Legislature(2017 - 2018)BARNES 124
01/19/2018 01:00 PM House RESOURCES
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| Presentation: Department of Natural Resources Update | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
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+ teleconferenced
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
January 19, 2018
1:01 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Andy Josephson, Co-Chair
Representative Geran Tarr, Co-Chair
Representative Harriet Drummond
Representative Justin Parish
Representative Chris Birch
Representative DeLena Johnson
Representative George Rauscher
Representative David Talerico
Representative Chris Tuck (alternate)
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Mike Chenault (alternate)
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES UPDATE
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
ED KING, Legislative Liaison
Office of the Commissioner
Department of Natural Resources
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced a PowerPoint presentation
entitled, "State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources 2017
Highlights," dated 1/17/18.
MARK WIGGIN, Deputy Commissioner
Office of the Commissioner
Department of Natural Resources
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Described his responsibilities within the
Department of Natural Resources, presented updates on certain
divisions, and answered questions.
STEVEN MASTERMAN, Director
Central Office
Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys
Department of Natural Resources
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the update
presented by the Department of Natural Resources.
HEIDI HANSEN, Deputy Commissioner
Office of the Commissioner
Department of Natural Resources
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Described her responsibilities, presented
updates on certain divisions within the Department of Natural
Resources, and answered questions.
ARTHUR KEYES, Director
Division of Agriculture
Department of Natural Resources
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the presentation
by the Department of Natural Resources.
CHRIS MAISCH, Director; State Forester
Division of Forestry
Department of Natural Resources
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the update
presented by the Department of Natural Resources.
BRENT GOODRUM, Director
Central Office
Division of Mining, Land and Water
Department of Natural Resources
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the presentation
by the Department of Natural Resources.
ETHAN TYLER, Director
Central Office
Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
Department of Natural Resources
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the presentation
by the Department of Natural Resources.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:01:49 PM
CO-CHAIR ANDY JOSEPHSON called the House Resources Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:01 p.m. Representatives
Josephson, Birch, Drummond, Johnson, Parish, Talerico, Tarr, and
Rauscher were present at the call to order. Representative Tuck
(alternate) arrived as the meeting was in progress.
^PRESENTATION: Department of Natural Resources Update
PRESENTATION: Department of Natural Resources Update
1:02:44 PM
CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON announced that the only order of business
would be an update from the Department of Natural Resources on
its activities in 2017 and anticipated activities in 2018.
1:03:53 PM
ED KING, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Commissioner,
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) directed attention to a
PowerPoint presentation entitled, "State of Alaska Department of
Natural Resources 2017 Highlights," dated 1/17/18. Slide 2
illustrated DNR's organization chart and he noted the following
recent changes in leadership: Office of Project Management and
Permitting Acting Executive Director Don Perrin; Mental Health
Trust Land Office Executive Director Wyn Menefee; Division of
Parks and Outdoor Recreation Director Ethan Tyler; Office of the
Commissioner Deputy Commissioner, Heidi Hansen.
1:05:57 PM
MARK WIGGIN, Deputy Commissioner, DNR, said his responsibilities
are with the Division of Oil and Gas, the Division of Geological
and Geophysical Surveys, and the Mental Health Trust Land
Office. He reviewed the duties of the Division of Oil and Gas
(DOG) and informed the committee in fiscal year 2017 (FY 17) DOG
managed and collected $1.1 billion in royalties, rents, and
bonus bids. Mr. Wiggin said DOG has released a total of eight
seismic datasets - five under a new regulatory fee structure -
out of the Geologic Materials Center. Also in 2017, DOG held
the third largest lease sale by dollar amount since 1998 and
delivered the 2018 production forecast to the Department of
Revenue (DOR), which has proven to be very accurate. Other
significant responsibilities have been to issue royalty audits
and to collect additional state revenue. Finally, DOG processed
revised 2009-2016 Trans-Alaska Pipeline System tariff reduction
royalty reports that are expected to garner $141 million in
additional revenue (slide 3).
1:11:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked whether successful lease bidders
make one lease payment or pay for the lease on a payment
schedule.
MR. WIGGIN explained bidders make a one-time bonus bid payment
to hold a lease, and thereafter make annual rental payments.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON inquired into which fund lease bonus bids
are deposited.
