Legislature(2017 - 2018)CAPITOL 106
03/07/2017 11:30 AM House ARCTIC POLICY, ECONOMIC DEV., & TOURISM
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): by Nils Andreassen, Institute of the North | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ARCTIC POLICY,
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM
March 7, 2017
11:36 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Dean Westlake, Chair
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative Andy Josephson
Representative Gary Knopp
Representative Mark Neuman
Representative David Talerico
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Chris Tuck
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): INSTITUTE OF THE NORTH
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
NILS ANDREASSEN
Executive Director
Institute of the North
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Offered a PowerPoint presentation as to the
Institute of the North.
ACTION NARRATIVE
11:36:00 AM
CHAIR DEAN WESTLAKE called the House Special Committee on Arctic
Policy, Economic Development, and Tourism meeting to order at
11:36 p.m. Representatives Edgmon, Josephson, Knopp, Neuman,
Talerico, and Westlake were present at the call to order.
^PRESENTATION(S): BY NILS ANDREASSEN, INSTITUTE OF THE NORTH
PRESENTATION(S): BY NILS ANDREASSEN, INSTITUTE OF THE NORTH
11:37:03 AM
CHAIR WESTLAKE announced that the only order of business would
be a PowerPoint presentation by Nils Andreassen on the Institute
of the North. He pointed out that the Arctic policy is
important to the entire global community, including the United
States of America, which chaired the Arctic Council for the past
two years. He added that Alaska makes the United State an
Arctic Nation. The state has recognized the importance of
Arctic Policy for several years and formed the Alaska Arctic
Policy Commission, and that commission submitted its final
report two years ago with specific recommendation on how to
implement a robust Arctic Policy. This resulted in Alaska
passing its own Arctic Policy two years ago and it focuses on
resource development, healthy communities, response capacity,
and inclusive decision making in Alaska-centric science and
research. With all of the opportunities in the Arctic, there
are also challenges, and Alaska has faced some of these
challenges for years and some challenges will be new.
11:39:19 AM
NILS ANDREASSEN, Executive Director, Institute of The North,
turned to slide 1, and advised that the Institute of The North
is the center for Arctic Policy, and in that role, it works to
convene critical conversations, develop strategies on behalf of
the state, work to improve the quality of life for citizens, and
inform public opinion.
11:40:20 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slides 2-5, and advised that the
institute looks at the Arctic from a number of different lens,
but often through socio-political or socio-economic lens. In a
recent publication, Arctic Book Overview, the Institute of the
North split the state into the four following regions: High
Arctic is defined by some of the oil and gas development that
takes place on the North Slope; Arctic is defined by some of the
mineral developments and maritime activities that take place
through the Bering Straits; Low Arctic include most of the
Aleutians and Western Alaska which is defined by maritime
especially, and also the fisheries activity, and shipping that
takes place in that region; and, the Near Arctic where the bulk
of the population lives and have financial economic, political,
and academic capitols. He opined that while the institute split
the state into four regions, it is true they are intra-connected
and inter-dependent.
11:41:51 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slide 6, and said the slide is a quick
highlight of some of the maritime, ground transportation or lack
thereof, port infrastructure, aviation, and communications in
place.
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slide 7, and advised it is a collection
of the safety and response assets that are pulled together from
federal, state, non-governmental, and other entities. The map
depicts that Alaska has quite a bit of response capacity in
place where there is greater human activity or economic
activity. Certainly, he said, there are gaps in some portions
of the state, but also less activity and less risk.
MR. ANDREASSEN opined that the members had received the Arctic
Book and Overview and described it as a value resource for the
state and the legislature. He noted that it does a good job of
introducing Alaskans, and visitors to the state, to the Arctic
Region.
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slides 8-9, and advised that in
addition to the publication, the Institute of the North worked
for quite a while with the Arctic Council, such as, the Arctic
Energy Atlas which will be a web-based energy atlas, much like
the Alaska Renewable Atlas, and will include resource potential
for wind, hydro, solar, geothermal biomass, and tidal. It will
have a community energy production consumption and efficiency
database, best practices guide, and a list of community energy
stories.
11:44:03 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slides 10-12, and said this has been a
good project period in connecting with data and centers,
ministries of energy from around the Arctic, and working with
them to collect the data necessary for the Arctic Renewable
Energy Atlas. He advised that slide 10 contains sample pictures
that at some point will have a truly circumpolar vision of what
renewable energy in the region looks like, as well as what the
communities are facing. Slide 12, he said, depicts a brief map
reviewing the community capacity and off-grid settlements in all
eight Arctic nations.
11:44:44 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slide 13, and advised the slide depicts
a project that will continue into the Finnish chairmanship, and
by 2019, the Arctic can "really redefine itself" as a renewable
energy leader and change some of the narrative around other
priorities that have been discussed with regard to the Arctic.
