05/02/2018 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
               HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                             
                          May 2, 2018                                                                                           
                           2:07 p.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Andy Josephson, Co-Chair                                                                                         
Representative Geran Tarr, Co-Chair                                                                                             
Representative John Lincoln, Vice Chair                                                                                         
Representative Harriet Drummond                                                                                                 
Representative Justin Parish                                                                                                    
Representative Chris Birch                                                                                                      
Representative DeLena Johnson                                                                                                   
Representative George Rauscher                                                                                                  
Representative David Talerico                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Mike Chenault (alternate)                                                                                        
Representative Chris Tuck (alternate)                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Appointment of House Resources Committee Members to a House                                                                     
Resources Food Security Subcommittee                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
No previous action to record                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                              
WITNESS REGISTER                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
No witnesses to record                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
ACTION NARRATIVE                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
2:07:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  GERAN   TARR  called   the  House   Resources  Standing                                                             
Committee meeting  to order at  2:07 p.m.   Representatives Tarr,                                                               
Rauscher,  Drummond,  Johnson,  Parish, Talerico,  and  Josephson                                                               
were present  at the  call to order.   Representatives  Birch and                                                               
Lincoln arrived as the meeting was in progress.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:07:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
^APPOINTMENT(S):  MEMBERS TO SUBCOMMITTEE                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:08:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR TARR announced that the  only order of business would be                                                               
to form a House Resources  Committee subcommittee to explore food                                                               
policy issues that are of  interest to certain committee members.                                                               
She  directed   attention  to  a  document   entitled,  "Planning                                                               
Outline:    House  Resources 2018  Food  Security  Subcommittee,"                                                               
dated  5/2/18, included  in the  committee packet,  and suggested                                                               
possible  visits  to  the Delta  area  districts  represented  by                                                               
Representatives  Rauscher  and   Talerico,  the  Plant  Materials                                                               
Center, Division of Agriculture,  Department of Natural Resources                                                               
(DNR), and the  facilities at Laboratory Services  and the Office                                                               
of   the   State   Veterinarian,  Department   of   Environmental                                                               
Conservation (DEC).                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOHNSON  referred  to previous  discussion  about                                                               
charging dairies  fees for DEC lab  work.  She pointed  out there                                                               
is only one  dairy in the state and the  license fee is $400,000,                                                               
which is  very high.   She encouraged  further discussion  on the                                                               
importance of the dairy industry in Alaska.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR TARR agreed.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:15:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DRUMMOND   suggested  a  visit  to   the  Nenana-                                                               
Totchaket region referred to in  the document entitled, "Building                                                               
Food Security in Alaska" included in the committee packets.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOHNSON   inquired  as  to  the   conditions  and                                                               
availability of agricultural land in the state.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
[There followed  further discussion related to  agricultural land                                                               
in Alaska.]                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  TARR  concluded  forming   a  subcommittee  provides  a                                                               
structure for  meetings, including the public  notice of meetings                                                               
and  teleconferencing.   She  directed  attention  to a  document                                                               
entitled,  "Alaska's  Economic   Strategy  Phase  1  Priorities,"                                                               
included  in the  committee packet,  "Building  Food Security  in                                                               
Alaska," and  a document entitled, "Alaska  Food Policy Council,"                                                               
included in the  committee packet, and expressed  her interest in                                                               
continued work during interim on these topics.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:20:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DRUMMOND  suggested  visits  to  meat  processing                                                               
plants in Delta  and Fairbanks.  She referenced  a previous visit                                                               
to the Mt. McKinley meat packing plant.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TALERICO described  various businesses  including                                                               
farms,  tree farms,  and hydroponics  at Chena  Hot Springs.   He                                                               
said  there is  a yak  farm at  Kenny Lake  and provided  details                                                               
related to a biomass project growing vegetables in Tok.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR TARR spoke  of a recent visit to  see vertical container                                                               
farming  in   Juneau.    She   said  the  farmer   could  produce                                                               
potentially 7,000 heads of lettuce per month.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH remarked the growing  is done in a shipping                                                               
container.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
[There  followed  an  informal   discussion  of  various  farming                                                               
procedures in Alaska and related topics for discussion.]                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
[The committee took a group photo.]                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:32:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no  further business before the  committee, the House                                                               
Resources Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:32 p.m.