03/25/2013 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HJR6 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HJR 6 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
March 25, 2013
3:32 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Cathy Giessel, Chair
Senator Fred Dyson, Vice Chair
Senator Peter Micciche
Senator Click Bishop
Senator Lesil McGuire
Senator Anna Fairclough
Senator Hollis French
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 6
Relating to legacy wells and legacy well sites; urging the
United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land
Management, to open new areas of the National Petroleum Reserve
- Alaska for environmentally responsible oil and gas
development; and requesting the Office of the Governor to
increase nationwide awareness about legacy wells and well sites.
- MOVED SCS HJR 6(RES) OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HJR 6
SHORT TITLE: LEGACY OIL WELL CLEAN UP/AWARENESS; NPR-A
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) MILLETT
01/28/13 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/28/13 (H) RES
02/27/13 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
02/27/13 (H) Moved Out of Committee
02/27/13 (H) MINUTE(RES)
03/01/13 (H) RES RPT 8DP
03/01/13 (H) DP: TARR, JOHNSON, P.WILSON, HAWKER,
SEATON, TUCK, SADDLER, FEIGE
03/04/13 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)
03/04/13 (H) VERSION: HJR 6
03/11/13 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/11/13 (S) RES
03/22/13 (S) RES AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/22/13 (S) Scheduled But Not Heard
03/25/13 (S) RES AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of HJR 6.
CATHY FOERSTER, Engineering Commissioner and Chair
Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported HJR 6.
BUD CRIBLEY, State Director
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
U.S. Department of the Interior
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on remediation actions the BLM is
taking on 136 legacy wells on the NPR-A.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:32:21 PM
CHAIR CATHY GIESSEL called the Senate Resources Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:32 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Micciche, Fairclough, Dyson, Bishop, and
Chair Giessel.
HJR 6-LEGACY OIL WELL CLEAN UP/AWARENESS; NPR-A
3:32:58 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL announced HJR 6 to be up for consideration.
3:33:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT, sponsor of HJR 6, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, said it was hard for her to
comprehend why the federal government has turned a blind eye to
these wells that were drilled between 1944 and 1981 in the NPR-
A. Since she had started work on this issue, only 17 of the 137
wells had been correctly plugged and cleaned up; 120 are still
out there. She had worked very hard with the BLM to coordinate
with the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC) to
get a cleanup plan in progress and come to some agreement on how
to remediate them so as to not conflict with Alaska's
regulations. For example, Representative Millett said, the
residents of Barrow are so close to one well that they can hear
it whistling because of escaping gas. Some tundra locations have
barrels marked "hazardous" that the Navy brought in, but it
isn't known what they contain. Some wells are leaking and two
can't be found; one is buried under the Coleville River from a
landslide and others have started to sink and have lakes forming
over them. These will require a lot more investment for
remediation.
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said this resolution hopes to get the
federal government's attention and encourage them to clean up
the wells and to open more areas of the NPR-A for exploration
and production. Senator Lisa Murkowski had been a champion and
had received $6 million in addition to the $1 million every year
that is put towards this issue.
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said they want the BLM to work with the
AOGCC to get some reasonable way to clean the wells up. And they
would like them to not send a message to the rest of the people
that do business in Alaska that it's okay to leave the land in
this condition when they are done drilling for resources.
3:37:15 PM
SENATOR MCGUIRE joined the committee.
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said that Cathy Foerster had recently
gone through some of the in-depth well data and came across a
line in the well data that talked about making some of these
wells historic sites. When questioned about it, the BLM said it
was "inartful" wording on the bottom of the well description.
But in reality, it is a practice that they have used to declare
some wells historic sites and that is the last thing Alaska
wants them to do. There is nothing historic about wells seeping
oil and gas out on to the tundra.
3:38:43 PM
SENATOR DYSON said he was proud of her for reaching down in the
mud and raising this up as an issue.
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said she couldn't take all the credit for
it; Cathy Foerster, Senator Murkowski, and everyone who had gone
to the Energy Council brought this message.
CHAIR GIESSEL thanked the sponsor and welcomed Ms. Foerster.
3:39:49 PM
CATHY FOERSTER, Engineering Commissioner and Chair, Alaska Oil
and Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC), Anchorage, Alaska,
supported HJR 6 saying she had been beating her head against the
wall over this issue for eight years. The reason this is between
1944-1982 the federal government drilled 136 "legacy wells" to
test Arctic drilling concepts in the NPR-A; they are all on the
western North Slope in or near the NPR-A where the federal
government has recently closed to future development, supposedly
to protect the environment. But the pictures show what they have
already done to the area and are refusing to fix.
