Alaska Conservation Voters

Conservation Watch

Alaska Conservation Voters
works to protect Alaska's environment through public education and advocacy, and supports pro-conservation candidates for public office.

Conservation Watch (CW) is a weekly publication of ACV highlighting conservation issues in the AK Legislature.

-----------------

To add your name to our mailing list or to subscribe a friend, click here.

------------------

Contributing Editors

Suzanne Bostrom
Legislative & Communications Manager
suzanne@akvoice.org

David Rogers
ACV Lobbyist

-----------------

ACV- Juneau
419 6th Street, #321
Juneau, AK 99801
(907) 463-3366
(907) 463-2554 fax

-----------------

ACV- Anchorage
810 N Street #203
Anchorage, AK 99801
(907) 258-6171
(907) 258-6177 fax

-----------------

Web Resources

ACV Legislation Page
Bill position papers, back issues of Conservation Watch, and legislative updates

Legislative BASIS
Current bill text, history & committee schedules

Legislature Homepage
Find Your Legislators, party links, committee lists

State Homepage
Links to state agencies and the Governor

 ACV Homepage

-----------------

In This Issue

• Climate Change Hearings in Anchorage Next Week
• The Countdown Begins
• Lions & Tigers &... Internet Hunting? Oh My!
• Action Briefs
  • Worth Noting
  • On the Move
  • New in Town
• Hearings this Week

Climate Change Hearings in Anchorage Next Week

The next set of hearings for the Alaska Climate Impact Assessment Commission will be held in Anchorage on Thursday, April 12th and Friday, April 13th. The Commission is examining the effect of global warming on Alaska and will submit its findings as well as recommendations on solutions and preventative measures to the Legislature. The Commission will hold an all-day hearing on April 12th and 13th in Anchorage. On Thursday, April 12th, invited presentations will take place from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. and public testimony will be accepted from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. On Friday, April 13th, invited presentations will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and open public testimony will be from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

What You Can Do -
Testify on the impacts of climate change in Alaska and tell your personal story of how climate change has touched your life. It is important that the Commission understand the gravity of their charge in safeguarding our way of life in Alaska. Your voice can make a difference!

• When: Thursday, April 12th between 6:00p.m. and 8:00 p.m. OR Friday, April 13th between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
• Where In Anchorage: Anchorage Legislative Information Office, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 716 4th Avenue
• Ideas and Tips for Testimony: If you have personally witnessed changes, tell your story or make suggestions on adaptation or mitigation strategies for specific impacts. Where appropriate in your testimony; remind them that human activity does play a role and that we can work to do our part to work towards solving the problem. Cite your pride/heritage as an Alaskan and highlight the fact that Alaska should be more than the poster state for impacts-- we should be leaders in working to find solutions. Most of all--remain positive and gracious!

Get Involved: "Step It Up" for Climate Change -
Next Saturday, April 14th is also "Step It Up" Day, a national day calling for Federal Climate Change Action. Hundreds of communities from across the country will be rallying to on the 14th to ask Congress to do something about bringing the United States into a clean energy future. For more information on the events that will be taking place throughout Alaska, visit the following links: Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, Kenai, Sitka, Bethel and Homer. To learn more about how to organize your own action or to learn more about "Step It Up Day" in general, go to www.stepitup2007.org.

More information:

• To learn more about the impacts of climate change in Alaska , visit www.alaskaconservationsolutions.com or download a summary of the impacts in Alaska here.
• To read more about the Climate Impact Assessment Commission and the scope of their duties, visit the BASIS listing for HCR30, the resolution that created the commission last year.

The Countdown Begins...

Only 39 days now remain in the first regular session of the 25th Legislature, which ends on May 16th. If next week’s schedule is any indication of how the remainder of the session will go, the final days are likely to be packed with discussions on the pipeline, budget, ethics and numerous other bills.  

Lions & Tigers &... Internet Hunting? Oh My!

A bill that recently popped out and appears to be building some momentum is HB220, sponsored by Rep. Buch (D-Anchorage). The measure, which would ban computerized hunting in Alaska, was introduced on March 26, was heard and moved from House Resources this week and has already been scheduled for its next hearing in House Judiciary on April 13. The ever-growing list of bipartisan co-sponsors for the bill now includes Reps. Gatto (R-Palmer), Fairclough (R-Eagle River), Thomas (R-Haines), Neuman (R-Wasilla), Crawford (D-Anchorage), Wilson (R-Wrangell), Seaton (R-Homer), Foster (D-Nome), Samuels (R-Anchorage), Stoltze (R-Chugiak) and Holmes (D-Anchorage).

