Legislature(2013 - 2014)CAPITOL 106
02/04/2014 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Alaska Arctic Policy Commission Preliminary Report Presentation | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT MEETING
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
February 4, 2014
9:01 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS
Representative Bob Lynn, Chair
Representative Wes Keller, Vice Chair
Representative Lynn Gattis
Representative Shelley Hughes
Representative Doug Isaacson
Representative Charisse Millett
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS
Senator Fred Dyson, Chair
Senator Cathy Giessel, Vice Chair
Senator John Coghill
Senator Bill Wielechowski
MEMBERS ABSENT
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS
All House members present
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS
Senator Bert Stedman
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
ALASKA ARCTIC POLICY COMMISSION PRELIMINARY REPORT PRESENTATION
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE BOB HERRON
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission
Preliminary Report Presentation as co-chair of the commission.
SENATOR LEISL McGUIRE
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission
Preliminary Report Presentation, as co-chair of the commission.
ACTION NARRATIVE
9:01:18 AM
CHAIR BOB LYNN called the joint meeting of the Senate and Senate
State Affairs Standing Committees to order at 9:01 a.m.
Representatives Keller, Gattis, Isaacson, Hughes, Kreiss-
Tomkins, and Lynn, and Senators Coghill, Giessel, Wielechowski,
and Dyson were present at the call to order. Representative
Millett arrived as the meeting was in progress.
9:01:20 AM
CHAIR LYNN handed the gavel over to Chair Dyson.
9:02:07 AM
^Alaska Arctic Policy Commission Preliminary Report Presentation
Alaska Arctic Policy Commission Preliminary Report Presentation
CHAIR DYSON announced that the only order of business was the
Alaska Arctic Policy Commission Preliminary Report Presentation.
9:02:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BOB HERRON, Alaska State Legislature, reported
that as required by [the resolution adopted by the Alaska State
Legislature in April 2012, which established the Alaska Arctic
Policy Commission] the commission delivered its full preliminary
report by January 30, 2014, and delivered to all legislators the
commission's executive summary on February 3, 2014. He said
there has been a flood of reports, including the National
Strategy for the Arctic Region, issued early in 2013, and the
implementation plan for that strategy was supposed to revealed
in September; however, the commission provided its thoughts and
information to the White House, and the administration pushed
back the reveal to November, then to December, then to the same
day Alaska issued its preliminary report. He characterized that
as "a good sequence of events." He explained that both he and
Senator McGuire think that the commission had an impact on [the
administration's] report and implementation plan.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON opined that the legislature needs to have
an Arctic footing and work with its federal counterparts and the
governor, who is in the branch most responsible for having a
working relationship with the federal government. He said
Alaska holds the purse strings and writes the laws, and it needs
to understand how it can best protect its interest to
international and federal governments in the Arctic.
9:05:20 AM
SENATOR LEISL McGUIRE, Alaska State Legislature, said whenever
the state works on issues of sovereignty, it needs to be careful
not to send mixed messages. She said the governor's team was at
the table. She said there were five Senators and five
Representatives involved, including Senator Cathy Geisel who was
present today, who worked alongside public members who were
subject matter experts who had been appointed by the Speaker of
the House and the Senate President and brought strong views to
the table, ranging from environmental protection to pro-
development. Topics were run through the administration and
respective agencies to find out where policy had already been
established and where there were gaps. She stated that the
crowning achievement was working alongside the federal
government.
9:07:20 AM
SENATOR McGUIRE stated that one of the best ways to work with
the federal government is to figure out where it is going. She
said the commission figured out in March [2013], during meetings
in Washington, D.C., that the Obama Administration was already
on an aggressive pace in terms of Arctic strategy. In light of
that, she said, the commission was able to get the federal
government to listen and join commission meetings, in person in
Unalaska and by phone in Barrow. At the latter meeting, she
said, she compared the Canadian policy and an initial draft of
the strategic report, and she mentioned references to climate
without mention of the human beings involved. Conversely, in
the Arctic report, many references were made to the human beings
that lived on the land and their interrelationship with that
climate. The change in ice is paramount in the Arctic, because
it brings both opportunities and challenges.