She explained that the BLM operates these legacy wells showing a
picture of one of the better ones that was only a collision
hazard for snow machiners and ATVers and a drowning or
entrapment hazard for children or small animals. She stated that
essentially every one of the legacy wells have been out of
compliance with Alaska regulations at one time or another and
most still are. She thought these wells would also be out of
compliance with federal regulations on proper plugging,
abandonment and cleanup, but she found that whatever the BLM
decides needs to be done is what is needed. So, they don't
really hold anyone, including themselves, to any standards.
She showed a picture of a well that was drilled to 4,000 feet
but was only cased down to 800 feet explaining that they
encountered oil and gas in the open-hole section, but left the
well filled with drilling fluids and open to the atmosphere; it
had no wellhead. Most likely over time that open hole section
sloughed in and closed off, but there is no guarantee that it is
a secure well instead of a landmine. In the summer it is a
hazard for children and animals; it could also be a poison
hazard.
3:43:55 PM
The Simpson Cortez well is a different kind of mess, Ms.
Foerster said. It is a natural seep, but the well has been
leaking natural gas from its permitted wellhead for quite some
time. A few years ago BLM got approval from the AOGCC to plug
and abandon it, but instead of properly plugging it per the
AOGCC approved procedure, they pumped some cement down and then
walked away, but without a cement retainer for that cement to
land on there is no guarantee of where it went. Without tagging
it or doing a pressure test, one has no idea what kind of a seal
it is.
3:45:05 PM
SENATOR DYSON asked if there is data on how the casing was
cemented to the formation on any or all of these wells.
MS. FOERSTER replied it has been difficult to get that data, she
had received it last month and was looking at every single well
in great detail - and she was very troubled with some of them.
3:45:34 PM
SENATOR FRENCH joined the committee.
MS. FOERSTER exclaimed that what the BLM did fell way short of
the state's regulatory requirements and what the AOGCC gave them
approval to do. What they did created such a mess that it will
be hard to get back in and fix it correctly. They complain about
the cost of fixing things, but when they do stuff like this they
are their own worst enemy.
She showed another picture of rusting barrels - some with
"hazardous" stamped on them - that have all rusted open and
whatever it was has leached into the ground. The BLM says they
don't have sufficient funds to go out and clean up these
hundreds of rusting barrels, but they have a big enough budget
to rent an expensive helicopter every year and send staff out on
camping trips to take pictures.
Another well was left filled with diesel instead of drilling
fluid, a fluid the U.S. government won't let people use in some
of their oil field operations anymore, because it is too
hazardous, and after more than 50 years of snow melt and fluid
swapping that diesel has probably leached out with the hazardous
fluid that was in those barrels.
3:48:31 PM
MS. FOERSTER said some of these pictures have appeared in
publications opposing ANWR development and the oil industry is
blamed for them. And when the BLM shows a total disregard for
the laws of the State of Alaska they make it difficult for her
to go to the regulated industry and ask them to hold themselves
to a different standard.
Another well was drilled in 1947 and her picture showed the
debris still there. She exclaimed again that these wells are
health and safety hazards and a blatant violation of the state's
regulations.
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if the State of Alaska has the authority
to act on the worst wells and then bill the federal government.
MS. FOERSTER replied that the feds wouldn't mind if the state
did the work, but we couldn't send them the bill, and looking to
the future of Prudhoe Bay and Kuparuk she didn't want to set the
precedent of cleaning up operators' messes for them. To be fair,
she said the Alaska BLM folks would like to clean this mess up,
but they don't get a sufficient budget from the Department of
the Interior to do anything meaningful.
Her next picture was of one of 17 wells that the United States
Geological Survey (USGS) was using for temperature monitoring;
they are old wells with all kinds of debris: dangerous cellars,
old wellheads, hundreds of pilings, shacks, and piles of
drilling mud and other waste.
3:53:33 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL said slide 5 had a pink color around a pond filled
with debris and asked if the pink stuff was the kind of algae
that eats oil and if the pond was possibly being used as a test
site.
