CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 53(STA) "An Act establishing the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission." This was the first hearing for this bill in the Senate Finance Committee. REPRESENTATIVE JOHN DAVIES, the bill's sponsor, informed the Committee that this bill would establish a nine-member Alaska Seismology Safety Commission. SFC 02 # 92, Side A 06:38 PM AT EASE 6:38 PM / 6:39 PM Representative Davies continued that the purpose of the Commission would be to identify and mitigate earthquake disasters. He noted that the State has established procedures regarding emergency responses, but does not have established procedures on how to prepare for and mitigate disasters before they occur. He stated that this legislation would address such things as building codes and land use patterns. Representative Davies qualified that these plans should be implemented gradually, but systematically, as not to incur general public panic. He expressed that while disasters such as earthquakes have huge impacts; their infrequency tends to make people complacent. He added that because most earthquakes are minor, people are "misled" regarding the potential severity. He asserted that building codes should mandate that buildings be constructed to withstand severe earthquakes, as 80 percent of the loss of life and damage resulting from an earthquake occurs within the interior of a building. He explained that the Commission should be a component of the Governor's Office rather than within a specific department in order to provide effective coordination between affected State agencies. Representative Davies noted that a $33,000 fiscal note accompanies this legislation and that the Commission would be required to meet four times a year. He expressed that Alaska is the only western state that does not have an established seismic Commission, although residents of the State "live in earthquake country and we ought to be prepared." Co-Chair Kelly asked the function of the State's seismologist. Representative Davies responded that the State's seismologist has some authority to address these issues; however, this position does not have the authority to coordinate procedures between various departments. He explained that the seismologist could offer workshops, but is not in a position to coordinate a widespread effort to address such things as upgrading building codes. Co-Chair Kelly stated that while it is possible to predict where an earthquake might occur, it is difficult to predict when one might occur or its resulting damage. He stated that being prepared for a disaster would be the prudent course of action, especially since populated areas of the State could be affected. Representative Davies asserted that it is important to establish this Commission in order to gather new research information. He stated that the Municipality of Anchorage is conducting "microzonation" research that identifies neighborhoods within the City that are more prone to earthquake activity, and he continued that this information should be compiled to determine appropriate building codes. He contended that when confronted with the possibility of a large loss of life, the tendency is to "over- design." He stated that it would be possible to identify differing building codes for different areas, which would generate sound fiscal investments. He asserted that "the smarter we can get, the more efficient we can be in the whole process." Senator Green asked whether the Commission would concentrate on municipal areas rather than more remote areas and/or areas where codes currently exist. Representative Davies replied that the tendency would be to concentrate on areas where structures exist. Senator Green questioned whether the Commission would address issues on a statewide basis or would concentrate on areas such as Anchorage and Fairbanks where building codes currently exist. She mentioned that the Mat-Su area does not have building code regulations. Representative Davies clarified that while the City of Fairbanks has building code regulations, the Fairbanks North Star Borough does not. He furthered that it is fairly common for lending institutions to require structures to meet nationally recognized industry standards before a loan is granted, and he stressed that these codes should be continually up-dated and appropriate for each region. He informed the Committee that a recent national coding entity placed the communities of Fairbanks, Ketchikan and Juneau in the same category as Anchorage, even thought it is less likely that those communities would experience earthquakes the magnitude of those that Anchorage might receive. He stated that if these codings had been accepted, building costs would have increased in the affected communities. He exclaimed that Alaska must be proactive rather than reactive in addressing the earthquake situation. Senator Austerman asked whether new building codes would affect existing structures. Representative Davies replied that the Commission could only issue recommendations. He noted that requiring existing buildings to meet new codes would be "extremely expensive;" however, he contended that were an existing structure to undergo major remodeling then implementation of the new building codes should be required. He announced that there is a safety concern regarding many existing structures, including a high school in the Kodiak school district. Senator Austerman agreed, but continued to voice the concern about imposing new codes upon existing structures. Representative Davies responded that the nine-member Commission would be comprised of engineers, insurance professionals, earthquake scientists, and other individuals from appropriate fields of expertise who would consider the various factors and manage the process in the most cost effective manner for the State in those circumstances. Co-Chair Kelly clarified that the language in the bill specifies that the Commission could primarily "recommend" and would have no policing