1:12:59 PM
MR. KING said the payments are split between general funds (GF)
and the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC), with one-half
of 1 percent going to the Public School Trust Fund, Treasury
Division, DOR. In further response to Representative Johnson,
he confirmed all oil and gas revenue is directed to the
aforementioned funds, except for audit settlements, which go to
the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR), Treasury Division, DOR.
MR. WIGGIN continued the presentation and said in 2018 DOG is
working to release 12 additional tax credit seismic datasets;
DOG will also hold a special lease sale of lands adjacent to
land that has new seismic data available. There will be
continued work on spring and fall 2018 production forecasts, and
continued support for the Alaska Strategic Transportation and
Resources (ASTAR) infrastructure project because of DOG's role
in oil and gas development. Further, DOG will issue the 2018
North Slope Best Interest Finding which is performed every ten
years, and will support ongoing negotiations between DNR, the
Alaska Gasline Development Corp., and North Slope (NS) working
interest owners to advance the Alaska LNG gas pipeline project
by sourcing the gas for the project. Further, DOG in 2018 will
work with NS communities, the federal administration, and the
[Alaska] Congressional delegation to support reasonable
development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 1002 Area,
on the outer continental shelf, and in the National Petroleum
Reserve-Alaska. Finally, DOG seeks to rationalize fees,
regulations, and administrative leasing processes to modernize
procedures and promote development (slide 4).
1:18:59 PM
CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON questioned DNR's position toward the expense
of releasing the seismic datasets.
MR. WIGGIN acknowledged DOG had concerns related to the expense
of acquiring, checking for accuracy, and distributing extremely
large datasets; DOG established a regulatory fee package for
this work, and expects the release costs to be covered thereby.
In further response to Co-Chair Josephson, he described the
following process: contract seismic firms acquire the data,
operators pay the contract firms for the data, and data that
qualifies for tax credits is held by DOG for ten years. Thus,
data from 2006 is being released; he estimated some seismic
shoots have cost up to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the
amount the state pays depends upon the percentage of the credit.
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH expressed his understanding the tax credit
program up to 2016 has cost the state $500-$600 million in tax
credits.
MR. WIGGIN said, "It's that or higher."
1:23:23 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH questioned how much the state is expecting
to collect in fees up to 2027 to cover the aforementioned cost.
MR. WIGGIN explained the fee schedule was set to recover all the
cost - not of the tax credits - but of managing and distributing
the data, and DOG calculated the cost would be "in the many
millions of dollars, which would be enough to pay for that
process of distributing the data." He gave an example of a
dataset being successfully used for exploration. In further
response to Representative Parish and in response to Co-Chair
Josephson, he said he would provide information on why DOG is
prohibited by statute to sell the data.
MR. KING added DNR believes the highest value from the state's
resources is garnered from reaching the market; therefore, much
of the value in the release of the seismic data will be
generated through finding and developing new prospects, not
through collecting fees.
MR. WIGGIN turned attention to the Division of Geological and
Geophysical Surveys (DGGS), located in Fairbanks, and which is
staffed by scientists, geophysicists, and geologists who conduct
mineral, mining, and oil and gas studies, and other work.
[DGGS] collects and publishes data, maps, and reports to
stimulate oil, gas, and mineral development, and identifies
geologic hazards, such as volcanic activity. In 2017, DGGS
released its 5,000th publication, responded to nearly 3,200
requests for geologic information, and - with DOG - was involved
in releasing tax credit seismic data.
1:29:45 PM
STEVE MASTERMAN, Director, Central Office, DGGS, DNR, referred
to volcanic activity and said the Bogoslof volcano in the
Aleutian Islands was very active last year and erupted 60 times;
DGGS has a responsibility to alert aviation of hazards to
airspace.
MR. WIGGIN returned to DGGS in 2017 and said the division
established erosion and flood monitoring sites in Western
Alaska, and its coastal manager assigned village residents to
inform DGGS of incidents. Further, DGGS documented new mineral
occurrences, led a Nanushuk workshop at the Geologic Materials
Center, and discovered and documented new oil in western Cook
Inlet (slide 5).
CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON asked what is meant by "documented 20 new
mineral occurrences."
MR. MASTERMAN explained when DGGS field crews complete geologic
mapping in mineral-rich areas they are also looking for surface
concentrations of metal; if found, rock samples are taken - such
as the new prospects found near Tok - which can result in new
claims made by mining companies.
CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON asked which DNR lands are ineligible for
mining.