9:09:48 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE said she and Representative Herron would present
slides to the committee. She named the following web site:
akarctic.com. She explained that what was being presented to
the committee was the preliminary draft. She relayed there were
16 policy recommendations and four vision statements, and there
is still a lot of work to do, primarily in the area of state and
national security and spill prevention and response. She said
those two issues "came to us a little bit later" and are
"cumbersome," but the commission's teams are addressing them.
Senator McGuire reminded the committee that the commission was
created by the legislature, thus is a reflection of its thoughts
and ideas. She encouraged feedback over the next year, noting
that the final report will be issued on January 30, 2015.
9:11:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON directed attention to the cover of the
executive summary, which shows two photos. He described the
upper photo as "a polar star camera view." He said Alaska,
between Canada and Russia, is small, but plays a key role. He
said the bottom photo is "Alaska looking to the Arctic, looking
to the future."
9:12:07 AM
CHAIR DYSON offered his understanding that during the Hickel
administration, an organization named, Northern Forum, was
formed, and he observed that he has not seen that organization
listed.
9:12:24 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON responded that the commission discussed
Northern Forum at its December meeting in Anchorage, and
[commission member] Nils Andreassen said the organization has
"sort of gone into dormant mode." He said people are talking
about bringing it back; but that idea has not gained traction.
9:12:50 AM
CHAIR DYSON recollected that in the past, the entity was busy;
it had several international conferences and lots of work with
both the Canadians and the Russians. He expressed surprise to
find out it had atrophied.
9:13:11 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE said someone who has spoken a lot about this
issue is Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell. A thought is that
if the Northern Forum is going to be restarted, then its mission
should be reinvigorated. Currently, part of Northern Forum's
mission exists with the Institute of the North, but the missing
link is with Russia. She said this issue has also been
discussed in Senate meetings. She said the population of the
Arctic is 4 million, 2 million of which are Russian. She said
that in the past, many trade missions took place with Sakhalin
and Khabarovsk, and she emphasized the importance of resuming
them on the local level, even if federal strategy is failing
with Russia.
SENATOR MCGUIRE, in response to Chair Dyson, mentioned the
Arctic Imperative, a pro-development group in Girdwood
comprising 300 people at its inception and increasing to over
1,000 people during its three year existence; however, she
ventured the chair was thinking about two quasi-state entities,
which receive state funding: Northern Forum and the Institute
of the North.
CHAIR DYSON said while he appreciates what had been said about
invigorating the mission, it seems "that organization" has done
a lot of work, and the legislature should find out what that
work is and build upon it.
SENATOR MCGUIRE concurred.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON said there should be a reference to it for
historical value.
9:15:36 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES noted that she had read most of the report
and is "excited about the potential." She said she sees the
work of the Arctic Council as pivotal. She expressed
appreciation for the work that is being done. She said it would
be helpful if the report included a description of the groups,
as well as list their membership, status, and cooperative work.
She stated appreciation for the commission's timing and its
timely work with the federal government.
9:17:18 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE said most of the groups are federally created,
and she posited that that distinction should be made. She
indicated one question is: "How do we insert ourselves in at
the state level?" She mentioned another group, the Pacific
NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) Arctic Caucus, which was in
recognition that at the provincial, territorial, and state
levels, Canada and Alaska are not being heard enough. She
expressed thanks for the late Governor Hickel for his vision,
and expressed appreciation for Lieutenant Governor Mead
Treadwell and [former state Senate President] Drue Pearce who
came before the commission and did a lot of work on this issue,
which she said people were not always interested in discussing,
even a couple years ago.
9:19:10 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE directed attention to the slide presentation, to
two slides showing that there are 4 million people living in the
Arctic and the division between the Russian, European, and
American Arctic.
9:19:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON explained the next slide showing the
[covers of] the many reports issued by the federal government
over the last year. She said the newest report is by the
Department of Defense (DoD) in November 2013, which is what the
commission is going to address this year for the final report.
