03/09/1994 03:37 PM Senate RES

 SENATOR MILLER announced  HB 232  (BOW HUNTING STAMP & BOW HUNTING            
 SAFETY) to be up for consideration.                                           
                                                                               
 PATTI SWENSON, Aide to Representative Con Bunde, explained that the           
 only change in the CS to HB 232 is that it restricts the area for             
 use of the bow hunting tag to bow hunting area only or during a bow           
 hunting only season.  She said that changed the fiscal note as                
 well.                                                                         
                                                                               
 MS. SWENSON noted the effective date has also been changed.                   
                                                                               
 Number 230                                                                    
 SENATOR LEMAN moved to adopt the CS to HB 232 (Resources) Utermohle           
 version, for discussion purposes.  There were no objections and it            
 was so ordered.                                                               
                                                                               
 SENATOR MILLER said they would bring this up at a later time and              
 said they would have a briefing by the Region X Director, Chuck               
 Findley.                                                                      
                                                                               
 MR. FINDLEY gave an overview of the status of the Clean Water Act.            
 He said there was a lot more action on the Senate side right now.             
 SB 1114 was reported out of the Public Works Committee at the end             
 of February and floor debate will happen sometime between April and           
 June.  Some of the significant issues discussed will probably be              
 water rights, property rights, and unfunded mandates.                         
                                                                               
 The states are not to enthused about SB 1114, because a lot of the            
 provisions go too far in the direction of federal control, MR.                
 FINDLEY said.  The watershed section, in particular, is too                   
 prescriptive and the non-point source program is more in the                  
 direction of an enforcement program which states aren't comfortable           
 with.                                                                         
                                                                               
 On the House side, he said, a bill is coming out that has to do               
 with wetlands and property rights.                                            
                                                                               
 Number 252                                                                    
                                                                               
 On the Safe Drinking Water Act side there is the Slattery bill that           
 has a lot of support from both the industry and state sectors.  It            
 would change the current standards and would also give them a lot             
 more flexibility in testing requirements for communities in terms             
 of the kinds of contaminants.                                                 
                                                                               
 MR. FINDLEY said overall the Safe Drinking Water Act has a lot of             
 momentum in Congress.  It could get passed before the Clean Water             
 Act.                                                                          
                                                                               
 The non point source program will be much tougher and the watershed           
 planning section would be brand new.  He said the Clean Water Act             
 has a more aggressive program for supporting Indian's efforts, for            
 instance more money for construction of waste water treatment                 
 systems and for control of non point source problems on tribal                
 lands.                                                                        
                                                                               
 SENATOR FRANK asked for examples of non point source pollution in             
 Alaska.  MR. FINDLEY replied that forestry operations would be a              
 classic example.                                                              
                                                                               
 He mentioned some of the common features in all the Safe Drinking             
 Water bills is the state revolving fund for construction of waste             
 water treatment systems.  This is a loan fund which states run to             
 make loans to communities to build treatment systems.                         
                                                                               
 SENATOR FRANK commented that saying everyone has to filter their              
 water is kind of a sledge hammer approach.  He said the current law           
 says you have to have filtration systems in place, but then it                
 provides 11 different criteria.                                               
                                                                               
 Another common issue which is likely to be in most Safe Drinking              
 Water bills is a user fee to support state programs, MR. FINDLEY              
 said.