It is important for the state to be aware of just how much
capacity Alaska has to be advancing renewable energy leadership.
It is in Alaska where there is a great selection of subject
matter expertise, data, and the opportunity to export "some of
this to other nations around the Arctic and world."
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slides 14-15, and noted that following
up on the energy theme, the Institute of the North has also been
the organizer of the Arctic Energy Summit which in 2015 took
place in Fairbanks, Alaska. September of this year, Helsinki,
Finland will host the 2017 Arctic Energy Summit which will be a
project of the Sustainable Development Working Group. He
advised that more information can be found at
ArcticEnergySummit.com.
11:46:03 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slide 16, and advised that the approach
for the Arctic Energy Summit is truly cross-disciplinary.
Plenary sessions will offer glimpses at the global energy
outlook, climate change, sustainable developments,
transportation, and the opportunity for local and regional
governments to advance the development of energy resources.
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slides 17-18, and advised that the
following issues will be addressed: renewable energy issues of
affordability, opportunities to mobilize investment, map
renewable energy potential, renewable technologies, examine the
role of an energy within remote and off-grid communities,
microgrid technologies which Alaska is well known for with
regard to its (indisc.) leadership, but also capacity building
and how "we look at utility operations" within Alaska and around
the Arctic.
11:47:01 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slide 18-19, and said the session will
review petroleum related activities of which Alaska has shown
good leadership in all of these, and how it works between
sectors and cooperates on oil and gas development, works toward
carbon intervention and mitigation, and how oil and gas
development supports the economic development of communities and
the state.
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slide 20, and said that the Arctic
Energy Summit will examine, in consultation and stakeholder
engagement, opportunities for a different kind of benefit
sharing, intersection with environmental impact assessments, and
food security which is an ongoing conversation in Alaska.
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slide 21, and advised that the outcomes
from the Arctic Energy Summit will be a summary report looking
at best practices, potential projects, and research gaps. It
will include some strategic planning as it relates to
affordability, renewables policy, funding, and an intersection
between oil, gas, and climate.
11:48:09 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slides 22-26, and referred to his
mention of risk and preparedness, and noted that the PPR Working
Group of the Arctic Council and the Institute of the North have
been involved in oil spill preparedness in small communities.
This project should be completed this year and will be public at
the conclusion of the United States chairmanship having examined
within 350 different communities and a local government's
approach to preparedness and risk. A survey was sent out to
these communities with 88 different questions and the early
results from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Finland
reveal that most communities across the Arctic are moderately
prepared for the risk they face. Surprisingly, he said, no
community believes it has had adequate training from Alaska to
Norway. At the same time, he remarked, most communities did not
feel it faced the potential for risk in any moment so the impact
of a spill could be great for many communities, but most do not
feel a likelihood of that risk.
11:49:51 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN noted that he is looking forward to the final
project to come out from EPPR and the Arctic Council in May of
this year on a web-based platform that will map out preparedness
with each community and have a dashboard relating to overall
preparedness, planning, training, risk, impact, and resources.
11:50:17 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN turned to slide 27, and advised that in addition
to some of the Institute of the North's current work related to
the Arctic Council, it has been assisting the state with its re-
joining of the Northern Forum. Alaska membership is crucial for
that body in order to continue sub-national cooperation around
the region. He said that he is looking forward to the Council
of Northern Regional Government's forum, which is a great way
for Alaska to showcase some of its best practices, but also
learn from other regions. The Institute of the North is working
toward a Council of Northern Regional Governments that would
span North America and connect the State of Alaska to Northern
Canadian Territories and the regional governments within
Greenland. The Institute of the North has been secretariat
these last two years of the Alaska Arctic Council host
committee, convened by Governor Bill Walker, comprised of 75
Alaska leaders across the state. Future projects within the
Arctic Council the Institute of the North hopes to continue stay
involved with would be the Environmental Impact Assessment
project lead by Finland, and potentially a workshop on
indigenous consultation in Alaska in November.
11:52:59 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN advised that the Institute of the North is
working with the Arctic Economic Council on an Arctic Business
Directory that will evaluate Arctic competencies within the
state, and also in all eight nations. Recently, the Institute
of the North has been involved in the development of a task
force on Norway-Alaska cooperation. He described this as a 20-
year history with the Institute of the North and circum-polar
relationships that benefit the state, it is able to bring
Alaskan expertise not only to Arctic Council projects, but to
Alaska's partners across the Arctic. He remarked that it is
hoped that in the coming years the Arctic Council host committee
transitions into an Alaska Arctic coordinating committee public-
private partnership which would include, legislative members,
public officials, private sector, and organizational partners
from around the state to continue to advance Alaska's priorities
within the region.
11:55:04 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee On Arctic Policy, Economic Development, and
Tourism meeting was adjourned at 11:55 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Institute of the North Arctic Presentation - Nils Adreassen.pdf |
HAET 3/7/2017 11:30:00 AM |