HB 209-WATER AND SEWER ADVISORY COMMITTEE                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:03:29 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BISHOP announced the consideration of HB 209.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:03:51 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE  NEAL FOSTER,  Alaska  State Legislature,  Juneau,                                                               
Alaska, sponsor of HB 209, introduced himself.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:04:04 PM                                                                                                                    
PAUL  LABOLLE,  Staff,  Representative  Foster,  Juneau,  Alaska,                                                               
explained  that HB  209  would establish  a  10-member Water  and                                                               
Sewer  Advisory Committee  to focus  on ways  the state  could do                                                               
projects  better,  cheaper,  and  faster. He  detailed  that  the                                                               
committee  would address  how to  implement  new technologies  as                                                               
well  as  how  to  better   coordinate  with  agencies  that  are                                                               
involved.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR.  LABOLLE  explained  that  the  committee  members  would  be                                                               
appointed by  a specified definition  that was found in  the bill                                                               
on page  4, line 2. He  detailed that the definition  was derived                                                               
from  the  Alaska   Department  of  Environmental  Conservation's                                                               
Village Safe Water Program's list of unserved communities.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR BISHOP said  he read HB 209 and  could sense Representative                                                               
Foster's frustration  as somebody that represented  rural Alaska.                                                               
He  remarked   that  "overbuilt"   rather  than  "low   cost  and                                                               
affordable-to-maintain" systems  were installed in  rural Alaska.                                                               
He asked if his assessment was correct.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:06:20 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE FOSTER answered yes.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:06:38 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BISHOP announced that HB 209 would be held in committee.