Legislature(2019 - 2020)BUTROVICH 205
01/23/2019 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES
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| Confirmation Hearing(s): | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
January 23, 2019
3:29 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Chris Birch, Chair
Senator John Coghill, Vice Chair
Senator Cathy Giessel
Senator Lora Reinbold
Senator Click Bishop
Senator Scott Kawasaki
Senator Jesse Kiehl
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING:
Alaska Department of Natural Resources - Commissioner
Corri Feige - Anchorage
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
CORRI FEIGE, Commissioner Designee
Alaska Department of Natural Resources
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the position of
commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:29:53 PM
CHAIR CHRIS BIRCH called the Senate Resources Standing Committee
meeting to order at 3:29 p.m. Present at the call to order were
Senators Kiehl, Reinbold, Bishop, Giessel, Kawasaki, Coghill,
and Chair Birch.
3:30:46 PM
CHAIR BIRCH asked committee members introduce themselves for the
first Senate Resources Committee meeting. He stated that he is a
mining engineer and served in the House for a couple of years.
He said he has been in Alaska a large part of his life and has
been associated with the oil and gas industry for a number of
years. He started working on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
right out of school.
3:31:25 PM
SENATOR KIEHL shared that he represents Senate District Q in
Southeast Alaska. He introduced his staff members. He disclosed
that he is a lifelong Alaskan where he has picked fish in
Bristol Bay, worked tourism, and has been involved in public
policy.
3:32:10 PM
SENATOR REINBOLD said she was born and raised in Alaska. She
introduced her staff members. She emphasized that she is a
passionate believer in resource development and believes that,
"Alaska does it right." She opined that Alaska is very effective
in responsible resource development and is the key to the
state's future to get out of the current recession. She
disclosed that she is married to a petroleum engineer and her
two sons are engineers as well. She said she is absolutely
convinced that the state needs to be "Open for business." She
emphasized that she stands with the governor in this regard.
3:32:59 PM
SENATOR BISHOP said he represents Senate District C, which is
roughly one-third of Alaska. He noted that Commissioner Designee
Feige has been "through the process" and suggested that she
relax.
3:33:24 PM
SENATOR COGHILL said he represents the Fairbanks-North Pole
area. He has served as a Senate Resource Committee member for
some years. He emphasized that he is a fierce defender of
state's rights. He said he looks forward to what the committee
can do with the current administration on protecting the state's
access and building on what Alaska already has.
3:33:48 PM
SENATOR GIESSEL related that she chaired the Senate Resource
Committee for the previous six years. She described herself as
a, territorial kid just like Senator Coghill who was born and
raised in Fairbanks. She said growing up in the Fairbanks area
gave her a mining background because that is how Fairbanks
started. She said she is also a nurse practitioner and when she
presented at the Resource Development Council, she discussed how
the development of the state's resources creates healthy
Alaskans.
3:34:31 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI related that he served eight years on the House
Resources Committee. He said he represents a Senate district in
Fairbanks. He agreed with previous statements that Fairbanks has
a mining history. He said he does not have any oil derricks or
mines in his district but a lot of the miners and the people who
work on the North Slope live there.
CHAIR BIRCH introduced his committee aide and committee support
staff.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
CONFIRMATION HEARING:
Commissioner, Alaska Department of Natural Resources
3:35:49 PM
CHAIR BIRCH announced that the purpose of the meeting is to
discuss the governor's appointment of Corri Feige as
commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources
(DNR). He read the following mission of the department:
The mission of the Department of Natural Resources is
to develop, conserve, maximize and use the use of
Alaska's natural resources consistent with a public
purpose or public interest.
CHAIR BIRCH explained that DNR's major programmatic areas
include agriculture, forestry, geological and geophysical
surveys, mining, land and water, oil and gas, and parks and
recreation.
3:36:55 PM
CORRI FEIGE, Commissioner Designee, Alaska Department of Natural
Resources, Anchorage, said it was a great honor to be given the
opportunity to serve as commissioner for the department. She was
humbled by the level of responsibility that comes with the
position and the impact that it can have on the lives of
Alaskans.
3:37:35 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE reviewed her background information:
• Employed in the natural resource industry for over 30
years.