While people are traditionally used to simulated hunting and shooting experiences through video games and hunting movies, Internet remote hunting moves beyond that to provide a real-time “hunting” experience. Computer assisted hunting, or Internet hunting, allows a person via the Internet to control the aiming and firing of a real rifle that is hooked up to a webcam. The cyber-shooting idea was the brainchild of Texan John Lockwood, who started the web site LiveShot.com.

The idea works like this: the prospective “armchair sportsman” signs up on the web site and pays a deposit and fees of more than $1,500 to schedule a session. At the appropriate time, the individual logs on to watch a feeding station on their computer screen. The animal that was ordered—anything from wild hogs to deer to antelope—will then approach the food and the hunter can move on-screen crosshairs into place to aim the gun. A click of the mouse will fire the gun. If the animal is wounded, but not dead, a marksman on the scene will kill it. The animal is then mounted and shipped for display.

HB220 sponsor Rep. Buch indicated that Alaska game should be off limits to such virtual hunters. “This is an insult to sportsmen everywhere,” Buch said. “Taking a moose with a click of a mouse? Not in Alaska.”

Nationally, twenty seven states have signed bills into law or adopted regulations to ban Internet hunting while eight other states, including Alaska, have legislation pending. (To view a map of which states have addressed the issue, click here.) As was indicated at the hearing in House Resources this week, a broad array of groups and individuals have come out in support of the prohibition, including the National Rifle Association, the Humane Society, the Alaska Outdoor Council, the Department of Fish & Game, the Alaska Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other hunting organizations.

“The preemptive nature of HB 220 banning computer-assisted hunting is a significant action for conservation of wildlife and protection of our hunting heritage,” said Carl Rosier, retired Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and representative for the Alaska Outdoor Council.

Joe Klutsche, President of the Alaska Professional Hunters Association, who testified at this week’s hearing on HB220, also expressed strong feelings against the practice: “Killing an animal via cyberspace and robotics is not ‘hunting.’ This activity constitutes nothing more than the mechanical slaughter of an animal over the internet.”

As written, HB220 would prohibit individuals from participating in Internet hunting in Alaska and would bar anyone from providing services or operating facilities to enable computerized hunting activities. A person convicted for violating the prohibition would be guilty of a class A misdemeanor. An exemption was also included to ensure that future technologies designed to assist the legitimate needs of handicapped or disabled hunters would not be subject to the bill’s prohibition.

ACV supports HB220 and commends Rep. Buch and the co-sponsors of the measure for working pro-actively to prevent the practice of Internet hunting from coming to Alaska.

More Information

Bill Text

Sponsor Statement

Press Release

Worth Noting

Oil Tax Update
On Monday, the Department of Revenue learned that the state’s oil tax receipts under the new tax plan fell $137 million dollars short of projections. While the Department of Revenue will be taking a closer look over the next week at whether the shortfall is due to a difference in the interpretation of the new statute or a difference in profit results, the issue has already raised questions for some over the effectiveness of the state’s new profits-based Petroleum Production Tax. In a recent comment by Governor Palin, she indicated that she will hold off on judging the new tax structure until the Revenue Department provides further analysis, but is prepared to re-visit the formula if necessary. (See APRN)

On the Move

HB25 Recreational Land Use Liability - Rep. Seaton (R-Homer)
This bill, which allows landowners immunity for allowing their land to be accessed without charge for recreational purposes, passed in Senate Resources this week. The bill is getting closer to the goal line and is now awaiting a hearing in Senate Judiciary, where they are expected to focus on a couple of unresolved legal issues. ACV is on record supporting this bill.

HB176 Create Fort Rousseau Causeway Park – Rep. Wilson (R-Wrangell)
During WWII, the Army constructed fortifications at several areas around Sitka Sound, including an 8,000 foot rock and gravel causeway that terminated at the Army’s command headquarters, named For Rousseau, where some of the original structures built by the military still exist. The Causeway has been added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a historical landmark by the National Parks Service. This measure would create the Fort Rousseau Causeway State Historical Park to “promote, support, and preserve public use by maintaining and protecting the area’s fish and wildlife habitat, cultural resources, and scenic values.” A committee substitute for HB176 was moved from House Resources this week. The CS inserted a survey number and fine tuned the legal description of the land under consideration.

