04/18/2005 01:00 PM House RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission | |
| HCR7 | |
| HB9 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HCR 7 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 9 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 241 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
April 18, 2005
1:16 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Jay Ramras, Co-Chair
Representative Ralph Samuels, Co-Chair
Representative Jim Elkins
Representative Carl Gatto
Representative Kurt Olson
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Harry Crawford
Representative Mary Kapsner
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW: ALASKA OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION COMMISSION REVIEW OF
COMMISSIONERS DANIEL SEAMOUNT AND CATHY FOERSTER
- HEARD
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 7
Urging the governor to direct the division of oil and gas,
Department of Natural Resources, to undertake a comprehensive
review of the subject of Cook Inlet oil and gas platform
abandonment for the purpose of developing new oil and gas
platform abandonment regulations and their adoption and
implementation.
- MOVED CSHCR 7(RES) OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 9
"An Act establishing the Hydrogen Energy Partnership in the
Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development;
requiring the commissioner of commerce, community, and economic
development to seek public and private funding for the
partnership; providing for the contingent repeal of an effective
date; and providing for an effective date."
- MOVED HB 9 OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 241
"An Act relating to participation in matters before the Board of
Fisheries by members of the board; and providing for an
effective date."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HCR 7
SHORT TITLE: COOK INLET OIL & GAS PLATFORM ABANDONMENT
SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S) OLSON
04/07/05 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
04/07/05 (H) RES
04/18/05 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 124
BILL: HB 9
SHORT TITLE: HYDROGEN ENERGY RESEARCH PROGRAM
SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S) CRAWFORD
01/10/05 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 12/30/04
01/10/05 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/10/05 (H) CRA, RES, FIN
04/12/05 (H) CRA RPT 1DP 5NR
04/12/05 (H) DP: CISSNA;
04/12/05 (H) NR: LEDOUX, SALMON, NEUMAN, OLSON,
THOMAS
04/12/05 (H) CRA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 124
04/12/05 (H) Moved Out of Committee
04/12/05 (H) MINUTE(CRA)
04/18/05 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 124
WITNESS REGISTER
DANIEL SEAMOUNT, Commissioner
Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Explained his role at the Alaska Oil and Gas
Conservation Commission.
CATHY FOERSTER, Commissioner
Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Explained her role at the Alaska Oil and Gas
Conservation Commission.
ELEANOR WOLFE, Staff
to Representative Kurt Olson
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HCR 7 on behalf of Representative
Olson, sponsor.
MARK MYERS, Director
Division of Oil and Gas
Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions regarding HCR 7.
MICHAEL MUNGER, Executive Director
Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council
Kenai, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HCR 7.
PAUL MORGAN, Energy Manager
Golden Valley Electric Association
Alternative Energy Team
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 9.
BILL LEIGHTY
Alaska Applied Science, Inc.
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 9.
SARA FISHER-GOAD
Alaska Energy Authority
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions about HB 9.
CHRIS ROSE, Executive Director
Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 9.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CO-CHAIR RALPH SAMUELS called the House Resources Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:16:23 PM. Representatives
Seaton, Samuels, Ramras, Olson, Gatto, and Crawford were present
at the call to order. Representatives Elkins and Kapsner
arrived as the meeting was in progress.
^OVERVIEW: Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
CO-CHAIR SAMUELS announced that the first order of business
would be an review of two Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation
Commission (AOGCC) members for upcoming confirmation hearings.
DANIEL SEAMOUNT, Commissioner, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation
Commission, said he has been a commissioner in the geologic seat
since 2000, and the job has been interesting and satisfying. He
said he is addicted to the excitement of the work, and he would
like to continue working for the people of Alaska. Much has
been accomplished, but it has been a team effort, he said.
1:18:21 PM
MR. SEAMOUNT said there are upcoming issues like the mitigation
of oil losses due to major gas sales on the North Slope and the
expanded exploration in the National Petroleum Reserve. He said
the AOGCC has streamlined the permitting process for well
permits from 28 days to 5 days.
1:19:53 PM
MR. SEAMOUNT stated that the commission is looking for ways to
cut costs, and there will be a budget in the near future.
1:20:22 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO asked about well logs being confidential.
MR. SEAMOUNT said well logs are generally confidential for two
years. DNR must approve if a company wants to keep them
confidential for a longer period. The Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge well is the most valuable log information in the world,
and it has been hidden in a vault since 1986.
1:21:47 PM
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS asked about future of Cook Inlet exploitation.