powers. Senator Green asked how the Commission would coordinate activities with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Representative Davies reiterated that the State's disaster response mechanism is very effective and that the Commission would include the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs in its coordination efforts. He stated that a good working relationship exists between the State and federal agencies regarding response efforts, and he exclaimed that, "Alaskans have a can-do spirit that when something happens we tend to all pull together." He stressed that Alaska's response efforts "are in pretty good shape;" however, he stressed the mitigation efforts are lacking. He expressed that an appropriate mitigation plan would have a positive impact on response efforts. Representative Davies continued that while emergency response personnel currently undertake mitigation efforts such as establishing evacuation routes in the event of a tsunami, these efforts are limited. He reiterated that the most significant portion of the mitigation effort would be the development of building code models. Senator Leman stated that he is impressed with the work conducted by the Municipality of Anchorage's Geotechnical Advisory Commission. He asked whether the proposed Commission would function in a similar fashion but on a statewide basis. Representative Davies stated that is correct. Senator Leman asked how the Commission would interact with the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC). Representative Davies anticipated SERC would have representation on the proposed commission; however, he did not anticipate, "there being much overlap" in the two Commissions' endeavors. Senator Leman stated that the nine-member Commission appears to be "light on the technical side of it" and "heavy on bureaucracy." Representative Davies responded that the intent of limiting the Commission to nine members was to prevent it from being too large. He explained that in addition to the designated three public members, technical expertise would be further available from the University of Alaska representative who is also currently the State Seismologist; from the Department of Natural Resources representative who would probably have expertise in seismic hazards; and from the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs' representative who would be qualified in the earthquake response component. He asserted that the Departments would be able to provide technical expertise. Senator Leman asserted that the Governor should appoint qualified technical experts to serve as Commission members. Representative Davies agreed. ROD COMBELLICK, Chief, Engineering Geology Section, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Department of Natural Resources, testified via teleconference from Fairbanks to voice that the establishment of this Commission "has little to do with generating State revenues, but would have everything to do with preserving State resources." He stated that the Commission's recommendations would strengthen buildings and the State's road system and result in making the State's "critical buildings safer." He asserted that these recommendations would save the State significant money because requiring higher standards of building construction to reduce earthquake vulnerability would result in less damage in the event of an actual earthquake. He noted that the outcome of similar commissions in other states has resulted in lowering earthquake damage costs. He urged the Committee to support this bill. MILT WILTSE, State Geologist and Director, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Department of Natural Resources, testified via teleconference from Fairbanks to attest, after studying other states' mitigation commissions, that the subject of earthquake mitigation is complex in that it impacts a wide spectrum of society including: infrastructure, utilities, local governments, and access corridors. He stated that it is important to bring a wide spectrum of representatives together "to mitigate the effects that a very large-scale earthquake" could produce. He stated that the Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) has studied this issue for years and has determined that the establishment of this sort of Commission would be very beneficial to the State. GARY CARVER, Geologist, testified via teleconference from Kodiak that his expertise is in earthquakes and seismic geology. He noted his long-term involvement in earthquake studies in the State and spoke of his experience with the California Seismic Commission. He asserted that the proposed Commission could provide the avenue to consolidate diverse ideas and opinions and provide a synopsis addressing how to reduce earthquake hazards. He noted "that Alaska is the most seismically active State in the Union," and he warned that the State's most populous areas are located in extremely hazardous earthquake zones. He stressed that it could be just a matter of time before a major earthquake might impact the State, and he avowed that mitigation is the key to offsetting major damage. He noted that the establishment of the Commission could relieve the burden placed on small community governments to attempt to develop and implement local mitigation plans. He asserted that the passage of this bill would, "in the long run" save Alaskan lives and tax dollars, as it would cost much less to recover from a major earthquake were the State prepared. He urged the Committee to support this bill. Senator Ward offered a motion to report "the committee substitute for House Bill 53 State Affairs out of Committee with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes." There being no objection, CS HB 53(STA) was REPORTED from Committee with a previous fiscal note for $33,500 dated April 19, 2002 from the Office of the Governor. Senator Leman asked the length of terms for Commission members. Representative Davies stated that Commission members would be appointed for three-year terms.