HB177 / SB104 Natural Gas Pipeline Project - Released by request of the Governor
Senate Resources moved a committee substitute for SB104 from committee this week (see ADN). The governor’s gasline team cited concerns about an amendment that would give the Legislature 60 days to approve a proposed licensee, as it could potentially delay the project. Under the Governor’s original proposal, the legislature only had veto power over the licensee that had to be exercised with 30 days. Another amendment inserted in Senate Resources could result in pipeline operators being able to charge a higher rate to new shippers that come in after pipeline expansion. The administration indicated that such a provision might deter exploration. Based on meetings that occurred with business and union leaders in the state, an amendment from the administration was also inserted to require a licensee to agree to commit to Alaska hire project labor agreements on any pipeline project. SB104 has now been taken up by Senate Judiciary. A committee substitute for the House version of the bill, HB177, was moved from House Oil and Gas on Wednesday. A proposal by Rep. Ramras (R-Fairbanks) to require a pipeline operator to offer a minimum of 5% ownership of the project was turned down in the Committee. Several other amendments were also adopted before the bill was moved, including a system for ranking the criteria under which the administration would select a pipeline licensee and an amendment for expansion costs similar to the Senate version, which eliminates the requirement that gas shippers who commit supplies to the initial phase could not object to sharing the expansion costs with shippers that come on line at a later time (see ADN). According to an Associated Press article that came out today (Friday), "the gloves appear to be coming off at the state capitol" and "lawmakers don't expect the process to slow down, either, and some predict 'mischief' is on the way as the second round of hearings resume when the Legislature reconvenes from a holiday break Tuesday" (see AP).

HB203 Kodiak Narrow Cape Public Use Area - Rep. LeDoux (R-Kodiak)
A committee substitute for HB203, which would create the Kodiak Narrow Cape Public Use Area, was moved from House Resources this week. The CS included changes requested by DNR to remove around 10,000 acres from the original bill’s legal description of the area, added in an amendment to allow for continued use of the area for grazing, and changed language (“shall” to “may”) related to the commissioner’s adoption of a management plan for the area since there already is a plan in place. Public testimony on the bill this week was in support of recognizing and protecting the multiple uses of the area through the PUA designation and included support from the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation and the Kodiak launch complex.

HJR14 Resolution Encouraging Federal Passage of SB552 for Exxon Valdez Plaintiffs - House Special Committee on Fisheries
HJR14 had its Resources Committee referral waived this week and was referred to House Rules for scheduling on the House floor. HJR14 urges the U.S. Congress to enact S. 552 and H.R. 1334 so that individuals receiving a damage award from the Exxon Valdez oil spill can benefit from the income averaging and retirement contribution provisions of the measures. According to the sponsor statement, this would allow the recipient of the settlement to either place money in a retirement fund with a higher cap for deductions and/or to average their income to better reflect how it would have been earned if the spill had not occurred.

**Passed This Week** HR6 Oppose Threatened Status for Polar Bears - Rep. Johnson (R-Anchorage)
HR6, co-sponsored by Reps. Stoltze, Hawker, Wilson and Lynn, was introduced on Friday, March 30 and was passed on the House floor on Tuesday, April 3. The resolution was not referred to any committees. A similar, fast-tracked resolution, SR6, was also passed in the Senate (see below). The resolution encourages all states to oppose the decision of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to list the polar bear as a threatened species. It passed 30 to 9, with Reps. Cissna, Doll, Gara, Gardner, Gruenberg, Guttenberg, Holmes, Kawasaki and Kerttula voting no. In discussion on the House floor, opponents of the resolution cited strong concerns with the language of the bill, which had not been reviewed by any committees. Though some noted the “need” to submit the resolution before the April 9 deadline for comments on the listing, others called into question the “rushed” nature of the bill’s introduction and passage, citing that the notice from the Federal Register came out before the session began. Rep. Joule, who grew up in the “polar bear capital” of Kotzebue, indicated that while we should be very concerned about global climate change, the time was not necessarily now to take the step of listing the polar bear as threatened. Other supporters of the bill argue that the listing is inappropriately based on speculative future impacts predicted by disputed science. They also claim it would have huge, negative impacts on the nation’s economy and would hurt Americans’ communities, livelihoods, and quality of life.