He turned to the next slide entitled, "U.S. National Strategy
for the Arctic Region." He said that entity wants to advance
its security interests, pursue responsible Arctic Region
stewardship, and strengthen international cooperation. He said
the commission opines that those "lines of efforts" seem "a
little too high level" and do not consider responsible
development that protects and sustains northern communities.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON directed attention to the next slide,
entitled, "Arctic Council Chair," which shows a timeline. He
said this spring and summer, the federal government is going to
[hold] "listening sessions" in Alaska to talk to as many people
as possible. Next fall, he said, the federal government will
finalize its chairmanship themes and go to the other seven
Arctic states and negotiate the themes so that there is "buy-
in." He stated that the chairmanship for the Arctic Council is
"going very, very quickly." He said the next slide shows
"Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council," and he noted
that four of the participants are indigenous Alaskan groups:
the [Aleut International Association] (AIA), the [Arctic
Athabaskan Council] (AAC), the [Gwich'in Council International]
(GCI), and [Inuit Circumpolar Conference] (ICC).
9:21:50 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE directed attention to a slide showing the
"Alaska Arctic Policy Commission" has 26 members, composed of
five Senators, five Representatives, one executive branch member
appointed by the governor, and fifteen members appointed jointly
by the Senate President and Speaker of the House; the slide
lists the industries from which those fifteen members come. She
reiterated the commission's interaction with the federal
government, adding that she and Representative Herron have had
weekly conversations with representatives of the Obama
Administration.
SENATOR MCGUIRE turned to the slide entitled, "AAPC Letter of
Intent," and she noted there are eight areas of consideration
listed: Indigenous Perspectives and Priorities; governance;
Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration and Development; Science and
Research; Energy; Planning & Infrastructure; Security & Marine
Transportation; and Fisheries. She encouraged the joint
committee members to let the commission know if there should be
any further considerations added. Senator McGuire directed
attention to a slide showing the commission's vision statements.
9:23:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON paraphrased the vision statements, which
read: "Values community sustainability and thriving cultures";
"Ensures public safety and security"; "Advances economic
development and a healthy environment"; and "Incorporates
transparency and inclusion into decision making."
SENATOR MCGUIRE noted that depicted in the lower [right] corner
of the slide is Edward Saggan Itta, former mayor of the North
Slope Borough, during a portion a meeting set aside to listen to
the local people.
9:24:10 AM
CHAIR DYSON referred to Representative Herron's mention of
public safety, and he asked if the term is being used in the
vision statement in connection with cross-border terrorist
activity or transportation safety.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON answered all of the above.
SENATOR MCGUIRE added that the group is expanding its mission
and the governor is placing a heavy emphasis on homeland
security. She said, "That part was added in vis-à-vis our
international neighbors." She stated, "But this particular
group: public safety with respect to marine traffic." She
mentioned the need for search and rescue response and a presence
built up to the population increases. In response to Chair
Dyson, she said air traffic is also a consideration.
9:25:23 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON directed attention to the next slide
entitled, "Strategic Recommendations." He listed the categories
and respective leaders: Governance and Indigenous Perspectives
- Senators Stevens and Hoffman; Science and Research -
Representatives Edgmon and Kerttula; Planning and Infrastructure
and Wildlife - Representative Neuman; Oil, Gas, and Mineral
Resources and Search and Rescue/Oil Pollution - Senator Giessel;
Security and Defense - Senators Austerman and Olson; Marine
Transportation - Senator Austerman; Energy and Power -
Representatives Edgmon and Kerttula; Fisheries - Senator
Hoffman. He indicated that Representative Guttenberg would be
taking Representative Kerttula's spot.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON, referring to the slide entitled,
"Barrow," said public testimony lasted seven hours at the
aforementioned meeting in the North Slope Borough, and one
opinion resulted, which was "pretty unanimous": "The Chukchi
and the Beaufort is our garden; we would rather that the federal
government and the state work together to drain [the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge] (ANWR) first." He directed attention
to the slide entitled, "Unalaska," and said it is number one in
the U.S. for seafood volume and will play a key role in the
Arctic, because it is the largest current port in Western Alaska
and key component to the Bering Sea.
9:27:38 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE said delegates from Iceland and Norway have
expressed interest in working with Alaska in having "sister port
ships." She said those countries are way ahead of Alaska in
recognizing the potential for marine traffic as a result of
"these opening lanes." She said it is nice for the commission
to look at how opening the Northwest Passage changes the volume
that comes through the Bering Sea down into "that port." She
continued as follows:
I use the figure that Mayor Marquardt gave of 22 new
vessels just to support the one exploratory well of
[Shell Oil Company], and that's not even full-stage
development, and that's not Statoil, and that's not
[ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc.]; and that port is
already full, because it's the largest fishery port on
the earth.