MS. FOERSTER replied probably not. The whole area is known for
natural seeps, so that probably was oil eating algae, but the
barrels, the metal coiling and the wood and the rest of the
debris didn't get there naturally.
3:55:11 PM
Another picture was of Barrow's whistling well, which she said
the BLM recognizes as high priority and their plan is "if we
ever get money, we will fix this."
3:57:30 PM
SENATOR FRENCH asked if the BLM has the money to do this and is
just refusing to spend it to clean it up or do they not have the
money.
MS. FOERSTER answered that the federal government has a choice
of where to spend its money and it's an allocation issue. So,
resolutions like this are needed to go to Congress.
3:58:07 PM
SENATOR FRENCH asked if they are waiting for Congress to act.
MS. FOERSTER answered that the BLM needs to ask Congress for the
money, but she has been told that they are encouraged not to.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH said since first talking to Ms. Foerster
about this issue, she has waited for three years and now could
be the time to take it to court.
MS. FOERSTER said the state may end up there, but the BLM has
said they will get money to clean up some of the worst wells in
the next three years.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH said Alaska has waited long enough and she
would be happy to get together with the Attorney General (AG)
and Representative Millett. She would also like CNN to pick this
story up.
4:00:58 PM
MS. FOERSTER said the Governor's office was aware of the issue
and she wanted him to take the lead on getting the AG involved.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH suggested that Chair Giessel write a letter
on behalf of the Senate Resources Committee to the AG inviting
him to talk about options for reaching a compromise outside of
court prior to filing an action against the federal government.
CHAIR GIESSEL said, "Consider it done."
4:02:11 PM
SENATOR BISHOP said these wells are also a hazard to snow
machines and asked if Ms. Foerster had written a letter to the
Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
MS. FOERSTER answered that she had been to Washington, D.C.,
with Representative Millett a couple of times and they were
shunted down a few levels with assurances, but the AOGCC had not
personally sent a letter to Ken Salazar.
4:03:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said she had sent a letter to the
Secretary of the Interior and had tried talking to Kim Elton
when he was with there; her staff had reached out to about 140
environmental groups but they wouldn't engage. She added that
Senator Lisa Murkowski had a meeting with Secretary Salazar in
which this issue was brought up and in her confirmation hearing
to the Energy Council Sally Jewel said she would work with
Alaska and the AOGCC on how to best clean up these wells. People
from the villages in the NPR-A tell her they won't let their
children go swimming anywhere these wells because of their
unhealthy condition.
SENATOR MICCICHE remarked that Alaska has the folks who can
clean up the wells and maybe we could work out a trade with the
federal government, since its cash strapped, for 25-50 percent
of OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) revenues in the future. He
asked if this is common in other remote western states.
MS. FOERSTER answered that the BLM doesn't operate a lot of
other wells in other states. Her counterparts in other states
say they have similar problems but not on Alaska's scale.
SENATOR DYSON said the history of this issue is interesting.
When the U.S. Navy transitioned from sail to steam they looked
throughout the world for coaling stations as part of national
security and that's when Homer got picked up because of its
seeps. He asked when they quit doing that.
MS. FOERSTER said the last one was in 1982. They did it in two
or three chunks: some after WWII and then in the 60s and 70s.
4:09:46 PM
MS. FOERSTER continued if these wells were being operated by any
oil company, she would force compliance with state regulations
and impose hefty fines for non-compliance. But the companies out
there are not acting this way and unfortunately while they can
find the federal government to be in violation of regulations
they can't do anything to make them comply. BLM brought a lawyer
to one of their public hearings a while ago to inform them that
it is their legal opinion that the federal government can come
into our state at any time and go anywhere and violate any of
our regulations.
4:11:27 PM
She said the BLM's reported plans for 50 wells were to:
Prepare a determination of eligibility pursuant to
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA) due to the age of this site (50 wells). If the
site is not eligible, then the surface debris should
be removed as funding allows or in conjunction with
other scheduled operations if possible.
The BLM had said that was just "inartful" wording. Another nine
wells were listed as historic sites and on which they had done
all they were going to do "in accordance with an agreement
established with the Alaska State Historic Preservation Office."
4:12:57 PM
SENATOR FRENCH asked if anyone had read what the agreement with
the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) says.