1:34:22 PM
MR. MASTERMAN advised all state lands are open for mineral
location unless otherwise closed.
HEIDI HANSEN, Deputy Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner,
DNR, nodded in agreement with Mr. Masterman's response.
1:35:09 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TALERICO asked if information on whether certain
state land is closed to mining would be found in "areawide
plans."
MR. MASTERMAN said yes.
MR. WIGGIN directed attention to DGGS 2018 planned activities:
publish airborne surveys over the Porcupine River and the Yukon
River; publish bedrock geology map to assist Cook Inlet oil and
gas development; focus research on formations in NS; complete
geology mapping in a portion of the Tanacross Quadrangle;
utilize an in-house Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) radar
system for landslide and avalanche assessments; continue flood
hazard maps and flood forecasting for Western Alaska; continue
mapping in villages; support ASTAR regarding materials sourcing
for construction (slide 6).
1:39:00 PM
MR. WIGGIN turned attention to the Mental Health Trust Land
Office (TLO), which is responsible for managing the land and
other natural resources owned by the Alaska Mental Health Trust
Authority (Trust). Activities in 2017 by TLO were: generated
$11.1 million in revenues to fund programs for 85,000 Alaska
Mental Health Trust beneficiaries; initiated work to complete a
land exchange in Southeast Alaska with the U.S. Forest Service
(USFS), Department of Agriculture (USDA); initiated an
exploratory drilling program near Yakutat to further delineate a
potential beach mine; leased Trust properties; facilitated sale
of Trust land on the Homer Spit (slide 7). [TLO] planned
activities for 2018 are: continue land exchange with USFS;
exploratory drilling at Icy Cape; keep commercial real estate
properties fully leased; digitize workflow process for
authorization processing; create over-the-counter land sale
program for Trust lands; complete first wetlands mitigation
sale; continue feasibility work on the Palmer hard rock mine in
Haines on Trust land (slide 8).
1:43:23 PM
MS. HANSEN directed attention to the Division of Agriculture
(division), DNR. She said Alaska Grown membership has grown
from three members in 1988 to eight hundred and seventy-seven
members today. In 2017, the division inspected and certified
80.3 million board feet of timber for export; leveraged $189,867
in funds for Farm to School activities, including funds from the
USDA Farm to School Network and funds from a reimbursable
service agreement with the Department of Education and Early
Development; administered $650,000 of multi-year USDA Specialty
Crop Block Grant projects over three years, including seed
potato, peony, and marketing studies; launched a successful $5
Alaska Grown Challenge campaign, which has directly resulted in
additional farm production; sold Matanuska Maid and Mt. McKinley
Meat and Sausage; cleaned 210,000 pounds of seed; treated twelve
invasive Canada Thistle outbreaks (slide 9).
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER asked how many Canada Thistle outbreaks
occur.
1:47:20 PM
ARTHUR KEYES, Director, Division of Agriculture, DNR, was
unsure; however, Alaska's situation of geographic isolation
makes eradication possible, thus the division responds to each
reported outbreak of invasive weeds.
CO-CHAIR TARR congratulated the division on its successful $5
Alaska Grown Challenge Campaign awards ceremony and the
division's efforts to engage communities and support farmers.
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH asked whether any Farm to School
activities and Specialty Crop Block Grant programs occurred in
Southeast Alaska.
MR. KEYES will provide the requested information.
REPRESENTATIVE TALERICO inquired as to the operation and
production of Mt. McKinley Meat and Sausage.
MR. KEYES advised Mt. McKinley Meat and Sausage has successfully
transitioned to the private sector thus certain information is
confidential; however, the new owner is making investments to
upgrade the facility with new lighting and efficiencies. There
is direct slaughter of animals coming in from the Lower 48
because Alaska doesn't have enough livestock to support the
facility, but the facility is creating a market for local pigs.
1:53:51 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER asked whether the facility is still
supporting Alaska 4-H.
MR. KEYES said his understanding is the needs of industry and
Alaska 4-H are being met.
MS. HANSEN directed attention to division planned activities in
2018: auction 663 acres of agricultural land parcels; increase
support for the livestock industry, including meetings with
industry and adding a livestock section to the division;
generate a revegetation plan for the Alaska LNG pipeline
project; treat Elodea infestations; expand export and promote
the $5 Alaska Grown Challenge Campaign (slide 10).
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked whether only the Anchorage School
District is using Alaska Grown foods in school lunches.