9:28:43 AM
CHAIR DYSON ventured that Senator McGuire had meant to infer
that much of the new traffic coming through is coming from the
Northeast Passage from Russia. He offered his understanding
that there are unresolved issue regarding "innocent passage" in
the Canadian archipelago, and there is a tacit agreement that
Canada is not going to push to stop that traffic in areas that
they consider to be their national waters. He mentioned "the
pie-shaped border dispute" between the Yukon and Alaska, wherein
there is a tacit agreement to "operate without that one being
resolved." He asked, "Have I got that right?"
SENATOR MCGUIRE answered yes on both counts. In response to a
follow-up question, she said she does not have a sense of the
time frame on either of those issues. She continued:
I know that [for] our Canadian friends, it's a dinner-
time conversation about ... whether they agree about
innocent passage or not, and I'm just thrilled about
the agreement to just leave ... the little pie-shaped
argument. In fact, it's the reason that ... there was
push-back when I wanted to form the Arctic caucus to
begin with, because there was a feeling that it could
tear us apart as a group.
9:30:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON directed attention to the slide entitled,
"Adak," which he characterized as "an asset the Navy left
behind." He said Chair Dyson had brought up a good issue
regarding the "Northwest" - the northern sea route. He
mentioned the 3,000-4,000 ships that go through Unimak Pass and
back down "through the chain beyond Adak." He said if Canada is
successful in either Prince Rupert or Kitimat, those resources
that are going west to Asia could double traffic through Unimak
Pass - Alaska's territory - under innocent passage.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON stated that one of the most important
strategies is going to be: "How do we get beyond just voluntary
oil spill response capability in all these ships?" He opined
that it is in the state's best interest that ships have a
mandatory response capacity, because 7,000 ships going through
Alaska's waters every year in the near future have a huge
potential for disaster.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON turned to the slide entitled, "Bethel,"
which he noted shows an Alaska Native woman from Kuskokwim in
the background photo. He said the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers -
the two major tributaries to bisect Alaska - are "very dependent
on the Bering Sea."
SENATOR MCGUIRE said the point about the potential for oil
spills from the many vessels passing through the Bering Sea was
brought up when the commission heard from Unalaska.
9:32:23 AM
CHAIR DYSON offered an explanation about the term "innocent
passage" as follows:
This is a term of art in international law; it's been
placed for [a] couple of centuries. Basically, [it]
says that the oceans of the world are the commons of
the world, and all vessels from all nations - unless
there's been something specific - have the right to
innocent passage through the commons - all the
maritime corridors of the world. The discussion with
Canada is the traditional -- the best routes through
there, which are only a couple ... [through] sea ice,
are well within the Canadian archipelago, and so
there's question in their mind. But innocent passage
means all kinds of commercial [and] recreation
[vessels] and everything else, as long as they're not
about bad things. ... [This is a] huge issue in the
maritime world. And if you look at international
maritime transportation, there are a few choke points
in the world where that's hugely important who
controls those.
9:33:36 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE directed attention to the slide entitled,
"Nome," which she said is a hot spot where movement in
infrastructure has begun. The federal government is looking at
both Port Clarence and Nome in its feasibility study. She said
consideration is being given to developing a hangar large enough
for WX C-130 aircraft, as well as other infrastructure.
9:34:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON brought attention to the slide entitled,
"Bering Strait," which he said is a key choke point, thus, is
probably the area that will receive the most attention in the
immediate future.
SENATOR MCGUIRE pointed out Port Clarence and Nome on the map on
the Bering Strait slide.
9:34:40 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE directed attention to a slide entitled,
"Fairbanks," and she relayed that the commission held a meeting
there to focus on UAF as Alaska's Arctic University. She
indicated the connection between northern climates and suicide,
alcoholism, and drug addiction, and stated the importance of
studying the impacts of development in the north.
9:35:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON stated that UAF is number one in the U.S.
in Arctic research and is a member of the University of the
Arctic. He emphasized, "It's important that a legislature
invest in research, because we live in the Arctic."
SENATOR MCGUIRE brought attention to the slide entitled,
"Anchorage," where the commission heard reports from its
subcommittees during a two-day work session. She commended
those involved for their focused efforts.
