Legislature(2005 - 2006)CAPITOL 124

03/22/2006 01:00 PM House RESOURCES


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01:55:50 PM Start
01:59:00 PM HB415
02:21:11 PM Board of Game
02:25:59 PM Big Game Services Board
02:33:30 PM HB420
02:45:34 PM HB419
02:53:14 PM Board of Game
02:54:12 PM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
-- Meeting Postponed to Session Adjourn--
= HB 415 LIABILITY FOR RECREATIONAL LAND USE
Moved Out of Committee
*+ HB 419 REPEAL UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK LAWS TELECONFERENCED
Moved Out of Committee
+ HB 420 FOREST RESOURCES & PRACTICES STANDARDS TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSHB 420(FSH) Out of Committee
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
HB 419-REPEAL UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK LAWS                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:45:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS announced  that the next order  of business would                                                               
be HOUSE  BILL NO. 419,  "An Act  repealing the Board  of Storage                                                               
Tank  Assistance, the  underground  storage  tank revolving  loan                                                               
fund,  and  the  tank  cleanup loan  program;  repealing  certain                                                               
reporting requirements relating  to underground petroleum storage                                                               
tank systems; making conforming  amendments; and providing for an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
KAREN  LIDSTER,  Staff  to Representative  John  Coghill,  Alaska                                                               
State Legislature,  presented HB 419 on  behalf of Representative                                                               
Coghill, sponsor.   She paraphrased  from the  sponsor statement,                                                               
which read [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     In 1990 the Alaska Legislature  passed HB 220 to credit                                                                    
     a state  UST [Underground  Storage Tank] Program  and a                                                                    
     Storage Tank  Assistance Fund in  order to  assist tank                                                                    
     owners that were required to  meet the deadlines set in                                                                    
     the   US   Environmental    Protection   Agency   (EPA)                                                                    
     Underground Storage Tank Program.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     In  1999, the  year after  EPA's deadline,  the program                                                                    
     began  to  phase out  and  was  formally ended  by  the                                                                    
     Legislature on June 30, 2004.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     A  loan  program  to   assist  owners  with  completing                                                                    
     cleanup was established by SB  128, passed in 1999. The                                                                    
     Storage  Tank  Assistance  Fund was  converted  to  the                                                                    
     Underground Storage Tank Revolving Loan Fund in 2002.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     The  original legislation,  HB  220,  also created  the                                                                    
     Board  of  Storage  Tank Assistance  to  oversee  state                                                                    
     grants and loans.  The Board is no  longer needed since                                                                    
     the  grant  program has  been  terminated  and no  loan                                                                    
     applications have been received.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     SB 128 established a June  30, 1999 sunset date for the                                                                    
     board. Subsequent bills extended  that date to June 30,                                                                    
     2007.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     HB 419 will modify the end  date for the board in order                                                                    
     to  be   consistent  with  the  end   date  for  formal                                                                    
     termination of the loan  program. Additionally the bill                                                                    
     lists out  the statutes that  relate to the  board, the                                                                    
     reporting,  regulations,  fees,  revolving  loan  fund,                                                                    
     loan  program,  definitions,  uses  of  the  fund,  the                                                                    
     respective    administrative    codes,   the    orderly                                                                    
     completion of  the boards obligations,  and renumbering                                                                    
     instructions related to those statutes repealed.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS.  LIDSTER said  the legislation  that helped  the tank  owners                                                               
with  the EPA  regulations was  extremely successful.   The  loan                                                               
program wasn't used,  and therefore HB 419 would  provide for the                                                               
orderly termination of the board and the loan program.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:48:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS  noted that Representative  Coghill is  trying to                                                               
perform  general housekeeping  measures  throughout the  session.                                                               
He asked if HB 419 is part of that effort.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. LIDSTER replied yes.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON   referred  to  AS  46.08.025,   which  is                                                               
included in  the committee packet  and related  his understanding                                                               
that "these  are all going to  be satisfied with this."   He then                                                               
pointed out that there is  some performance bond money, and asked                                                               
if that is returned to the state or the companies.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
LARRY  DIETRICK,  Director,  Division  of  Spill  Prevention  and                                                               
Response,  Department  of  Environmental Conservation,  said  the                                                               
only  money  remaining   are  the  fees  charged   for  new  tank                                                               
installation.  The  1,000 or so tanks left in  the program amount                                                               
to roughly $35,000  per year.  To date, those  fees are deposited                                                               
into  the  loan  fund  being terminated.    Therefore,  when  the                                                               
program is terminated, those fees  will continue to be collected,                                                               
but will be deposited into the general fund.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:50:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON surmised then that  there is not money from                                                               
performance  bonds  or  other financial  responsibility  held  in                                                               
escrow pending  satisfactory performance of a  privately financed                                                               
response action as specified in AS 46.08.024(a)(3)(A).                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. DIETRICK replied, "That is correct."                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:51:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ELKINS  moved to  report HB  419 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.  Hearing no objections, it was so ordered.                                                                               

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