CSHB 87(FIN)am-CITIZEN ADVISORY COMM ON FEDERAL AREAS    4:07:58 PM CHAIR HUGGINS announced HB 87 to be up for consideration. [Before the committee was CSHB 87(FIN)am.] SUE STANCLIFF, staff to Representative Mike Kelly, sponsor of HB 87, explained that this is a bill about public access on federal lands. She explained that the Citizen's Advisory Commission on Federal Areas was established previously in 1981 and this legislation reestablishes it. 4:08:53 PM REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY explained that the Citizens Advisory Commission on Federal Areas was started by Bettye Fahrenkamp in 1981 and it worked very well. It went away when oil was around $9 a barrel. Its mission is to provide assistance to the public affected by management on federal lands. The State of Alaska has 200 million to 230 million acres of this land. CHAIR HUGGINS asked if there were natural enemies to this bill. MS. STANCLIFF replied that none had been identified. REPRESENTATIVE KELLY replied there were some concerns about regional representation, but those were taken care of by putting someone from each of the five regions on the commission. There was also concern about its size, so membership was cut from 16 to 12 members. There were also concerns about keeping the fiscal note down and office staff was decreased from 3 to 2 in that regard. It's now a good bill. 4:11:00 PM MS. STANCLIFF highlighted that this was a problem-solving commission. She explained that ANILCA coordinators in both the ADF&G and DNR represent the state's best interest, but this commission was in charge of representing the citizens and when it went away, citizens had minimal choices. Going to the legislature was one choice, but it has limited expertise in federal statutes, regulations and intent of congressional law. People could go to the congressional delegation and to the Secretary of the Interior, which they have also done, but those possibilities can't be counted on because of changing administrations. 4:13:25 PM She said that even lands with no specific statutory conservation restrictions are subject to steadily increasing administrative designations and withdrawals that can result in reductions of public uses. Those are just as prevalent today as they were 10 and 20 years ago. A state that has the massive federal land that Alaska does needs this process. MS. STANCLIFF said the commission was effective, for instance, in developing the Kodiak plan that allowed cabins to remain on the Refuge. Federal managers have a history of wanting to eliminate trapping cabins, but the commission worked with the trappers and they are now protected under ANILCA. The commission was also effective in getting ANILCA boundaries actually mapped. She said the Minerals Commission, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska Miners Association, Kenai River Sport Fishing Association and the Outdoor Council all support this legislation. 4:14:49 PM SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said the fiscal note seemed big for an advisory commission and he asked if some of the duties could be performed by DNR staff. MS. STANCLIFF replied that the DNR is already providing mapping, office space, computer assistance, and the commission only needs two staff people. The fiscal note includes a little more for the first year to get them set up. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked how much per diem people get. MS. STANCLIFF replied the standard per diem rate and she didn't know what that was. CHAIR HUGGINS said this bill goes to the Finance Committee where that issue could be dealt with. He pointed out that the number of people on the commission went from 16 to 12 and their geographical distribution makes sense. 4:16:56 PM DICK MYLIUS, Director, Division of Mining, Land and Water, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), supported HB 87. He said the department is not in a position to advocate for individuals, which this commission does. He said that DNR has one full-time person that works on federal land use plans. Just keeping up with planning and regulations is more than enough work for him, so he is not able to take on the additional commission responsibilities. 4:18:23 PM TINA CUNNING, Special Assistant to the Commissioner on federal issues, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), supported HB 87. She said that ADF&G has two people who work on federal issues and their primary focus is protecting state authorities on management of fish and game. She also said the department doesn't have the staff to deal with individual issues. ROD ARNO, Alaska Outdoor Council, said he supported CSHB 87 (FIN) am. 4:20:30 PM SENATOR STEVENS moved to pass CSHB 87(FIN) am from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note. There were no objections and it was so ordered.