SB121 Cruise Ship Discharge - Sen. Elton (D-Juneau)
SB121 passed unanimously in the Senate this week. The bill would reinstate a compliance program for a group of small cruise vessels that was created by the Legislature in 2004 and inadvertently repealed by the 2006 Cruise Ship Initiative. The bill is intended to act as a corrective action and, according to Sen. Elton, is not opposed by the sponsors of the initiative.

**Passed This Week** SR6 Oppose Threatened Status for Polar Bears - Sen. Therriault (R-North Pole)
SR6, co-sponsored by Reps. Green, Wagoner, Dyson, Wilken, Bunde, Stevens, McGuire, Huggins, Stedman and Cowdery, was introduced on Friday, March 30 and was taken up and passed 12 to 5 in the very same Senate floor session. “Nay” votes on the bill included Senators Ellis, Elton, French, Thomas and Wielechowski. (Senators Hoffman and Therriault were excused and Sen. Olson was absent.) A similar resolution, HR6, passed in the House on Tuesday of this week (see above). As with HR6, the resolution encourages all states to oppose the decision of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to list the polar bear as a threatened species. On the Senate Floor, comments from supporters of the resolution indicated that they were uncomfortable with the listing and that other factors would need to be examined since there was conflicting and/or not enough information on whether polar bears were truly “threatened.” Several of those who voted against the resolution indicated that they were uncomfortable with the language. A question was also raised about when the legislature first learned about the April 9 deadline for comments and why there was not some sort of hearing on the issue before a final vote was taken.

HB220 Ban Computer Assisted Remote Hunting - Rep. Buch (D-Anchorage)
This bill, which would ban computerized hunting in Alaska, was heard and moved from House Resources this week. It has already been scheduled for its next hearing in House Judiciary on April 13. Computer assisted hunting, or Internet hunting, allows a person via the Internet to control the aiming and firing of a rifle that is hooked up to a webcam. For more information, see the article above. ACV supports passage of this pro-active legislation.

HB230 Plastic Bag Fee; Establish Litter Fund - Rep. Doll (D-Juneau)
This legislation is the House counterpart to Senator Elton’s SB118. The measure would put in place a $.15 fee for disposable plastic bags and establish the Alaska litter and marine debris reduction and recycling fund. “Disposable bags" would include grocery sacks, dry-cleaning bags, take-out food bags, retail bags, membership or wholesaler bags and service station bags that are provided by a retail seller of goods or services to a consumer to allow them to carry away or protect goods purchased from or serviced by the retail seller. The Alaska litter and marine debris reduction and recycling fund would be established within the general fund. It would provide grants to help reduce and cleanup litter and marine debris, fund nonprofit organizations that are involved in collection, cleanup or promotion of public awareness problems, establish a statewide information campaign to educate the public on the hazards and issues with litter and marine debris and promote the need to increase recycling of disposable bags. For more information, see Conservation Watch 10. ACV will be supporting both these bills.

HJR17 Kensington Mine Appeal / 9th Circuit - Rep. Johnson (R-Anchorage) / Co-sponsor Rep. Johansen (R-Ketchikan)
HJR17 was introduced on Thursday, April 5 to encourage Coeur Alaska, Inc. to pursue all legal options to resolve the issues presented in Southeast Alaska Conservation Council v. United States Army Corp of Engineers . It also “requests the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to adjudicate those matters that come before the court in a fair and impartial manner so that the state’s natural resources may be developed in a timely and lawful manner.” The resolution is in response to an order issued recently in Southeast Alaska Conservation Council v. United States Army Corps of Engineers that the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit intends to reverse and vacate the Record of Decision authorizing the use of Lower Slate Lake as a disposal facility at the Kensington Mine in Juneau and send the case back to the district court with instructions to enter summary judgment in favor of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.

Hearings this Week

Click on the date in the table below to get the most current schedule information for that day, or check the BASIS hearing schedule. Once a bill has been heard in a particular committee it may be brought up again without public notice or listing on the weekly committee schedule. You can click on a committee name to see a list of its members.