SJR 12-NOAA BUOY OUTAGES  1:36:16 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN announced the consideration of SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 12 Urging the United States Congress and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to address outages of National Data Buoy Center stations. 1:36:24 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN solicited a motion. 1:36:26 PM SENATOR TOBIN moved to adopt the committee substitute (CS) for SJR 12, work order 34-LS0449\H, as the working document. 1:36:40 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN found no objection and CSSJR 12 was adopted as the working document. 1:37:10 PM SENATOR FORREST DUNBAR, District J, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, introduced SJR 12. He paraphrased from the following sponsor statement: [Original punctuation provided.] SPONSOR STATEMENT  SJR 12: NOAA BUOY OUTAGES SJR 12 calls attention to a small but important piece of federal infrastructure: National Data Buoy Center meteorological stations. Weather buoys provide important data points for forecasting models and real time observations that are critical to safe fishing and navigation in coastal Alaska. They inform mariners decisions on when to leave harbor and when to return. Of particular concern is the Seal Rocks Buoy in Prince William Sound. The Coast Guard relies on this station to determine if conditions in Hinchinbrook Entrance are safe for the transit of laden oil tankers departing the Alyeska Terminal in Valdez. Like many other NDBC meteorological stations in Alaska, the Seal Rocks Buoy has experienced lengthy service outages in the last few years, including the entirety of last winter. Currently, it has been non-functional since October 2024. Without this station, the Coast Guard must rely on spot reports from passing ships and data from more distant stations to estimate conditions in Hinchinbrook Entrance. This situation is dangerous. Hinchinbrook Entrance is narrow; if a tanker were to lose control there would be very little time to prevent it from grounding. Attaching a tow line or performing any other rescue operations is very difficult in high winds and waves. If a tanker did ground in bad weather, Prince William Sound would experience a repeat of the Exxon Valdez disaster. This would be devastating for the local environment, fisheries, and tourism. It would cost the state and federal government tens of billions of dollars to clean up. When the stakes are this high, it is essential that safety equipment like the Seal Rocks Buoy kept in service. 1:38:59 PM SENATOR DUNBAR continued to paraphrase from the sponsor statement for SJR 12: [Original punctuation provided.] SJR 12 will convey this information to Alaska's Congressional delegation and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the parent agency of NDBC. It will ask NOAA to restore reliability to NDBC and Seal Rocks Buoy service and ask Congress to ensure NOAA has the resources to do so. At a time when federal agencies and services are under threat, it is important to remind decision- makers that these functions are critical to Alaska. 1:39:45 PM JOHN GUTHRIE, Maritime Operations Project Manager, Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council (PWSRCAC), Valdez, Alaska, gave a brief overview of PWSRCAC. He stated that oil from the EXXON Valdez can still be found on the beaches throughout the region and briefly discussed the negative impacts the EXXON-Valdez oil spill had on wildlife and residents of the affected communities. He stated that the Prince William Sound has one of the most comprehensive oil prevention systems in the country and described this system. He said that weather information in remote locations is critical to the safe transportation of oil in the region. He noted that PWSRCAC is primarily focused on the prompt maintenance of buoys that aid in oil spill prevention and response; however, he acknowledged that those stations provide weather information that increases safety for a wide range of maritime activities. MR. GUTHRIE expressed particular concern for the weather buoy at Seal Rocks, which has been functional for only 35 days over the past year and a half. He briefly explained the ways that weather impacts safe travel through the area. Data from the buoy allows the Coast Guard to accurately determine when the passage at Hinchinbrook Entrance should be closed. When buoy data is not available, the Coast Guard must rely on data compiled from less accurate sources. He expressed concern about the safe passage of oil tankers and accompanying tugboats in high winds and waves. 1:42:02 PM MR. GUTHRIE stated that having an operational Seal Rocks buoy is critical to ensuring that loaded tankers and escort tugboats are only in Hinchinbrook Entrance when winds and seas are below the closure limits. He reiterated that all National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) buoys in Alaska provide an invaluable service. The Seal Rocks Buoy is of particular importance as it is a key component to the oil spill prevention system in the Prince William Sound. He emphasized that the risk of another oil spill increases whenever the buoy is not working. 1:43:04 PM SENATOR SHOWER asked about buoy maintenance. 1:43:58 PM MR. GUTHRIE replied that PWSRCAC submitted a National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) funding request through Senator Murkowski's office. PWSRCAC is primarily focused on the buoys that impact oil transportation. He explained that NDBC funds those buoys, though they do occasionally rely on USCGC Fir (WLB-213), the Coast Guard buoy tender located in Cordova. Sometimes a vessel is chartered to perform maintenance work. 1:44:39 PM SENATOR SHOWER suggested that Senator Sulivan would also be a good contact. 1:44:55 PM SENATOR KIEHL agreed that the sensors and systems around Valdez are important. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that all buoys in the state are functional, as this increases the safety of those on the water. 1:45:53 PM SENATOR DUNBAR responded to Senator Shower's comment. He stated that Senator Sullivan is one recipient of SJR 12. He then turned to Senator Kiehl's comment and expressed agreement. He explained that SJR 12 applies to all buoys throughout the state. He emphasized that buoy maintenance is a statewide life safety issue. He pointed out that some members of Congress may not understand Alaska's unique needs and the ways in which Alaskans rely on the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service. He opined that it is important to communicate those needs to Congress. 1:47:02 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN emphasized the importance of buoy data reports to ensure the safety of all navigators. 1:47:59 PM [CHAIR BJORKMAN held SJR 12 in committee.]