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 -

• Renewable Energy Fund Passes the House!
• Fire Island Debate Heats Up
• 24 Hour Rule
• Action Briefs
  • Worth Noting
  • On the Move
  • New in Town
• Hearings this Week

Renewable Energy Fund Passes the House!

Thanks are in order to the members of the House, who voted unanimously 35-0 to pass the renewable energy fund bill, HB152, on Thursday, and to the long list of sponsors and co-sponsors for the bill, which now include:

Reps. Harris (R-Valdez), Thomas (R-Haines), Crawford (D-Anchorage), Gara (D-Anchorage), Salmon (D-Beaver), Johnson (R-Anchorage), Guttenberg (D-Fairbanks), Gardner (D-Anchorage), Nelson (D-Bethel), Edgmon (D-Dillingham), LeDoux (R-Kodiak), Dahlstrom (R-Anchorage), Kerttula (D-Juneau), Wilson (R-Wrangell) , Holmes (D-Anchorage), Doll (D-Juneau), Meyer (R-Anchorage), Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks), Joule (D-Kotzebue), Seaton (R-Homer), Lynn (R-Anchorage), Gruenberg (D-Anchorage), and Johansen (R-Ketchikan)

Take a minute to send your own Representative an email to thank them for passing this important piece of legislation! You can look up your legislator and their contact information here.

In related news, HB152 has already moved over to the Senate where it received Resources and Finance referrals and is already scheduled for its first hearing on Wednesday, April 25. Senator Lesil McGuire (R-Anchorage) signed her name on as the first cross-sponsor of the legislation. Sponsors and co-sponsors of the Senate version of the bill, SB96, already include Senators Ellis, Stevens, Thomas, French, Wielechowski, Davis, and Elton.

TAKE ACTION!
Now is the time for you to write Letters to the Editor and to encourage your own Senator to keep this important priority bill moving this year! Check out Senator Ellis and Representative Thomas’ excellent Compass piece in last week's ADN, "Renewable Energy Fund Beginning of Political Commitment," for more information. Information on where and how to submit an LTE can be found here.

Fire Island Debate Heats Up

In other renewable energy news, two bills are on the table this session—HB73 (Rep. Crawford - D, Anchorage) & SB44 (Sen. McGuire - R, Anchorage)— that would make an appropriation of $24,000,000 from the Railbelt energy fund for construction of the transmission lines to connect a proposed Wind Farm on Fire Island to the grid in Anchorage. SB44 was heard last week in Senate Resources and was scheduled to be heard again this week, but time ran out before it could be taken up again.

With the once abundant supply of natural gas in South Central Alaska diminishing quickly and with a shortage that is expected to hit as early as 2009, Anchorage and the Railbelt could soon be looking at losing a major chunk of the electricity that is currently being generated by natural gas generators. Currently, Cook Inlet natural gas generates between 80 and 90 percent of Anchorage’s electricity. Hydro generators create only about 15 percent of the electricity generated by Chugach Electric Association. As a result, legislators are looking for opportunities to diversify energy sources by tapping into the option of renewable energy through sources such as a wind turbine farm on Fire Island.

A consortium known as the Alaska Railbelt Energy Authority, which includes Municipal Light and Power, Chugach Electric Association, Homer Electric Association and Golden Valley Electric Association in Fairbanks, is proposing to use land on Fire Island for a 24-turbine wind farm that, if developed, could supply at least 100 megawatts of electricity for the region—more than is annually consumed by all the households in Fairbanks. The Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI), an Anchorage Native corporation that owns the 3,000 acres of land proposed for the project, would build, operate and own the turbines and sell the power to the electric companies. The $24 million appropriation would go towards the transmission lines' construction and would help CIRI to keep prices to customers down.

With new technologies for wind power emerging on a regular basis, the cost of generating electricity from wind has dropped more than 80 percent over the past decade and is the fastest growing sector of America's energy market. At the recent hearing on SB44, it was noted that the projected cost of electricity for the Fire Island project would be between 6 and 9 cents per kilowatt hour, as compared to the current 8.5 cents per kilowatt hour that is charged. Add to that the fact that there are no fuel costs associated with wind power, and Anchorage could be looking at a project with a long range cost that would be no more than that of building and fueling a comparable gas-fired system.

Though the state created the Railbelt Energy Fund in 1985 to assist electric companies along the Railbelt with developing projects to address increasing energy demand, Palmer-based Matanuska Electric Association indicated that it opposes using the Railbelt Energy Fund for the wind farm. Instead, it is endorsing a proposal that was vetoed by former Governor Murkowski to split the fund among electric companies. Further fueling the debate is the fact that delaying the project could put it in jeopardy of losing matching federal funds to help pay for the cost of construction, but are only available through December 31, 2007.

The final days of this half of the session are rolling by quickly and the fate of the Fire Island bills is unknown, though Rep. Crawford still sees hope in the fact that key House budget writers such as Rep. Meyer (R-Anchorage) have shown support for the project and could still insert it into the state capital budget that is now in the works. ACV will continue to track the progress of this important project.