MS. HANSEN said the program has expanded into the Bristol Bay
region.
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH questioned whether Barnacle Foods in
Juneau would qualify for support from the division.
MR. KEYES said kelp is not covered in the Alaska Grown program
at this time, but remains under discussion.
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH referred to other wild harvested products
and inquired as to where one finds support for wild harvested
vegetable products.
1:59:10 PM
MR. KEYES said he would confirm whether the Alaska Grown
trademark covers any wild harvested products because its focus
is on cultivated products; however, he acknowledged there are
opportunities for said products, such as mushrooms. In further
response to Representative Parish, he said he would provide a
later response in writing as to whether legislation is needed
for the division to recognize wild harvested products grown in
Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE TALERICO questioned whether there is
collaboration between the division, the University of Alaska
Fairbanks, 4-H, and Future Farmers of America.
MR. KEYES will provide a later response.
MS. HANSEN directed attention to the Division of Forestry (DOF),
DNR, and said in 2017, DOF safely managed 353 fires - in
cooperation with federal partners - with 652,904 acres burned,
which are lower than average numbers for acreage burned and the
frequency of fires. In addition, DOF filled 2,053 orders for
firefighting assignments in the Lower 48; sold 11.3 million
board feet of timber; completed construction of Vallenar Bay
road; held the first Good Neighbor Authority timber sale on USFS
land, selling the timber for twice its appraisal value;
conducted widespread social media engagement (slide 11).
CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON asked for the recipient of the revenue from
the Good Neighbor Authority timber sale.
MS. HANSEN clarified the $2.6 million for the Good Neighbor
Authority sale was USFS revenue. In further response to Co-
Chair Josephson, she said state revenue from timber sales was $1
million.
2:04:58 PM
CHRIS MAISCH, Director and State Forester, DOF, DNR, in response
to Co-Chair Josephson, said Vallenar Bay road is a resource
extraction road on Gravina Island built with Department of
Transportation & Public Facilities funds at a cost of $4.6
million.
2:05:47 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER inquired as to how firefighter
deployments are handled.
2:06:19 PM
MR. MAISCH said deployments to or from Alaska are facilitated
through resource orders for crews or equipment; the state is
responsible for the costs to fight fires on state land. For
federal land, in the state service area, costs are billed to the
Alaska Fire Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S.
Department of the Interior (DOI). When crews are sent to the
Lower 48, all the costs are paid by the ordering entities after
a fire season's total costs are balanced by the National
Interagency Coordination Center, National Interagency Fire
Center. In further response to Representative Rauscher, he
explained compensation is paid only for the actual cost of
transportation, support, and wages, and some indirect
administration costs.
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH questioned what impacts there will be to
the timber industry from changes to the roadless rule affecting
the Tongass National Forest, and from the Good Neighbor
Authority.
2:09:05 PM
MR. MAISCH explained the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule
(roadless rule) applied to federal lands and the state sued for
an exemption that was place for about eight years; current
ongoing litigation seeks a rulemaking process with USFS and the
U.S. Department of Agriculture with the objective to restore the
Tongass National Forest exemption to the roadless rule. For the
timber industry, the roadless rule means access to lands in the
forest plan classified for forestry use is only by helicopter
logging; also, during the time of the exemption, some roads were
built that now cannot be used. He pointed out roads are better
and more efficient access to facilitate the industry's
transition from old growth to young growth wood. Mr. Maisch
further explained the Good Neighbor Authority is a new authority
that allows states to enter into [good neighbor agreements] with
USFS or BLM in activities such as timber sales, restoration
projects, and other forest management services.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked for information on beetle
infestation.
MR. MAISCH stated the bark beetle population is increasing again
in the Kenai Peninsula and in the Matanuska-Susitna region; DOF
is providing pertinent information to residents.
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH returned attention to firefighting costs.
MR. MAISCH said last year the state spent $23.4 million. In
further response to Representative Parish, he said DOF begins
each year with $18.4 million in a preparedness fund and $19.4
million in a fire suppression activity component. During the
fire season, DOF can get more money through the disaster
declaration process or by a supplemental budget.
MS. HANSEN returned to DOF planned activities in 2018: increase
involvement with Good Neighbor Authority projects; facilitate
full allowable and surplus cut in the Southeast State Forest;
increase use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in fire
operations; secure grant funding for projects; collect
additional data for management; prepare succession management
plan for DOF (slide 12).