MS. FOERSTER said there isn't any agreement; the State Historic
Preservation Officer said she does not have that authority and
would never tell them not to clean up. Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act says:
Prior to removal and cleanup of the well, the BLM will
determine if the site is eligible for the National
Historic Register in consultation with the State
Historic Preservation Office. If the site is
determined not eligible, BLM will make a finding of no
historic property is affected and commence with the
proposed removal clean up. If the site is determined
eligible this determination in no way precludes
removal cleanup activities. Rather in consultation
with SHPO the BLM will mitigate the action most likely
through historic documentation and then proceed with
the proposed removal clean up action at the site.
MS. FOERSTER reasoned that BLM had been telling her something
about an agreement that didn't exist and she thought maybe they
were a little confused.
4:15:01 PM
BUD CRIBLEY, State Director, Bureau of Land Management, U.S.
Department of the Interior, Anchorage, Alaska, apologized for
not being at the committee hearing but wasn't able to get a
flight to Juneau due to last minutes scheduling. So, he offered
to read his statement into the record as follows:
I appreciate this opportunity to provide you with an
update on the BLM's Legacy Wells clean-up program
since my comments to the House Resources Committee
last month.
The BLM recognizes the importance of cleaning up these
well sites. As you know, since 2002, the Federal
government has spent almost $86 million in plugging
legacy wells and cleaning up the surface at priority
legacy well sites. We have plugged 18 wells and
remediated contaminated soils where necessary with
that funding.
In the last several weeks, we have been working to
finalize the Legacy Wells Summary Report 2013 update.
This update has been prepared following a
comprehensive site by site inventory. A draft of the
report was provided to the Alaska Oil and Gas
Conservation Commission (AOGCC), the Alaska Department
of Environmental Conservation, the Arctic Slope
Regional Corporation (ASRC) and the North Slope
Borough and the U.S. Geologic Survey. I understand the
AOGCC has prepared comments that will come our way
shortly. We welcome their review and input. The
summary report, once finalized, will be used to
complete a strategic plan for addressing well clean
up. The strategic plan will document our goals for the
program and identify actions necessary for "closure"
of all legacy wells in the NPR-A.
As you are all too well aware, the cost of plugging
these wells is compounded by their remoteness and
inaccessibility for most of the year. Ice roads must
be developed to move equipment and gear to set up on-
site camps adequate to shelter workers in temperatures
as cold as minus forty. Provisions and fuel must be
constantly resupplied and daylight is limited.
Specialized equipment must be winterized and
transported on sleds for what can be hundreds of miles
from Deadhorse, the principal road accessible supply
depot.
4:18:40 PM
Regarding the SHPO issue, much has been said in the last
few weeks about the BLM's process of consulting with the
State Historic Preservation Office regarding legacy well
sites that are more than 50 years old. I want to assure
you that this is part of our normal environmental review
process, and is not expected to result in any delays in
accomplishing clean-up work. In addition, historical
significance in and of itself does not preclude plugging
or cleanup and is considered well in advance of on the
ground activities.
Regarding Simpson well 26, on a picture of which has
been widely circulated at meetings on this issue, I would
like to make a few clarifying points. What you see in
this picture is a well that was drilled in a natural oil
seep. That well was plugged by the BLM in 2006. The oil
you see is from the natural seep and not from leaks.
Surface solid waste clean-up still must occur, but is
logistically difficult. During plugging operations back
in 2006, the tundra was snow covered and workers at the
site were unable to see and retrieve the barrels. Other
surface debris has been removed from the site. The BLM's
Arctic Field Office is planning to focus on surface
remediation projects during the 2013/2014 field
seasons, and this site is identified as a high
priority.
We appreciate and share your concern about the need to
address the legacy wells issue. The BLM remains
committed to seek funding to properly address those
sites that pose a threat to public health and safety
and the environment and to conduct our work in a
fiscally responsible manner. We will continue to work
collaboratively with the AOGCC, Native Corporations,
Tribal governments, and other partners including the
ASRC as we prioritize well clean-up projects in the
strategic plan and during the clean-up efforts.
Thank you again for the opportunity to address you
today. I will be glad to answer any questions.
4:20:23 PM
SENATOR DYSON said he appreciated Mr. Cribley's participation.
He didn't create the problem and is having to try and solve it
under difficult circumstances. He asked if the BLM has to obey
the same regulations in terms of building ice roads and so on as
the private sector does.
MR. CRIBLEY answered that whenever the Bureau conducts
operations on the North Slope, it has to go through the same
permitting processes as private individuals do.
