Legislature(2001 - 2002)
05/05/2001 03:42 PM House FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE BILL NO. 185 An Act relating to fees for certain uses of state water and the accounting and appropriation of those fees; relating to authorizations for the temporary use of state water; making other amendments to the Alaska Water Use Act; and providing for an effective date. Representative Davies MOVED to ADOPT 22-GH1087\P, Luckhaupt, 5/04/01, as the version of the bill before the Committee. [Copy on File]. There being NO OBJECTION, it was adopted. BOB LOEFFLER, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF MINING, LAND AND WATER, DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, commented that the bill was only one part of a solution for the Department. The Water Management program has had a significant funding reduction in the past several years. Currently, there are 3.5 employees running the program and the resulting consequences is a backlog of 6,700 claims for water rights and 3,000 total actions including transfers, amendments and permit extensions. Mr. Loeffler addressed possible solutions: · Streamlining the system. The Department cannot pretend that they have enough funds to operate the system, as it existed in the early 1980's. The Department is proposing regulations to streamline 65% of the caseload and concentrate staff on larger water flows and where there could be potential for problems. · There is $300 thousand dollars in the House and Senate operating budgets. Even a streamlined system could not be run statewide with four employees. An increment consisting of $300 thousand dollars has passed the House and Senate operating budgets. · A long-term income source. The proposed bill will provide that the Department may change the reasonable direct costs of providing a service, and would place strict limitations on what the Department could charge to assure the public that they will not raise fees unreasonably. Mr. Loeffler listed a summary of bill's purpose: · Fee limitations and · Temporary water use authorizations. Vice-Chair Bunde voiced concern with the large backlog of cases. Mr. Loeffler replied that it would take four to five years to address that size backlog. The backlog will be prioritized, as some of the cases are not time critical. Representative Hudson advised that funds had been added back to address that backlog. He hoped the legislation would help the situation and then the Department could take action on the water permits. He believed it would take about 30 days. Representative Lancaster inquired why no new employees would be starting in FY02. Mr. Loeffler explained that the employee in FY02 had already been included in the operating budget. He added that the bill has a one-year sunset, which he did not understand why it had been placed on the bill in the House Judiciary committee. Co-Chair Williams pointed out that there had been concern voiced with extending that sunset. He added that the Department acknowledged that they would be able to "live with it" as currently written. Representative Davies MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #1. [Copy on File]. He noted the language would insert the phrase, "and a water conservation fee under AS 46.15.035". Vice-Chair Bunde OBJECTED for purposes of discussion. Representative Davies explained that the amendment would provide for technical clean up. Vice-Chair Bunde WITHDREW the OBJECTION. There being NO further OBJECTION, Amendment #1 was adopted. Representative Foster MOVED to report CS HB 185 (FIN) out of Committee with individual recommendations and with the accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. CS HB 185 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with a "do pass" recommendation and with a new fiscal note by Department of Natural Resources. Recess: 4:05 p.m. Reconvene 4:15 p.m.
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