2:17:37 PM
MS. HANSEN continued to the Division of Mining, Land and Water
(DMLW), DNR, noting in 2017, DMLW generated $29.7 million in [FY
17] revenue as follows: $10.8 million related to mining
activity; $7.8 million related to land leases; $5.7 related to
material sales; $4.8 million related to land sales; $350,000
related to shore fish; $240,000 related to water authorizations.
Further, DMLW conveyed 9,700 acres to boroughs, authorized 135.5
miles of ice/snow roads and 65 acres of ice pads in FY 17,
cleared title to 165.9 river miles of submerged lands; issued
188 temporary water use authorizations; reduced statewide
platting review time; deployed the Unified Permit reconfigured
platform for primary DMLW authorizations (slide 13).
CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON asked for the location of the lands on which
DMLW cleared title.
MS. HANSEN said the title was cleared on submerged lands along
the Knik, Stikine, and George rivers.
2:19:50 PM
BRENT GOODRUM, Director, Central Office, DMLW, DNR, confirmed
title was cleared to submerged lands along the George River -
which in the vicinity of Crooked Creek village - the Knik River,
the Stikine River in Southeast, and the Kisaralik River near
Bethel.
CO-CHAIR TARR asked whether the aforementioned title issues
relate to Stikine River transboundary issues.
MS. HANSEN will provide a response.
MS. HANSEN, in response to Co-Chair Josephson, explained the
Unified Permit (UP) reconfigured platform is a program that will
modernize and unify the administration of permits within DMLW to
help with its backlog.
MR. GOODRUM recalled the UP program was initially set up with
IBM business process management; recently DMLW converted to dot
net coding to utilize a more common coding language for better
cost efficiency.
REPRESENTATIVE TALERICO asked whether classifications are
finished for any of the boroughs.
MR. GOODRUM will provide a list of the municipalities with
completed conveyances.
MR. GOODRUM confirmed earlier testimony by Mr. Masterman that
all state lands are open [to mineral entry] unless otherwise
closed; furthermore, areas of activity are initially closed to
mineral entry to avoid potential conflicts between surface and
subsurface rights, however, mineral entry closing orders can be
subsequently reopened. He offered to provide the committee
information as to where closing order information is posted.
2:26:49 PM
MS. HANSEN said DMLW planned activities in 2018 are: work with
all parties to address federal actions relating to resource
management plans and the BLM Resource Management Planning rule
BLM 2.0; finalize statehood land entitlements from the federal
government; support federal permit reform and automate DNR's
permitting processes; finalize fee regulation updates; finalize
a land exchange at Point Bridget [State Park]; finalize a land
exchange with the City and Borough of Yakutat.
MR. GOODRUM, returning attention to the land exchange at Point
Bridget, said documents have been signed and the exchange will
be finalized in 30 days.
MS. HANSEN said the final planned activity for DMLW in 2018 is
continued development of the North Slope Area Plan, with a draft
issued within 60 days (slide 14).
2:30:20 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease.
2:30:44 PM
CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON passed the gavel to Co-Chair Tarr.
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH informed the committee DOI is planning a
restructure to common regional boundaries and to move staff to
regional offices. He asked how these changes would impact the
state.
MS. HANSEN opined Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke seeks to
make DOI more agile, robust, and effective; although she said
she has not seen restructure plans, DOI clearly remains
committed to its mission and will take steps to avoid delays in
its objectives. She said Secretary Zinke regards the early
reorganization efforts as positive steps in the growth and
evolution of the agency.
MS. HANSEN directed attention to the Division of Parks and
Outdoor Recreation (DPOR), DNR, noting in 2017, DPOR
accommodated 3.6 million visitors and collected over $4 million
in fees divided by region as follows: 31 percent Chugach, 15
percent Southeast, 2 percent Wood-Tikchik; 25 percent Kenai, 6
percent Northern Region; 17 percent Matanuska-Susitna; 3 percent
Kodiak. [DPOR] issued 626 commercial use permits and special
use permits for weddings and events and sold $15,300 of
merchandise in an emerging program. Further, Delta Area parks
were converted to private management, and the K'esugi Ken
campground in Denali State Park was completed with campsites,
cabins, and interpretive services. Also in 2017, DPOR initiated
an online reservation system for cabins, expanded electronic pay
options, collected over $800,000 in parking pass revenue, and
promoted the Kids Don't Float program (slide 15).