• She is a geophysicist and an engineer by education and
practice.
• She has spent a great deal of time working internationally,
an experience that gives a clear understanding of an
important and robust, scientifically-based permitting
process.
• She has worked in mining, oil and gas, and geothermal, and
has worked with companies that aim to deploy new
technologies for energy generation or the energy-market
space.
• She has been responsible for global project teams and
aligning the varied stakeholder interests associated with
the various projects.
• She was recently employed in the public sector as the
director for the Division of Oil and Gas for 18 months.
She said she grew up on a horse ranch in Wyoming and her father
was a miner. He was the director of safety and health for a
company that had several very large open-pit uranium mines. She
added that her mother had a career in real estate and commercial
development. She said growing up in Wyoming in her family
environment influenced her career path and established her
belief about what careful and diligent land and resource
management looks like. It gave her an appreciation of what
proper management can do to build strong communities. She said
that while growing up it was not uncommon to see cattle and
antelope grazing adjacent to producing oil wells or active
mines. That continues to be true today. That range-mix area now
has large windfarms as well.
She added the following:
It is that careful conservation and management of the
land and the water and the resources, using management
practices that are focusing on multiple uses that has
allowed heavy industry to very successfully coexist
with agri-business with hunting, fishing and outdoor
recreation. I believe it is that kind of careful
stewardship and land management that drives strong
economies, it provides the jobs and it builds strong,
healthy communities with a good quality of life.
3:40:22 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE listed the following priorities as
commissioner of DNR:
1. To see that Alaska's land and resources are
successfully managed to allow for multiple uses and to
support a thriving economy.
2. To secure the remaining four to five million acres of
federal land due to Alaskans since statehood.
3. Steward resource development in such a way give
Alaskans opportunities today and preserve this very
special place for our kids to make sure it is
someplace that they want to call home and that they
can enjoy the same opportunities that we have.
She said that during her short tenure at DNR, she has met many
of the DNR team. They are committed, passionate professionals
who take their work very seriously. They are proud that their
efforts contributed to the generation of over $1.4 billion in
state revenue in FY2018. If confirmed, it would be a great honor
to continue to lead them.
3:42:01 PM
SENATOR GIESSEL noted that she met with Commissioner Designee
Feige during a recent tour of the Red Dog Mine and was impressed
with her knowledge of the mining industry and geology.
She reminded Commissioner Designee Feige that she testified
before the Senate Resources Committee in 2016 to discuss her
rejection of British Petroleum's (BP) plan of development (POD)
for the North Slope related to gas. That rejection was of
significant concern and the subject of the meeting because it
was the commissioner's job to make that rejection. Senator
Giessel asked her talk about how she would receive the required
annual plans of development from producers during her tenure as
commissioner.
3:43:30 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE responded as follows:
When we see plans of development or plans of operation
come before DNR, it's important that we take a careful
look at the due diligence with which the resource is
being produced and I believe that was the subject and
the question at the heart of the Prudhoe Bay POD that
you are talking about. We have to ensure, working with
our counterparts at AOGCC [Alaska Oil and Gas
Conservation Commission], that the rate of development
is appropriate to ensure that we are capturing the
full-time value of money on those resources. And then
AOGCC, as you know, has the jurisdiction for making
sure that those resources are being produced in such a
way that we aren't inadvertently producing too fast
and leaving resource in the ground.
So, I think it's very important as we are reviewing
those PODs, to take a very comprehensive look at
what's being presented to us. Make sure that the
technical development that's ongoing makes sense for
where that particular unit or development is in its
life cycle; work with our compatriots as I said at
AOGCC to make sure that we have diligence in how we
are producing that; and don't run the risk of wasting
any resource. But at the end of the day, that
production is the revenue stream that comes into the
state. The state receives the royalties from that
particular production. We also need to be sure that we
are protecting the state's revenue interest and that
revenue stream coming to the state. So it is not
something that we can take lightly; we have to
consider them very seriously and very comprehensively.
3:45:14 PM
SENATOR BISHOP asked if she serves on the Advisory and
Development Council at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF)
College of Engineering and Mines.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE answered yes.