SENATOR DYSON asked what they do if they haul soil off for
remediation in the Prudhoe Bay unit where it has to be
incinerated.
MR. CRIBLEY replied that it depends on circumstances and the
material's location. They try to figure out the cheapest way to
stabilize those materials in a certified manner either on site
by removing and transporting them to another location outside of
the NPR-A that is certified for disposal of those types of
materials.
4:22:57 PM
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH asked if records are available to Alaskans on
remediated dirt disposal from any well.
MR. CRIBLEY replied yes; it is in their office records.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH asked when the state's attorneys contact him,
if they would be able to get those records to see what was done.
MR. CRIBLEY replied yes and in fact that kind of work has not
been done in a vacuum; it has been a cooperative process in
recent history.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH asked who he communicates with: the DNR or
the AOGCC.
MR. CRIBLEY replied that the surface remediation work is done
working with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC);
more specific down-hole issues are worked on with the AOGCC.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH said she still remains concerned that these
are not legacy wells in the sense that there is any kind of
legacy about them, and the historical designation makes it so
that any landowner in the area is unable to do anything on their
property. So, the process that the federal government seems to
be using to identify mass cleanup is to make it so no one can do
anything else around it.
4:25:41 PM
MR. CRIBLEY replied that won't be the situation in dealing with
the cleanup of these wells. As part of their federal
requirements and regulations they have to recognize the NHPA and
the 106 process, which requires BLM to provide an inventory and
assessment of those sites. Then based on that, they either
mitigate or if it's determined not to be eligible, they go ahead
and clean up. He didn't think anything would come out of that
process that would prohibit cleanup activities. They go through
a routine NEPA process whether they are dealing with state or
federal operations and it is primarily an issue of documentation
of what is on that site before they clean it up.
MR. CRIBLEY said the BLM has had informal discussions with the
state SHPO and is ready and willing to work with him on moving
forward and cleaning these sites up.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH said she appreciated the effort to clean up,
but what she was disappointed in was using a federal registry to
try to block oil and gas exploration on the North Slope, which
is what appears to be happening. She hoped they could write a
letter to the Attorney General and see what actions with the
misuse of historical preservation they might advocate for.
4:28:51 PM
SENATOR FRENCH remarked that the BLM had spent $86 million on
this project already and asked the estimated price tag for
completing the job.
MR. CRIBLEY answered that he hadn't formulated a total cost to
complete the job. Right now they have a copy of the legacy well
summary report that identifies the situation with the 136 wells
and the only partner who has not responded back is the AOGCC.
When they get those comments, they will sit down and decide what
work needs to be done and incorporate that into the strategic
plan they are trying to finalize right now. They will develop
the final cost from that.
SENATOR FRENCH asked when the $86 million was spent.
MR. CRIBLEY replied that the money was spent from 2002 up to the
present.
SENATOR FRENCH asked if he anticipated spending money next year
and the year after that to continue the effort.
MR. CRIBLEY replied that there is a small amount of money in the
President's FY13 budget to do surface cleanup, but he was
waiting for the FY14 budget to be released for a further update.
4:31:34 PM
SENATOR FRENCH asked how much was appropriated in 2013 for this
effort.
MR. CRIBLEY replied that about $1 million was set aside for
addressing legacy well issues in 2013. In the past several years
they had been using a portion of that money to help with the
updating of the inventory and assessment of the current
situation with the wells. Some of it has been used to finalize
some well cleanup.
SENATOR FRENCH asked if he meant that $1 million was the total
amount appropriated in FY13 for the well cleanup effort.
MR. CRIBLEY responded that $1 million was appropriated for
legacy wells in FY13.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH asked him to please carry the message back
about targeting more than one well at a time in the same area so
that costs can be minimized.
4:33:27 PM
MR. CRIBLEY responded that their current strategy is exactly
that: to "bundle" a group of wells based on highest risk and
leverage the equipment in there to be as efficient with the
dollars as possible.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH asked if he uses local Alaskan contractors.
MR. CRIBLEY answered that any work they do is put out on bid and
generally they go with the lowest bidder or the best bid -
whatever is most efficient.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH said she hopes they use Alaskans who know the
challenges of working in minus-40 degrees rather than just going
with the lowest bid. She also hoped that he was giving some
weighting to folks with experience in cold climates.