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER asked whether all four parks in Delta
are open.
2:38:39 PM
ETHAN TYLER, Director, Central Office, DPOR, DNR, advised all
the park areas in the Delta region are being operated by permit
holders. He then recognized Office of Boating Safety staff
members Jeff Johnson and Kelly (indisc.), who received national
awards, and Joe Hall, a park specialist, whose work was
acknowledged by Alaska Geographic.
MS. HANSEN continued to DPOR planned activities in 2018:
increase state park sustainability through the expansion of
electronic fee stations and electronic pay options and through
the sale of park merchandise. Also, DPOR seeks to streamline
permitting processes, make improvements to Eagle Rock boat
launch area on the Kenai River, grow inventory of public use
cabins and fee areas, add campsites to its online reservation
system, and increase partnerships with regional and statewide
nonprofits, volunteer groups, and private sector businesses
(slide 16).
2:44:32 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked who reports avalanche danger within
the state parks.
MR. TYLER advised DPOR does not issue avalanche reports but
relies on partners such as the Chugach National Forest Avalanche
Information Center and a similar organization in Hatcher Pass.
In further response to Representative Johnson, he explained no
fees are paid to either organization, and he offered to provide
a list of DPOR partnerships.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON recalled the Matanuska-Susitna Borough
attempted to regulate trapping on its park land and asked
whether trapping is regulated in state parks differently than on
other state lands.
MR. KING said there is no law that restricts trapping on trails
"on general state land"; he was unsure of specific park
regulations.
MR. TYLER will provide a response to Representative Johnson.
MR. TYLER, in response to Co-Chair Tarr, said at web site
[dnr.alaska.gov/parks/] one can purchase state park merchandise,
parking passes, and boat launch yearly passes.
CO-CHAIR TARR suggested committee members inform their
constituents about electronic reservations.
2:51:03 PM
MS. HANSEN directed attention to the Office of Project
Management and Permitting (OPMP), noting in 2017, OPMP
coordinated over 20 major projects, including oil and gas
projects Greater Mooses Tooth 2 (GMT-2), Liberty, Nanushuk,
Point Thomson, and Alaska LNG, and mine projects including
Pebble, Donlin Creek, Fort Knox, Pogo, Kensington, Greens Creek,
Red Dog, Livengood, Nixon Fork, and the Palmer exploration
project. In addition, OPMP coordinated the aforementioned BLM
resource management plans, a road project to the Ambler Mining
District, one ASTAR project, and protected 3,000 acres of
coastal habitat through the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee
Council and one mitigation project. Further, OPMP collected
$1.2 million in contracting fees, signed a memorandum of
agreement for GMT-2, coordinated state interests on Alaska
National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) issues,
assisted the Department of Law with DOI regulatory reform and
National Park Service Wildlife regulations, and mapped 371,488
square miles of Alaska (slide 17).
MS. HANSEN continued to OPMP planned activities in 2018:
coordinate state and federal environmental review processes for
mining and oil and gas projects; coordinate audits and permit
renewals for mining projects and Point Thomson; through ANICLA
program, seek to lift public land order (PLO) 5150; continue
with BLM management plans; conserve 4,200 acres of coastal
habitat; map data discovery and access for wetlands and surface
hydrography mapping; finalize ASTAR contracts on several aspects
of the project (slide 18).
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked what would result from lifting PLO
5150.
MS. HANSEN explained lifting a PLO means the current BLM
management authority would be removed thus the lands become
available for state selection. She stressed this is an
important priority for the state, not only for the land
associated with the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and Alaska LNG,
but for the Ambler Road; in addition, the state could sell
gravel and other natural resources sourced from land currently
restricted by PLOs.
3:00:05 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Resources Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Presentation 2017 DNR Highlights for House Resources 1.19.18.pdf |
HRES 1/19/2018 1:00:00 PM |
DNR |
| DNR Followup to 1.19.18 HRES Meeting MunicipalEntitlementSummary 1.21.18.pdf |
HRES 1/19/2018 1:00:00 PM |
DNR |
| DNR Followup to 1.19.18 HRES Meeting Q and A from Department 1.26.18.pdf |
HRES 1/19/2018 1:00:00 PM |
DNR |
| DNR Followup to Seismic Questions on 1.19.18.pdf |
HRES 1/19/2018 1:00:00 PM |
DNR |