SENATOR BISHOP asked if she checked to make sure that there was
no ethical violation to continue serving on the advisory board.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE confirmed that she looked into that
and does not believe there is an ethical conflict. Her role is
advisory and is aimed at helping steward programs that will
attract engineering students to the state and ensure that those
engineering programs are aligned with industry needs. She shared
that her role on the council is very near-and-dear to her heart.
She emphasized that the Advisory and Development Council is
critically important given that Alaska is the only Arctic state
and that engineering and resource development means so much to
the state. She said "growing our own engineers" that have an
Arctic engineering background in their engineering education.
She opined that UAF and the University of Alaska-Anchorage (UAA)
can offer a considerable amount to achieving that goal.
SENATOR KIEHL recalled that former Governor Palin and the
legislature at the time set a goal for Alaska's North Slope
natural gas project to get to a FERC [Federal Energy Regulatory
Commissioner] license. Noting that the state was closer to a
FERC license now, he asked if that was still the right goal; if
it was being done in the right way; and the changes she would
make.
3:47:19 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE agreed that the state has a long
history of attempts to monetize gas, especially from the North
Slope. She noted that the original Prudhoe Bay documents show
that the plan was to produce gas within a year or two after
production commenced. She conceded that there have been several
runs at that but agreed that the state is closer now than
previous attempts. She continued as follows:
In moving forward, where the current administration is
at in looking at that project, we are going through a
period of due diligence to understand where the
project actually sits; where are we actually in terms
of securing the FERC license for this program; how
much more engineering work needs to be done; the data
that needs to go to FERC; and what that timeline looks
like. That due diligence needs to be completed before
we can determine what the next best step for the
project is.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE emphasized that that North Slope gas
absolutely will be monetized. She pointed out that the North
Slope barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) for the 36 Trillion Cubic
Feet (Tcf) reserves is a little more than 6 billion barrels of
oil equivalent. She said the project will have to be economic
and must take advantage of the best that technology can provide.
Applying the best technology puts the state in a stronger
position to develop an economic project to move forward.
3:49:18 PM
SENATOR KIEHL asked what the odds are that the North Slope gas
will be monetized during her term.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE answered that it will take much
longer than four years for the build out of the project and to
secure a toe-hold in the market.
SENATOR KAWASAKI referenced art. VIII, sec 2, of the
Constitution of the State of Alaska. It deals with the
legislature's general authority and is similar to what she is
doing about utilization development and natural resource
conservation, including land and water. He asked what she thinks
"conservation" means in terms of both the constitution and the
statutes that govern the commissioner of DNR.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE answered that conserving, maximizing
and stewarding resource use allows for the monetization or
development of one resource without it being a detriment to
other resources. She asserted that not pitting one resource
against another is important and balance is the key. She
emphasized that Alaska must apply the best possible science and
the best possible resource development understanding when
projects and development programs are considered. She said
working with its sister agencies at the Alaska Department of
Fish and Game, and the Department of Environmental Conservation,
consideration will be given to fish and wildlife habitat, clean
water and clean air when projects are being constructed.
3:51:46 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI remarked that DNR deals mostly with the
quantity of water, ADF&G deals mostly with habitat, and DEC
deals mostly with the quality. He asked how she will work with
those departments during the permitting process for an industry.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE explained that ADF&G will inform DNR
on the water necessary to protect fish for determining the
appropriate level of withdrawal. She added that DNR works with
that department as well as DEC to protect habitat by managing
discharge coming from any project. She detailed that DNR works
with DEC to make sure the disposal path for produced waters and
effluent streams are managed appropriately and are not allowed
to harm the land.
SENATOR KAWASAKI mentioned state parks and asked what value she
would place on not developing a particular area of land that
Alaskans utilize.
3:53:56 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE pointed out that parks are governed
by DNR's management plan and each park unit has a series of or
one specific characteristic that is particularly important. She
said whatever the activity, be it a mine, oil and gas,
geothermal, hydro, or any kind of development must fit within
the framework of the management plan.