More Information:

• "Bills promote Fire Island Wind Farm" - ADN

Heads Up! -- The 24 Hour Rule is Just Around the Corner

Only 25 days remain in the first regular session of the 25th Alaska State Legislature. With the passage of the Operating Budget in the Senate on Friday, the "24-Hour Rule" is now on the horizon. Under the Legislature’s Uniform Rules, a committee must give 5-day advance notice for hearings during most of the session. The switch occurs when the Legislature appoints members to the operating budget conference committee and the rules reduce notification requirements to 24 hours. Please fasten your seatbelts for the final push. In the closing days of the legislative session, lawmakers are known to pass key budget bills and other legislation in a flurry of activity.

If you are tracking a particular piece of legislation, you will need to check the BASIS website daily and/or make direct contact with legislative offices in order to obtain updated information. ACV will continue to provide weekly updates on the schedule, but things pop up and change quickly during the final days of the session.

Worth Noting

Petroleum Systems Integrity Office
Governor Palin signed an executive order on Wednesday to establish the Petroleum Systems Integrity Office. According to the Administration, the 10-person staff heading up the office will provide oversight of the oil field infrastructure and ensure that integrity of the pipeline is maintained. On Wednesday, Governor Palin also urged the Legislature to pick up the pace on SB80 (Sen. Wagoner – R, Kenai) and HB128 ( Rep. Olson – R, Soldotna), which would prevent oil companies from deducting facility maintenance or repair costs under the new Petroleum Production Tax that resulted because of improper maintenance. For more information, see “Palin announces maintenance oversight plan” (AP).

On the Move

HB87 Citizen's Advisory Committee on Federal Areas - Rep. Kelly (R-Fairbanks)
HB87 was kept in House Rules this week. The measure would re-establish a Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Federal Management Areas and calls for the House Speaker, Senate President and the Governor to appoint a mix of 8 individuals that are “representative of the diversity of users and uses of federal land in the state,” along with 4 legislators (two from each body appointed by the Speaker and President). Questions have been raised over whether or not additional language should be included to ensure that there is, in fact, an inclusive process and broad representation on the Committee.

HB149 Pollutant Discharge Permits - Introduced by request of the Governor
HB149 passed 31-8 on the House floor on Friday. The bill was introduced by request of Governor Palin to revise certain provisions of law governing the department's permitting and enforcement authority in order to align the state's permit requirements with the EPA's. The EPA is currently reviewing Alaska 's application to run the now federal NPDES permitting program and the changes made by the bill are necessary to align state laws with the more stringent federal law.

**Passed in the House** HB152 Establishing A Renewable Energy Fund - Rep. Harris (R-Cordova)
ACV Priority Passes the House - The House passed HB152 35-0 this week. The bill has already moved over to the Senate, where it received Resources and Finance Committee referrals. The first hearing for the measure will be next Wednesday, April 25, in Senate Resources. The bill would allow the Alaska Energy Authority to provide funds for viable renewable energy projects. HB152 and its Senate counterpart, SB96, have strong bi-partisan support. The bill is a top priority for ACV and we hope to see it pass this session.

HB164 Ocean Rangers & Reporting Vessel Location - House Transportation Committee
HB164 was heard and held in House Judiciary on Friday to allow time for further amendment discussions. Concerns were expressed by multiple committee members over the current version of the bill. The bill deals with how to implement the Ocean Ranger requirement in last year's Cruise Ship Initiative. A recent ADN article, "Cruise ship vote makes new waves," highlights some of the latest debates over the Cruise Ship Initiative.

HB176 Create Fort Rousseau Causeway Park – Rep. Wilson (R-Wrangell)
HB176 was moved from House Finance this week and is now in House Rules. 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.”

HB177 / SB104 Natural Gas Pipeline Project - Released by request of the Governor
Senate Judiciary wrapped up its work on AGIA this week and moved a committee substitute for SB104 from the committee. According to the press release, changes to the bill included making the tax constitutional, tightening the arbitration provision, requiring legislative approval within 60 days, expediting the judicial process, and further defining the term “project labor agreement.” Senate Judiciary Chair Senator Hollis French commented on Palin’s Alaska Gasline Inducement Act: “Right now, the gas pipeline project is stalled. AGIA might just be able to get it moving again.” The bill will now go to Senate Finance. On the House side, hearings on HB177 in House Resources continued all week and are slated to continue into next week.

**Passed in the House** HB220 Ban Computer Assisted Remote Hunting - Rep. Buch (D-Anchorage)
HB220 passed 39-0 in the House this week. 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 Conservation Watch 12. ACV supports passage of this pro-active legislation.

New In Town

HB241 Stampede State Recreation Area - Rep. Guttenberg (D-Fairbanks)
This bill would establish the Stampede State Recreation Area to perpetuate and enhance general public recreation and public enjoyment of fish and wildlife, protect and maintain fish and wildlife habitat, and provide an area for the public to enjoy the full spectrum of public uses, including maintenance and enhancement of motorized and non-motorized recreational opportunities.

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.