4:35:46 PM
MR. CRIBLEY replied that he had been using a local Alaskan
contractor to do that work to date and experience in working in
the Arctic is a factor in reviewing the bids; it's very
important to them to have that.
4:36:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said she is frustrated having continued
down this same path year after year and having offered to help
on the cleanup effort. Now the Arctic Slope Regional
Corporation, by having land conveyed to them, is willing to help
also.
4:38:06 PM
SENATOR DYSON said his experience with recalcitrant government
officials is to put their picture above the fold on the front
page and get media involved.
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT pointed out that the resolve clause on
page 3 asks the governor to get the word out by any available
means.
4:39:56 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE said he was frustrated, too. At the very least
he would like to see the barrels collected, which is summer
work, and reflective permanent markers installed this summer so
they can be seen from a distance.
MS. FOERSTER added that the reason the AOGCC hasn't responded
yet is because the BLM's summary report on the legacy wells is
35 pages long and it takes a while to respond when they are that
far apart on their views. What really concerns her is that
several of these wells have wellheads on them and were left as
completed, but some have pressure and some have had leaks. At
least one has been tampered with: the valve turned and oil
flowed. None of the valves are locked, which is another high
priority. BLM lists only about 10 of the wells as having medium
or high surface risk and most of those look like the ones she
just showed them. She has a lot of work to do to give them her
feedback.
SENATOR DYSON suggested they get some high quality reflective
signs that say: "This historic mess memorializes the
incompetence and hypocrisy of the federal government in managing
Alaska's affairs."
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said she would do it.
4:43:05 PM
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH said they need to be flagged as hazards not
as historical documentation.
SENATOR BISHOP asked about the Rolligon operator who runs over
the pressurized wellhead in the night and he's dead, and his
family has no father to care for them. Who is responsible then?
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said those are the exact questions they
have asked the BLM. It is an accident waiting to happen and she
didn't know who would be responsible or how it would be
explained to Alaskan residents.
CHAIR GIESSEL opened up public comment, finding none, she closed
it.
4:44:41 PM
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH moved Amendment 1.
28-LS0300\N.1
Nauman
AMENDMENT 1
OFFERED IN THE HOUSE BY REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT
TO: HJR 6
Page 4, line 8:
Delete "the Honorable Mike Pool, Acting"
Insert "Neil Kornze, Principal Deputy"
CHAIR GIESSEL found no objection and announced that Amendment 1
was adopted.
SENATOR FAIRCLOUGH noted that some legacy wells are benefitting
Alaska and if the general public is listening they may think
that the bad actor is someone on the North Slope that has been
benefitting Alaska for years and years and is required to
report, be responsible and accountable to the State of Alaska
for every drop of oil, and if they are not, face fines.
MS. FOERSTER said she thought the federal government was using a
consistent pattern of "inartful working."
4:47:16 PM
SENATOR DYSON moved to report HJR 6, as amended, from committee
with zero fiscal note and individual recommendations.
CHAIR GIESSEL announced that, without objection, SCS HJR 6(RES)
passed from the Senate Resources Standing Committee.
4:48:31 PM
Finding no further business to come before the Senate Resources
Committee, Chair Giessel adjourned the meeting at 4:49 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HJR 6 ver. A.pdf |
SRES 3/25/2013 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 6 |
| HJR 6 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SRES 3/25/2013 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 6 |
| HJR6 LAA Fiscal Note.pdf |
SRES 3/25/2013 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 6 |
| HJR 6 Amendment #1 SRES 2013 03 25.pdf |
SRES 3/25/2013 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 6 |
| HJR6 Foerster presentation 20130322.pdf |
SRES 3/25/2013 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 6 |
| HJR 6 Legacy Well Nat Historic Site Designation 03042013.pdf |
SRES 3/25/2013 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 6 |
| HJR 6 Historic Site Designation Letter Millett 2013 03 05.pdf |
SRES 3/25/2013 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 6 |
| HJR 6 BLM Cribley SRES Testimony 2013 03 25.pdf |
SRES 3/25/2013 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 6 |
| HJR 6 Begich BLM Legacy Wells Letter.pdf |
SRES 3/25/2013 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 6 |
| HJR 6 Petroleum News on Legacy Wells.pdf |
SRES 3/25/2013 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 6 |
| HJR 6 Support Letter RDC.pdf |
SRES 3/25/2013 3:30:00 PM |
HJR 6 |