MR. SEAMOUNT said he has worked as a geologist in Cook Inlet and
believes there is a tremendous amount of oil potential. He
declared that only four percent of the oil has been found.
1:23:15 PM
CATHY FOERSTER, Commissioner, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation
Commission, said she was a petroleum engineer with experience in
reservoir development and facility design. She has supervised
and managed small technical engineering groups and large laborer
operations. She worked in Texas, Louisiana, and 13 years on the
North Slope as an operations manager and production
superintendent at Prudhoe Bay. She managed technically
brilliant people, led a strategic business review, and was on a
consulting team to report to the Department of Natural Resources
on how Alaska can assist new operators on the North Slope.
1:26:38 PM
MS. FOERSTER noted that it was an honor to work with such a
well-respected commission with ethical, hardworking people.
1:27:06 PM
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS asked about the future of viscous oil.
MS. FOERSTER said, optimistically, there is a long future. The
hurdle is that North Slope facilities are producing beyond their
original design length. There are trillions of barrels of heavy
resource that is accessible, she said, but facility life is
working against it. She said independents are coming in and
scraping the pots and extending production on the North Slope.
1:29:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO noted that producing gas on the North Slope
will reduce oil production, and he asked if there will be new
technology to pull the oil out of the ground.
MS. FOERSTER said the optimal way to blow down a gas cap is to
wait until all oil is gone, but the market might not allow that.
Operators will likely be producing gas before the oil is gone,
but there are ways to encourage them to accelerate oil
production.
1:31:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO suggested it could take thousands of years
to get out the last few drops of oil. At what point will the
gas be worth the loss of oil, and is there technology to allow
the oil to be recovered after the gas is gone? he asked.
1:32:12 PM
MS. FOERSTER said, "We want to maximize total hydrocarbon
recovery." As the gas cap is depleted, the oil moves into rocks
and is more difficult to remove. Reservoir pressure is lost,
and with the pressure gone the oil can't be recovered.
1:33:57 PM
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS asked what is the AOGCC's mission.
MS. FOERSTER said the commission's mission is to prevent waste
of hydrocarbons, encourage maximum production, protect
groundwater, and to protect the rights of the landowners.
1:34:50 PM
CO-CHAIR SAMUELS asked about the different oil fields in Alaska
in relation to the North Slope.
MS. FOERSTER said most everything is underground, so the same
physics apply. "A reservoir is a reservoir," she said.
The committee took an at-ease from 1:36 PM to 1:37 p.m.
HCR 7-COOK INLET OIL & GAS PLATFORM ABANDONMENT
CO-CHAIR SAMUELS announced that the next order of business would
be HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 7, Urging the governor to
direct the division of oil and gas, Department of Natural
Resources, to undertake a comprehensive review of the subject of
Cook Inlet oil and gas platform abandonment for the purpose of
developing new oil and gas platform abandonment regulations and
their adoption and implementation.
ELEANOR WOLFE, Staff to Representative Kurt Olson, said there
are offshore oil platforms in Cook Inlet that are over 40 years
old, and regulations regarding abandoning the platforms are
needed. The large number of entities involved will make the
process time consuming. She said it is imperative the process
begins as soon as possible, "particularly considering the
impending sale of Unocal." She said the process will involve
Cook Inlet Keeper, Trustees for Alaska, the Department of
Environmental Conservation, industry members, Department of
Natural Resources (DNR), Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation
Commission (AOGCC), and others. She concluded that HCR 7
requests a comprehensive review be undertaken by DNR.
1:38:48 PM
MARK MYERS, Director, Division of Oil and Gas, Department of
Natural Resources (DNR), said DNR is fine with HCR 7. There are
16 platforms in Cook Inlet, and 4 are in lighthouse status,
meaning the wells have been plugged and abandoned. He said
these platforms are not economic for production, and there are
others that are below their peak level of production. "The
ultimate abandon standards need to be addressed in the near
future," he stated. "Under the current lease terms, basically,
they're required to fully remove and abandon all the facilities,
remove all the seafloor pipelines and permanently plug and
abandon the wells to AOGCC satisfaction." There is still
exploration potential with lower and deeper targets, he said.
"So the question is, can someone else economically operate the
platforms or should they be removed permanently?" He suggested
the platforms could be totally removed or left for other
purposes. The state needs a process and standards, which will
take time, and DNR supports moving forward, he said.
1:41:24 PM
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS asked the cost to tear down and clean up a
platform.
