
non-partisan positions  on the executive committee,  two from the                                                               
senate and two  from the house.  The council  meets three times a                                                               
year.  The regular meetings have  been open to all members of the                                                               
legislature and  also include representatives  from universities,                                                               
the scientistic  community, and industry sponsors.   He described                                                               
the process used  to create policy statements  which included the                                                               
input  of   scientists  and   university  representatives.     He                                                               
emphasized that energy  policy is created at the  state level not                                                               
the national level.   He said the council has  tried to stay non-                                                               
partisan, though there has been  a bias toward production because                                                               
the  council is  made  of energy-producing  states and  provinces                                                               
rather  than  consuming   states,  so  the  focus   has  been  on                                                               
production and  distribution.   He touched  on the  technology of                                                               
batteries and micronuclear energy.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
2:41:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR BURKE opened public testimony on SJR 17.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
2:41:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR BURKE,  after ascertaining there  was no one  who wished                                                               
to testify, closed public testimony.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
2:41:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR DIBERT  moved re  report SJR  17 work  order 34-LS0748\A                                                               
from  committee   with  attached   fiscal  note   and  individual                                                               
recommendations.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:42:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
There being  no objection, SJR 17  was reported out of  the House                                                               
Resources Standing Committee.