9:36:55 AM
SENATOR COGHILL noted that while in Fairbanks, the commission
had invited a lot of people to come listen to its discussion,
but seemed to have "lost a little bit of voice" in Anchorage,
which has a larger population.
9:37:28 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE explained that by the time the commission met in
Anchorage on December 9-10, its focus was on bringing forward
its report to the legislature by the 12/30/13. She said she
would recommend holding a public hearing in Anchorage, Alaska.
SENATOR COGHILL responded that he would really encourage the
commission enlisting Kenai in the discussion. He said he thinks
Fairbanks feels a part of the discussion because of the
university's role and perhaps because its Native population is
larger. He warned against creating a divide in the state.
9:39:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON said Representative Coghill made a good
point, but he echoed Senator McGuire's explanation that the
commission had been under a time crunch and wanted to deliver
quality product. He said the commission realizes that it cannot
separate the Arctic Ocean from Alaska or any part of Alaska from
itself. He said there will be dozens of smaller meetings by
teams that will have the responsibility to reach out and gather
input from all Alaskans. He said, "Too many others are trying
to tell us how to be Alaskan."
SENATOR COGHILL opined that if Alaska is going to speak to the
federal government about the Arctic, it needs to do so with a
unified voice. He commended the commission for its beginning
efforts.
9:40:37 AM
SENATOR GIESSEL remarked that the Sikuliaq - the Arctic research
vessel belonging UAF harbors in Seward when it comes to Alaska,
so "excluding the peninsula would be a mistake."
9:40:59 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE turned to information on the next slide, which
lists "Challenges in Alaska's Arctic," as follows: "Huge
differences between resource wealth and community prosperity;
Isolated, remote communities; lack of infrastructure - energy,
transportation, telecommunications, etc.; Many layers of
ownership of land and resources; Increasingly active Arctic -
search for role, way to mitigate risk, and manage expectations."
9:41:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON indicated that the commissions efforts
have resulted in an "Arctic Package," which includes the
following legislation: [Companion bills SB 140 and HB 288],
which address Arctic development and would allow the Alaska
Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) to leverage
private money; [HB 165], which addresses Alaska Arctic ports and
development authority; and [HJR 24], relating to the "Arctic
Council," outlining the state's priorities to the federal
government, and promoting the idea of having the voice of
Alaskan officials heard in consideration of appointing an
individual to lead the council.
9:42:57 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE related that the media asked her and
Representative Herron how Alaska faces an infrastructure
challenge with a tight budget. She said the proposed
legislation related to AIDEA is modeled on the Sustainable
Energy Transmission and Supply (SETS) bill that addressed energy
and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trucking. She talked about
"deferred interest on principal ways of partnering with the
private sector." She said the state may not be in the position
to "hand out lots of cash," but "these development challenges
are not going to go away." She opined that although building up
the Trans-Alaska Pipeline is important, the Arctic is the
economic opportunity for future generations, which is why it is
important to invest, even in tough times.
9:44:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER expressed appreciation to the co-chairs of
the commission for the work being done.
9:44:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON emphasized the many other people who have
worked hard, including former Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer and
Jaime Robinson. He said the commission hired C. Nikoosh Carlo,
Ph.D., as executive director, and she brought with her
experience working previously in Washington, D.C.
9:46:07 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE thanked Jesse Logan and Rob Earl for their hard
work.
9:46:46 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT noted one thing not expressed is how far
ahead Russia is on issues of the Arctic, a point she said was
made at the Arctic Imperative. She posited that Russia is "a
force to be reckoned with." She warned against falling behind
in "the race to own the Arctic."
9:47:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ISAACSON recommended keeping an eye on all other
nations, and he said China, "being an observer," scares him more
than Russia. He mentioned the interest of non-Arctic nations.
He asked Senator McGuire and Representative Herron how they view
the building interest and convergence of other nations on an
area that has "strategic value to our long-term interest and yet
isn't catching the popular press." He questioned how the work
of the commission might be affected in an election year.
9:48:53 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE responded that the commission will call on all
legislators to work as a team. She said she and Representative
Herron will continue working on this issue. She stated that
there would be continued listening sessions throughout spring
and summer. She recollected a time when Secretary Salazar
visited, and she talked about finding gaps and giving the
legislature an awareness of them. She said, "That helps us, as
a state, move into this place where the United States takes the
chairmanship." She relayed that this would be only the second
time in history that the U.S. will have the chairmanship of the
Arctic Council.