1:41:53 PM
MR. MYERS said between $2 to $10 million for just the platform,
and then there is the pipeline. Much of the infrastructure is
connected and interrelated, creating complications. Specialized
equipment will be needed, and there are questions of what the
ultimate structure will be, if anything. He said the platforms
could be used for habitat, further exploration, fish farms or be
obliterated.
1:43:24 PM
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS asked the cost of a new platform in Cook Inlet.
MR. MYERS said up to $20 million just for the platform without
the rigs.
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS asked how the state can help urge the big
operators to sell to the independent oil companies and overcome
the concern of increased competition.
1:45:05 PM
MR. MYERS said Cook Inlet does not have enough oil production
for export, reducing competition. He said the bigger issue is
that large corporations want more profits than the platforms are
currently generating, and they want to lose their deep-pocket
liability of oil spills from the aging platforms. "So they
want to go ahead and sell the asset," he said. Some platforms
are still lucrative, but the marginal platforms will likely be
sold. The state will want to make sure the new operator is
capable of operating the platform safely, and will want to keep
the deep-pocket connection so the state doesn't end up with the
liability.
1:47:00 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD asked how long the platforms can
withstand the inclement environment.
MR. MYERS said they appear to be adequate for 20 years, but each
platform needs to be considered individually.
1:49:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO asked if the platforms can be blown up,
with the debris left for fish habitat.
MR. MYERS said that might be permissible but it will need to go
through the public process. There are strong tidal currents, so
it may not be stable. He noted it would go through an Alaska
Coastal Management Program process.
1:50:50 PM
MICHAEL MUNGER, Executive Director, Cook Inlet Regional Citizens
Advisory Council, Kenai, said the council is a nonprofit
organized exclusively for the oversight and monitoring of oil
operations in Cook Inlet. The council took a detailed look at
the dismantling of the platforms, and said DNR has no specific
statutes or regulations for such. He said HCR 7 will allow
regulators to develop regulations, and the council has a white
paper on it that will be ready in May.
1:53:03 PM
DANIEL SEAMOUNT, Commissioner, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation
Commission (AOGCC), said the AOGCC supports HCR 7, but he urged
caution "because there is a lot of oil left under Cook Inlet
that is accessible from these platforms." Some light-housed
platforms have only recovered 30 percent of the oil, he said.
"There are hundreds of millions of barrels left in the produced
fields of Cook Inlet," he noted, and motivated production
companies should be encouraged to use new technology to extract
as much oil as reachable from the platforms.
1:55:05 PM
MR. SEAMOUNT said Cook Inlet is regarded as a mature field, but
it is still under-explored. He noted a study that said only
four percent of the oil has been identified in Cook Inlet, so
with the 3 billion barrels that have been identified, "that
comes out to 75 billion barrels of oil that was generated, and
no one knows where it went. It may have escaped to the surface
or there may be a lot of it left in undiscovered reservoirs and
undiscovered rocks." He said his experience tells him that it
is still trapped somewhere, and a lot would be accessible from
the platforms.
1:56:53 PM
MR. SEAMOUNT said the source rocks may be in the Jurassic layer.
It makes sense to reenter well bores and drill another 5,000
feet into that section. He noted that the rocks are folded and
faulted, making seismic identification difficult, so the best
way to test the potential is through old well bores.
1:57:45 PM
MR. SEAMOUNT said, "There are four tiers of potential left in
Cook Inlet. One is discovered reservoirs that have been under-
produced--less than 30 percent recovery. There are untested
fault blocks that separate the known reservoir from its
equivalent under and off to the sides of the platforms. There
are identified prospects that have been around for years but not
tested. And then there's the deep Jurassic and Cretaceous
potential." The AOGCC believes the platforms are assets and all
stakeholders must be careful when considering abandonment, which
closes a window of economic potential, he concluded.
1:59:03 PM
CO-CHAIR SAMUELS asked if AOGCC has the ability to tell the
difference between a true exploratory well and a well going to
an under-produced area that would be considered a production
well.
MR. SEAMOUNT said there is the expertise to accurately separate
them out anywhere in Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD asked about gas in Cook Inlet.
MR. SEAMOUNT said he believes there is gas potential, especially
at depth. "In fact the gas oil ratio is fairly low in the
presently produced reservoir, so where is that gas?" he asked.
2:00:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE OLSON offered Amendment 1, labeled 24-LS0876\A.1,
Chenoweth, 4/12/05 as follows:
1 Page 2, line 6:
2 Delete "smaller"
3 Insert "growing, independent"
There being no objection, Amendment 1 carried.