SENATOR KAWASAKI asked her to discuss the Division of
Agriculture and how she plans to enhance its viability.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE explained that the Division of
Agriculture plays an important role developing agribusiness
within Alaska. She noted that in the Fairbanks, Interior and
Southcentral areas the agribusinesses involve field crops as
well as livestock. She remarked that the Division of Agriculture
has done a terrific job within the last few years of securing
market space for farmers and crop developers within the state
and giving them an avenue to get their products within major
grocery store chains like Walmart, Carrs and Kroger as well as
farmers markets. She opined that enhancing and growing programs
that return value to the state's farmers are very important. She
said there is interest in growing livestock but there are
challenges associated with cost due to the state's climate. She
pointed out that the division is squarely focused on addressing
food safety and a food security return to Alaskans to ensure
that the state has the crop and livestock that is being locally
developed. She noted that the recent earthquake in Southcentral
highlighted that food security is an issue in the state.
3:57:27 PM
SENATOR GIESSEL noted that Commissioner Designee Feige
previously was the director of the Division of Oil and Gas. She
asked, from the perspective of commissioner, what she saw as the
opportunities and challenges to DNR going forward and where she
would like to guide the department.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE answered that the challenges facing
DNR are to ensure that the department can operate effectively
within the current fiscal climate and budget. To achieve that
end a near-term challenge is to look at the department's
regulations to make sure they make sense, have been modernized,
and that the department is able to be responsive and timely in
its work. DNR must be sure its internal processes are as
efficient and streamlined as possible, the permit and
authorizations that are issued are high quality and legally
defensible, and that internal due diligence has been done. The
opportunities are that the administration firmly believes in
driving the state's economy through resource development. She
said she looks forward to helping steward and champion that to
attract investment back to Alaska.
SENATOR COGHILL said he had three questions. The first relates
to placer mining and the state and federal rules associated with
water quality. He relayed that placer miners feel that they have
been continually pushed to the edge on a variety of issues. He
noted that work was being done on some regulation changes that
push back a little. He said those from the Fairbanks area feel a
duty to make sure that placer mining remains a viable part of
the economy. He inquired if she had seen anything that would
give placer miners reason for optimism.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE replied access and ensuring that
placer mining claims are available is key. She opined that DEC
and ADF&G do a fine job ensuring that protections are in place
for that activity. She apologized that she did not have specific
detail on the placer mining regulations, but she would look into
it. She encouraged him to reach out to her office to start the
process.
4:02:00 PM
SENATOR COGHILL agreed to reach out. He pointed out that some
large mines and UAF depend on placer mining activity.
He raised the question of access to state lands and pointed out
that she would be one of the biggest land managers in the world.
He noted that he was glad to hear that she has an international
perspective because people look at Alaska as an investment
place. He noted that she would have to rub shoulders with the
federal government because they are a bigger land owner.
SENATOR COGHILL said Alaska has several protections on land
management: the Alaska Statehood Act, the Alaska Constitution,
the ANILCA [Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act],
and ANCSA [Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act]. He opined that
ANILCA is probably the most unique law given to any state on
conservation, land management and access to lands. It is
probably the least respected in Congress, but the most needed
for Alaska to use. He asked if she was knowledgeable and ready
to defend the state's land management and how she would use
those unique protections. He opined that guidance from BLM
[Bureau of Land Management] could overrule Alaska's entire
statehood compact and constitution.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE agreed the state needs a full court
press on the Department of the Interior and the federal
government generally to secure the acreage due to Alaska.
Maintaining a constant tension and open lines of communication
is important. The first step is to press for the removal of PLOs
[public land orders] and the easements that have been in place
since statehood for study and classification of lands. She
pointed out that a lot those lands have high prospectivity and
high potential revenue value to the state as well as value for
hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. She opined that the
state is well positioned for the next 18 months with a federal
administration that is willing to work with the state on the
acreage it is due. The current congressional delegation will
also be very helpful.
She added that one thing DNR is doing in terms of state
selections is ensuring that the selection of lands, like the
Ambler district, have an access corridor attached.
4:06:58 PM
SENATOR COGHILL expressed appreciation that she discussed access
because rivers and R.S. 2477s [Revised Statute 2477] are the
corridors that are used. Air transportation is also heavily
used.
SENATOR COGHILL addressed the third question related to mapping.