9:50:20 AM
SENATOR GIESSEL, in response to Representative Isaacson's
previous comment, said both China and India have been admitted
to the Arctic Council in "permanent observer status." She
added, "So, it is absolutely a concern; I appreciate what you
expressed."
9:50:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON said, "That is key." He said the
executive branch goes to "ministerials" and can be on the U.S.
delegation to the Arctic Council and will continue to be
participants in the six working groups in the council. He said
the committee work is where the real work gets done, and
Alaskans can be involved in that.
9:51:32 AM
SENATOR MCGUIRE said the commission would have other documents
for the legislature, including "the Canadian policy, the
Northern vision, and what they're doing as their chairs." She
said Scandinavian countries have held back to back
chairmanships. She mentioned the Canadian delegation and said
she is a fan of [Canada's Prime Minister] Stephen Harper, who
appointed a Nunavut woman, Leona Aglukkaq, as chair, which she
opined "says so much." She said, "Their themes are: jobs,
economic with healthy respect for indigenous people and a
healthy respect for the environment. When you read that, it's
Alaska, Alaska, Alaska." She said she thinks sharing those
documents with the legislature as a helpful tool for responding
and testifying before the groups that will be soliciting
feedback. She indicated that she and Representative Herron have
been pushing for more involvement with the Canadians as an
opportunity to influence Arctic policy in North America.
However, she said there are still places in the State department
that are still "resistant to that Canadian vision all the way."
She encouraged support of the idea, "Wouldn't it be great to
have an Alaskan?" She explained that the only reason the U.S.
is an Arctic nation is because of Alaska; therefore, she does
not think "that's a stretch to say that we ought to have that in
the same way that Canada has picked someone from the north."
9:53:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES said she appreciates Canada's visions and
believes "that is an opportunity for us to extend it." She
echoed Senator McGuire's description of the Arctic being the
next economic frontier. She said she has hope for rural areas
struggling for healthy, working communities. She stated that
she wonders what the map of Alaska will look like in 50 years,
and opined that "we" have a great challenge to invest in the
infrastructure. She expressed appreciation for Representative
Coghill's comment that this is something that the entire state
must embrace, and she said statewide, Alaska will be involved
with resource development and infrastructure issues. She
relayed that she had read that one day the northern shipping
route will rival the Suez Canal.
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES, regarding the placement of more Alaskans
on the Arctic Council, offered her understanding that "there
have been some where we haven't had Alaskans and we've had very
few." She asked if consideration has been given to how to
ensure "people are at the table" by assisting with scheduling or
financial assistance with travel.
9:55:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON responded that there are four Alaskan
groups; there are four permanent participants that go to all the
working group meetings. The governor attends, as well. He said
the legislature must have an understanding of how to become
partners with the executive branch and work with the permanent
groups - the four Alaskan indigenous groups - to have "a common
relationship." He said the indigenous groups have "done this
for almost 25 years, and "we're coming into it pretty late in
the game." He concluded, "The executive branch is doing what it
has to do, but it has to be an expanded population that is
involved in the Arctic Council in the working groups."
9:56:22 AM
CHAIR DYSON asked, "When an international or U.S. Executive
branch wants to know what's Alaska's position and policy on any
of these issues, who speaks for the state? Not as an advisor,
but definitively."
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON answered that it is the executive branch,
which is why "we" have to have an understanding of the Arctic in
order to help the executive branch.
CHAIR DYSON offered his understanding that [the legislature]
acts as advisor. He asked if any of the dozen groups that have
worked on Arctic policy can serve as "an efficient clearing
house for all the information, the research ... that has been
done over the last hundred years in the Arctic?"
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON answered that the Institute of the North
has most base knowledge.
CHAIR DYSON noted that the Alaska Oil and Gas Association (AOGA)
has had an Arctic Research subcommittee and has invested
hundreds of thousands of dollars into it. He expressed his hope
that Institute of the North has at least a directory showing how
to get at that information.
9:58:03 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the Joint
House and Senate State Affairs Committee meeting was adjourned
at 9:58 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| AAPC-Joint-State-Affairs (2).pdf |
SSTA 2/4/2014 9:00:00 AM |
Alaska Arctic Policy Commission |