REPRESENTATIVE OLSON moved to report HCR 7 as amended out of
committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying
fiscal notes.
There being no objection, CSHCR 7 (RES) passed out of the House
Resources Standing Committee.
The committee took an at-ease from 2:01 p.m. to 2:02.
2:02:40 PM
HB 9-HYDROGEN ENERGY RESEARCH PROGRAM
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS announced that the final order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 9 "An Act establishing the Hydrogen Energy
Partnership in the Department of Commerce, Community, and
Economic Development; requiring the commissioner of commerce,
community, and economic development to seek public and private
funding for the partnership; providing for the contingent repeal
of an effective date; and providing for an effective date."
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD said a similar bill has passed out of
the House in a prior session, and HB 9 creates a repository for
grant money for hydrogen research and development projects.
Hydrogen can be our next Prudhoe Bay, he said, because it is a
medium for storage and movement of alternative energy, including
tidal, wind, and geothermal power.
2:04:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD said, "We believe that it's the fuel of
the future."
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS said the fiscal note indicates that federal
funds would be found, and if they were not available, HB 9 would
be repealed. He asked what provisions would be repealed.
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD said the project will not spend general
funds. If there is no grant money, it will go away, he said.
2:05:55 PM
PAUL MORGAN, Energy Manager, Golden Valley Electric Association,
Alternative Energy Team, Fairbanks, said hydrogen has huge
potential as Alaska's energy future and as an exportable
technology. Golden Valley feels that HB 9 is a good idea, and
notes that it is supported by the Alaska Energy Policy Task
Force. He said hydrogen has a low freezing point so it would
work nicely in Fairbanks.
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD showed a small gizmo with a fan running
on a photovoltaic panel which turns water into hydrogen, and he
said as long as the sun is shining, the wind is blowing, or the
water is running, it will be in perpetual motion.
2:08:22 PM
BILL LEIGHTY, Alaska Applied Science, Inc., said the gizmo is
not perpetual motion, but it is hydrogen stored in a small
pipeline. Hydrogen is not an energy source, and an energy
source is needed to make the hydrogen, he explained. He said
Alaska's niche in the emerging hydrogen sustainable energy
sector is that we may have opportunities to bring Alaska's
resources, both fossil and renewable, to distant markets by a
pipeline or other means of compressing or liquefying hydrogen.
"We may also be able to demonstrate ... storage of hydrogen at a
large scale, either in geologic formations or in very large
tanks filled with the abundant zeolites that we have as mineral
resources here in the state." He noted that villages are
functionally islands, and he said research in Norway is
demonstrating the interface between wind power, hydrogen to
store the energy, and then various ways of converting it back
into electricity as it's needed." He said that HB 9 would
facilitate a partnership and offer opportunities for Alaska to
serve as a research and production location for the new
technology. He cautioned that HB 9 shouldn't be looked at as
just a way to garner federal funds to support something that is
just within Alaska. The state should partner with the
Department of Energy.
2:11:17 PM
MR. LEIGHTY said Canada, the U.S. Department of Energy, and some
states have made hydrogen road maps, and Alaska might do this to
see what its strategic advantage is. He cautioned that
transmission and storage of hydrogen is difficult and expensive,
because of its low energy density.
2:12:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said the premise is that the amount of
energy from the sun, wind, or water is greater than what can be
turned into hydrogen, so why make it, he asked.
MR. LEIGHTY said energy should be used in the form that is most
convenient at the site where the energy is made, but Alaska has
more abundant resources than it can use in a particular locale,
and others need the energy, so it might be possible to export
stranded renewable resources as hydrogen. Any time you convert
energy you lose energy, he said.
2:14:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said he read that hydrogen cars lose fuel
sitting still.
MR. LEIGHTY explained that most car manufacturers have abandoned
the technology of liquid hydrogen, which is lost as a gas. The
high-pressure hydrogen stored in carbon filament wound gaseous
containers will not lose energy, he said.
2:16:42 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked about new solid-state technology not
at high pressure.
MR. LEIGHTY said that is applicable for vehicles. The solid
form is more attractive because of less pressure, but it is not
yet competitive with the high-pressure technology, he added.
2:18:02 PM
SARA FISHER-GOAD, Alaska Energy Authority, said the fiscal note
for HB 9 requires receipt authority through the Department of
Commerce to get the program started. The plan is to hire a
person to staff the partnership and apply for federal grants.