He said the Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys does an
excellent job of showing Alaska's bounty, but it relies on the
federal government to get accurate coordinates so the EIS
[Environmental Impact Statement] process is cleaner. He opined
that at the current pace, mapping will take 15 generations to
complete. He asked if she has thought about how to enlist with
the federal government as a better partner to improve the
process.
4:08:22 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE answered that the administration has
been talking with the Department of Interior about the
acquisition of real-time GPS [Global Positioning System] units
called CORS [Continuously Operating Reference Station] to
complete the survey network of the state. She related that the
current GPS network takes several hours on location to get an
accurate reading and the new system would take a matter of
minutes. She explained that DNR would work with the Department
of Interior to receive the CORS units and the state would be
responsible for maintaining them. She added that the CORS units
would be available to subscribers, such as mines, who would pay
a fee to use them. She said it is time to modernize surveying
and to work with the Department of Interior to get the project
done.
SENATOR COGHILL asked what the timeframe is to acquire the CORS
units.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE replied, ideally, it would be within
the next 6 to 12 months.
CHAIR BIRCH requested an explanation of the acronym PLO.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE answered that PLO stands for public
land order.
CHAIR BIRCH asked if PLOs are primarily used for a federal
withdrawal.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE answered correct.
4:11:13 PM
SENATOR BISHOP commented on her career accomplishments and
extensive experience with the permitting process. He asked if
she had ideas to get departments to work together and not in
silos to expedite protection of state lands.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE said that for applicants it is
important to understand what is expected, which agencies to talk
to for authorizations, and the full scope of all the permits and
authorizations required. It is also important to receive
guidance from a direct point of contact within the various
agencies. She explained that in the business world, regulatory
risk goes up if there isn't an understanding of the process.
Within DNR, the Office of Project Management and Permitting
(OPMP) is the entity that ensures that DNR and its sister
agencies work in a coordinated fashion. It is the sole point of
contact that works with the applicant to coordinate both state
and federal permits and authorizations. OPMP is particularly
helpful in streamlining the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) process for the EIS. She said not all federal agencies
have a codified timeline on which to work so having a
representative like OPMP can be effective in keeping things from
bogging down.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE said her intent is for DNR to create
clear, concise and predictable flowcharts or frameworks for what
a mining activity or development might look like. OPMP will walk
the applicant through the process through frequent communication
in order to deliver a project in a clear and cohesive way that
the public and various stakeholders understand.
SENATOR REINBOLD commented on her background, experience,
education, and interagency work. She thanked her for being
willing to serve the people of Alaska.
4:15:29 PM
SENATOR KIEHL asked her to discuss opportunities for the
department to increase in-state timber processing.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE said the Division of Forestry has
significant staff retention issues. She emphasized that it is a
priority is to secure and grow the timber industry. She relayed
that the department is in the process of challenging the
validity of the Roadless Rule within the Tongass National
Forest. The state's position is that Alaska ought to be exempt
from that rule. Pending the outcome of the litigation, which is
in abeyance, the state is looking at alternative number six,
which gives maximum flexibility for the state and communities.
When the State wins, she said, 2.3 million acres will come to
the state. While the board footage is assessed, it is critical
to continue to work through the existing good neighbor timber
sale policy. Several of those have been executed in the last
several years and one is being cued up. This will keep the
sawyers and timber industry going while the State works through
the rulemaking process.
She said that at the same time she would like to address the
retention issues and bring real talent back into the forestry
program. She acknowledged that the division director has been
very challenged the last several years. She noted the potential
changes to regulations, one of which would streamline the
process for standing up a timber sale. All the changes being
discussed are dedicated to strengthening commercial forest
activities within the state and ensuring that the necessary
board footage is available.
4:19:01 PM
SENATOR KIEHL asked if the Division of Forestry has the
resources needed to make sure the Alaska Forest Practices Act is
followed.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE admitted that the department and
division is challenged to do the best it can with the resources
that it has. She said what is important for forestry and good
timber practices is that the division is taking advantage of
commercial sale opportunities where "fire breaks" are needed,
where there are spruce bark beetle outbreaks in the Susitna
area, and making the "fire threat" timber is harvested for
commercial revenue.
