CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON SCR 1  April 26, 2000 6:00 p.m.   MEMBERS PRESENT    Senator Drue Pearce, Co-Chair Representative Ramona Barnes, Co-Chair Senator John Torgerson Representative Beth Kerttula Senator Johnny Ellis Representative Gail Phillips   MEMBERS ABSENT    None   COMMITTEE CALENDAR    SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1 Suspending provisions of Rule 1(e), Uniform Rules of the Alaska State Legislature, relating to proportional minority membership on standing committees as it applies to the Senate Finance Committee during the Twenty-First Alaska State Legislature. -MOVED CCS SCR 1 OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS ACTION    Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action 1/19/99 8 (S) SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS Y15 N4 A1 1/19/99 8 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME 1/19/99 9 (S) READ SECOND TIME AND ON FINAL PASSAGE 1/19/99 9 (S) PASSED Y14 N5 A1 SCR 1 1/19/99 23 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H) 1/21/99 44 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S) 1/21/99 44 (H) RLS 4/20/00 Text (H) RLS AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205 4/20/00 Text (H) Moved HCS SCR 1(RLS) Out of Committee 4/20/00 3343 (H) RLS RPT HCS(RLS) NT 4DP 1NR 4/20/00 3344 (H) TITLE CHANGE AUTHORIZED BY HCR 27 4/20/00 3344 (H) DP: JOULE, PHILLIPS, KOTT, COWDERY;  4/20/00 3344 (H) NR: GREEN 4/20/00 3344 (H) ZERO FISCAL NOTE (H.RLS) 4/20/00 3374 (H) RULES TO CALENDAR 4/20/00 4/20/00 3374 (H) READ THE SECOND TIME 4/20/00 3374 (H) RLS HCS ADOPTED Y29 N8 A3 4/20/00 3375 (H) PASSED Y29 N11 4/20/00 3387 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) AS AMENDED 4/25/00 3489 (S) FAILED CONCUR (H) AM Y- N20 4/25/00 3489 (S) CONFERENCE COMMITTEE APPOINTED 4/25/00 3489 (S) *PEARCE, TORGERSON, ELLIS 4/25/00 3505 (H) FAILED RECEDE (H) AM N40 4/25/00 3506 (H) CONFERENCE COMMITTEE APPOINTED 4/25/00 3506 (H) *BARNES, PHILLIPS, KERTTULA 4/26/00 Text (S) 001 AT 10:00 AM BUTROVICH 205 4/26/00 Text (H) 001 AT 5:00 PM CAPITOL 120 4/26/00 Text (H) Time to be Announced 4/26/00 Text (S) 001 AT 5:45 PM BUTROVICH 205 ACTION NARRATIVE  Tape 00-01, Side A   SCR 1-MOTORIZED OIL TRANSPORT TASK FORCE    CO-CHAIR SENATOR DRUE PEARCE called the Conference Committee on SCR 1 to order at 6:00 p.m. Present were Senators Pearce, Torgerson, and Ellis and Representatives Barnes, Phillips and Kerttula. CO-CHAIR PEARCE announced that a proposed conference committee substitute for SCR 1 (labeled Version M) was before conferees. CO-CHAIR Barnes moved to adopt Version M as the conference committee substitute. There being no objection, CO-CHAIR PEARCE announced that Version M was adopted. CO-CHAIR PEARCE explained the changes from the House version of SCR 1 as follows. On page 2, line 1, rather than designating a specified number of members, CCS SCR 1 creates a task force composed of an unspecified number of members. Subsection 12 was added which allows for other participants as may be agreed to by the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Senate and House members of the task force. Inadvertently, no representatives from the fishing industry or local governments were included. They may, or may not, wish to be a part of the group. Certain resolve clauses that referred to achieving response planning were deleted because those references were incorporated into SB 273. Subsection (1) was changed to give DEC the burden of showing why the response planning standard cannot be implemented using containment equipment that is readily available for purchase in the market. Subsection (2) was rewritten and now speaks to the practical measures used to implement the standard West of 157 degrees longitude or North of 62 degrees latitude. Alternative compliance measures will be necessary in far Western Alaska waters. Subsection (3) is new: it directs the task force to recommend and report on the use of fleet plans, vessel agents, generic contingency plans, etc., that will help meet the response planning standard. Subsection (4) requires that the task force report include inspections measures to be included in the regulations. REPRESENTATIVE PHILLIPS asked if drills and exercises need to be identified separately. CO-CHAIR PEARCE explained that the contingency planning process includes drills and exercises as part of the statute so a specific reference is unnecessary. REPRESENTATIVE KERTTULA said the language in subsection (1) on page 3 is confusing but it is her understanding that the task force will be able to look at all of the ways that tankers and the railroad can achieve their contingency plans so that they will not be stuck trying to prove a negative. CO-CHAIR PEARCE agreed but noted the task force will not be revisiting contingency plans for tankers. REPRESENTATIVE KERTTULA said she meant non-tankers. CO-CHAIR PEARCE stated an ongoing concern has been expressed that as part of meeting the planning standards, the contingency plan holders are going to have to purchase a tremendous amount of new equipment. She disagrees and maintains that the amount of equipment in place is probably sufficient, if not overly so in some cases. She expects the costs to go down in terms of maintaining that equipment. For example, Cook Inlet shippers do not want to see a task force come back and recommend an escort vessel be used in Cook Inlet for the cargo carriers. She said she does not expect to see that happen. REPRESENTATIVE PHILLIPS suggested including a due date for the submittal of the task force report in the last "further resolved" clause. CO-CHAIR PEARCE noted the due date for the report is included in the bill on page 3, line 15. There being no further discussion, CO-CHAIR BARNES moved to adopt the conference committee report for SCR 1. CO-CHAIR PEARCE announced that, with no objection, the motion carried. She pointed out that a new zero fiscal note is forthcoming from the conference committee. There being no further business to come before the committee, CO- CHAIR PEARCE adjourned the meeting at 6:09 p.m.