She does not see how HB 9 will be a burden on the general fund;
the money would come from a utility or private funder. There
are conditional effective dates that repeal the act if the
federal money doesn't pan out, she said.
2:20:16 PM
CHRIS ROSE, Executive Director, Renewable Energy Alaska Project
(REAP), said REAP is a coalition of utility companies,
environmental groups, consumer groups, and businesses who
promote renewable energy. The group supports the bill for a
number of reasons, he said. He noted that everyone uses
hydrogen in other forms, such as wood, coal, or any fossil fuel.
The society is moving toward a pure form of hydrogen, which is
clean. There are questions about storage and transportation,
and this is one area where Alaska can do research and
development, he suggested. He said there are many stand alone
villages in Alaska that can generate their own hydrogen rather
than importing expensive diesel, he said. He concluded that HB
9 could be the beginning of a hydrogen road map for Alaska.
2:22:55 PM
MR. ROSE said Alaska has many energy resources. The Aleutian
Islands probably have 99 percent of the class 7 winds in North
America, and anything class 4 and above is commercially viable.
He also mentioned Alaska's geothermal energy as a resource for
making hydrogen fuel.
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD cited an idea of a hydrogen pipeline
from the Aleutians to Japan with wind generators along the way
to fill the pipeline.
2:24:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said the fiscal note looks like the state
is spending about $250,000 from three different departments.
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD said they're not additive, "its all the
same one and it's program-receipts related. If they don't get
the money from the grants to start this project, it doesn't get
started. There's no general fund money going to it."
2:25:39 PM
MS. FISHER-GOAD said, "This is a Department of Commerce program,
and commerce has requested that the Alaska Energy Authority be
the point agency." The first fiscal note from commerce is the
intake of the statutory designated program receipts, and those
would be from a private entity. The second fiscal note is to
the Alaska Energy Authority, which is interagency receipts from
the Department of Commerce. The third fiscal note recognizes
that the Alaska Industrial Development and Energy Authority does
not have staff, so by requiring a person, a fiscal note is
required. The fiscal notes are just a way for the legislature
to see how money would flow, and it is not from the general
fund.
2:27:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO asked who is going to cough up the money.
MS. FISHER-GOAD said there are potential private sources.
2:28:04 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ELKINS said if the money doesn't appear it may
become a burden on the general fund. He asked if the state will
get money if the project is successful.
MS. FISHER-GOAD explained that if the funding isn't secured with
federal or private sources the partnership will be repealed, and
there will be no drain on the general fund at all.
2:29:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ELKINS finds it hard to believe that the
legislature wouldn't get asked for money if the grants don't
happen.
MS. FISHER GOAD said the way the bill is structured, she doesn't
see where AEA would request money from the general fund.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON explained that another bill would have to
offered, and the current legislature can't put conditions on
future legislation to block hydrogen research.
2:31:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD said it is not the intent to burden the
general fund; repealers are built in. "I don't know how to make
it any clearer." It would take a separate bill to ever fund
this partnership, he said.
2:31:56 PM
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS noted that HB 9 will go to the finance
committee.
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said that members of the partnership will
serve without compensation, but they are authorized for travel.
He wants to know where the money is coming from, and he is
concerned about paying benefits. He said he didn't want to
support a bill that spent money or hired new employees.
2:33:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD said it is private money, and members of
the board are not part of any retirement system.
REPRESENTATIVE KAPSNER said she served on boards and never
received PERS.
2:34:41 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON said typical boards and commissions do not
qualify for retirement benefits.
REPRESENTATIVE KAPSNER said the $95,000 is not coming out of
general funds, and it is a good case of spend now and save
later. She noted that the state spends an exorbitant amount on
subsidizing rural Alaska's diesel fuel. She pointed out that
the legislature is willing to appropriate a lot of money to
Arctic Power to just lobby to drill the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. "This pales to the money given to them," she said. We
do a lot of lip service to alternative energy, she noted, and
this is a step in the right direction.
2:36:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ELKINS will support the bill because
Representative Crawford introduced it, but he wants it on the
record that, "Once we're hooked, we're hooked."
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO asked how per diem and travel will be paid.
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD said if the railbelt utilities don't
pitch in, it will not get off the ground. The program has to
find the money first, and the state is only hooked if the
legislature passes another bill. This same bill passed
unanimously twice last year, he noted.
2:37:32 PM
CO-CHAIR RAMRAS said he is a big fan of alternative energy.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON moved to report HB 9 out of committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.
There being no objection, HB 9 was passed out of committee.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Resources Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:39:21
PM.
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