SB 58-DEPT OF LAW: ADVOCACY BEFORE FERC
1:33:44 PM
CHAIR COGHILL announced the consideration of SB 58 and noted the
proposed amendment.
CLYDE "ED" SNIFFEN, Assistant Attorney General, Regulatory
Affairs and Public Advocacy (RAPA), Department of Law (DOL),
Anchorage, Alaska, said he presented SB 58 on Monday and he
didn't have anything to add.
1:34:11 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI moved Amendment 1, labeled 30-GS1875\A.1.
CHAIR COGHILL objected for an explanation.
AMENDMENT 1
OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI
TO: SB 58
Page 1, line 2, following "Commission":
Insert "; and relating to the regulatory cost
charge"
Page 1, following line 3:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Section 1. AS 42.08.380(a) is amended to read:
(a) Each year, a person operating an
in-state natural gas pipeline under this chapter
shall pay to the commission a regulatory cost
charge if the pipeline for which the charge is
assessed is subject to this chapter and the
commission has taken action on the pipeline or
certificate under this chapter during the prior
fiscal year. The amount of the regulatory cost
charge may not exceed the sum of the following
percentages of gross revenue derived from
operations in the state:
(1) 0.7 percent to fund the operations
of the commission; and
(2) 0.23 [0.17] percent to fund
operations of the public advocacy function under
AS 42.04.070(c) and AS 44.23.020(e) in the
Department of Law."
Page 1, line 4:
Delete "Section 1"
Insert "Sec. 2"
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI explained that the amendment increases to
.23 percent the regulatory cost charge (RCC) funding for the
Department of Law RAPA Section. That is the amount the
department indicated it would need to fully fund the RAPA budget
without relying on the general fund.
CHAIR COGHILL asked Mr. Sniffen if he had seen the amendment.
MR. SNIFFEN answered no, but that is the rough number Department
of Law has presented. It would result in another $700,000 in the
regulatory cost charge that the Department of Law would be able
to look to for funding.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked him to confirm that this would result
in a savings to the general fund.
MR. SNIFFEN said that is correct, but the amendment should
probably be in AS 42.06, the pipeline RCC statute, rather than
AS 42.08.
1:37:08 PM
CHAIR COGHILL asked what Title 42 addresses.
1:37:25 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said he received the amendment from
legislative legal late last night and this is where the drafter
said the amendment should be placed.
1:37:35 PM
CHAIR COGHILL maintained his objection to Amendment 1.
1:38:14 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said he would withdraw Amendment 1 and give
everyone an opportunity to think it over.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI withdrew Amendment 1.
1:38:26 PM
SENATOR COSTELLO moved to report SB 58, version A, from
committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal
note(s).
CHAIR COGHILL announced that without objection SB 58 is reported
from the Senate Judiciary Standing Committee.