SENATOR KIEHL related that his constituents have observed what
they perceive to be a significant shift in where the Division of
State Parks is putting its resources. State parks rangers have
shifted their focus from multiple missions to a very strong
emphasis on their law enforcement function. Their perception is
that park users are seeing a loss of some services and the
ability to enjoy the park responsibly. He asked her to comment
on where part rangers' focus should be.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE explained that state part rangers'
primary role is public safety. They educate, protect resources,
and enhance the park experience. However, because they are law
enforcement officials they may act accordingly if they witness
an infraction of the law. She mentioned an earlier meeting and
reiterated that if a ranger is shooting radar on an access road
into a park, they are probably in the wrong line of work.
4:23:03 PM
SENATOR KIEHL asked her to share her insights into the direction
of the Mental Health Trust Land Office (MHTLO), which is housed
within DNR, because entities within his district have had
difficulty interacting with that office. on commercial sales.
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE clarified that MHTLO is housed
within DNR for continuity and communication purposes, but it is
guided by the Mental Health Trust Enabling Act and the
settlement of litigation that reconstituted the trust land
office and the Land Grant Trust. She said the MHTLO does not
report directly to the commissioner of DNR but rather up through
the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Board of Trustees to
the CEO. DNR does work with the trust to communicate areas where
there are land swaps, functioning as a conduit to the Department
of the Interior. With regard to the commercial sales Senator
Kiehl referenced, DNR can assist when there are conflicts or
breakdowns in communication. She explained that the trust has a
direct mandate to manage only for the benefit of its
beneficiaries, which is probably responsible for some of the
difficulties associated with the sale and use of trust
properties. DNR's commitment is to assist the trust monetize its
land, serve as a conduit for communication, and coordinate with
other agencies.
SENATOR KIEHL noted that in the past when significant questions
arise regarding oil and gas the legislature observes the dance
between the commissioners of DNR and the Department of Revenue
and the attorney general. He asked her philosophy of DNR's role
when those issues come up and the three departments work through
them while serving their missions and all Alaskans.
4:27:04 PM
COMMISSIONER DESIGNEE FEIGE replied DNR wears two distinct hats
as a landowner lessor and a regulator agency. She opined that
for a healthy DNR and healthy oil and gas industry it is
important to have some tension between those roles. As a
landowner lessor, DNR wants to see the resources developed and
to recoup the royalties and revenues from that development. As a
regulatory agency DNR has the responsibility to provide good
oversight, due diligence, and provide protection and
conservation in a balanced way. Through the Division of Mining,
Land and Water, DNR is responsible for access corridors; whereas
through the Division of Oil and Gas, DNR is responsible for
surface land use, development of exploration programs, or for
the development of units. Through the Office of Project
Management & Permitting (OPMP), DNR serves the role of
coordinating state and federal permits to ensure timely
development and standup of programs and new production. A
healthy bit of tension within DNR ensures that everyone is
fulfilling those roles.
With regard to coordinating with other agencies, DNR brings the
royalty into the state through the Royalty Accounting Section
within the Division of Oil and Gas. The royalties are
distributed to the Permanent Fund and the undesignated general
fund. The Department of Revenue is responsible for tax
collection.
CHAIR BIRCH thanked Commissioner Designee Feige for the well-
presented background qualification summary.
4:30:52 PM
At ease.
4:31:01 PM
CHAIR BIRCH called the committee back to order and opened public
testimony.
4:31:16 PM
CHAIR BIRCH closed public testimony.
4:31:29 PM
CHAIR BIRCH stated that in accordance with AS 39.05.080, the
Senate Resources Committee reviewed the following and recommends
the appointment be forwarded to a joint session for
consideration:
Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources
Corri Feige - Anchorage
CHAIR BIRCH reminded members that this does not reflect an
intent by any of the members to vote for or against the
confirmation of the individual during any further sessions.
4:31:56 PM
At ease.
4:33:36 PM
CHAIR BIRCH called the committee back to order.
4:33:58 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Birch adjourned the Senate Resources Standing Committee
meeting at 4:33 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DNR Commissioner-Designee Corri Feige - Resume.pdf |
SRES 1/23/2019 3:30:00 PM |
|
| Feige Confirmation-Letter Council of Alaska Producers 1-23-19.pdf |
SRES 1/23/2019 3:30:00 PM |