SB 144-EMISSION CONTROL PROGRAM PERMITS/REGS    CHAIR THOMAS WAGONER announced SB 144 to be up for consideration. 4:28:15 PM SENATOR SEEKINS moved CSSB 144(RES), Version F. There were no objections and it was so ordered. MARY JACKSON, staff to Senator Wagoner, said the discussion on this bill has been around its definitions on page 6. "Stationary source" has the meaning given in 40 C.F.R. 51.66 and SB 144 inserts "or 40 C.F.R. 70.2, depending on the context in which the term is used." The department did not feel comfortable working with the previous definition. It was felt that the most reasonable way to clarify it was to reference federal definitions. She pointed out that SB 144 has a zero fiscal note. 4:30:36 PM SENATOR GUESS asked about the impact and purpose of the July 1, 2005 effective date. MS. JACKSON deferred the answer to the department. 4:31:01 PM JOHN KUTERBACH, Manager, Air Permits Program, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), explained that two years ago Governor Murkowski started to reform Alaska's air permit programs to better meet the needs of our state. The reforms were intended to make Alaska's air permit programs more consistent with the underlying federal requirements. Consistency with federal law would allow Alaska to take advantage of the flexibility afforded by changes in federal law and to follow the guidance and interpretations used elsewhere in the nation. We have completed the necessary regulations and are ready to submit them for federal approval. However, we found several places where the statute did not quite meet federal requirements. We need to require operating permits for groups of stationery sources. We need the definitions of 'emissions unit' and 'stationery source' to include both the federal construction permit and the federal operating permit definitions. And we need to insure that all permittees pay their assessed emission fees. This bill makes these technical corrections and allows the department to revoke a minor permit when a permittee refuses to pay their fees. 4:32:41 PM MS. JACKSON repeated Senator Guess's question about the July 1, 2005 effective date. MR. KUTERBACH replied that he wasn't certain, but suspected that it might have to do with the fact that the permitting fees have a split in their fund source that occurs at the beginning of next fiscal year. CHAIR WAGONER said that Steve Mulder from the Department of Law could answer further legal questions. There was no further testimony. 4:33:54 PM SENATOR DYSON moved to pass CSSB 144(RES) from committee with individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was so ordered.