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.

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Contributing Editors

Suzanne Bostrom
Legislative & Communications Manager
suzanne@akvoice.org

David Rogers
ACV Lobbyist

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

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

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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

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In This Issue

• Power to the People
• Action Briefs
  • On the Move
  • New in Town
• Hearings this Week

Whether it is through the lens of climate change, rising fossil fuel prices, economic opportunity or national security, interest in renewable energy is on the rise. Our own Governor Palin has even been touting her hope to develop a "zealous" energy plan that includes renewable energy components. With some of the best renewable energy resources in the world, Alaska has the ability to lead the nation and the world in the development of clean, renewable energy. The recently published Renewable Energy Atlas of Alaska highlights this "gold mine" of renewable energy resources. Whether it involves, wind, geothermal, biomass, solar, tidal or hydropower projects, renewable technologies have the potential to impart significant environmental, health and economic benefits to communities throughout Alaska.

Tidal energy in particular was the focus of discussion this week at Alaska 's first-ever Tidal Energy Conference. With Alaska ’s 34,000 miles of coastline and countless rivers, individuals are delving into the question of whether or not tides and currents could be used to generate electricity in an economic manner. At the Conference, a presentation by the Electric Power Research Institute highlighted the findings of a recent study on the potential of tidal energy in Southeast Alaska . Commissioned by the Alaska Energy Authority, this study identified areas of Cross Sound and Icy Strait as having "a massive energy potential, [with] more than enough to meet the region's energy needs and enough to allow the export of valuable green energy to Canada and the Pacific Northwest ." Cook Inlet has also attracted a tremendous amount of attention as a potential energy source for the Railbelt. When Knik Arm was studied, it was found that the site could yield approximately 17 Megawatts of power--enough to power 17,000 homes.

Since many ocean energy technologies are relatively young and are in the R&D phase, new developments are constantly occurring and many questions still remain over funding, permitting and regulations. Experts at the conference noted that the permitting process in particular is likely to lengthen the timeline for new technology development and implementation since the impacts of the technology (on marine life, nearby areas, etc.) are not well known. As a result, potential technology is still two to three years away from being ready for commercialization.

On the positive side—like many other forms of renewable energy—the construction, operation and maintenance of wave and tidal power plants could create jobs, promote economic development and investment while helping to improve the energy outlook in Alaska's communities. According to a report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, renewables have the potential to create three times as many jobs as the same level of spending on fossil fuels.

With one of the greatest difficulties for developing renewable energy projects being the high, up-front capital cost, we anticipate that the legislature and the administration will examine options for how to address this road block. In examining the outlook for the upcoming session, ACV is encouraged by the climate for "new energy" being promoted by Governor Palin and is looking forward to seeing which energy bills get introduced or moved in the legislature.

Already, Representative Thomas' HB64 (in line with his bill HB445 from last session) is on the table and attempts to address this issue by creating a source of funds to build renewable energy projects and displace fossil fuel usage. Two other bills, HB73 (Rep. Crawford) and SB44 (Sen. McGuire) are also on the table and would work to secure funding to build a wind farm on Fire Island near Anchorage. We expect more bills will show up in the near future. The time is ripe for an in-depth dialogue about how we can develop "new energy" and power the people of Alaska.

For more information check out:

The Renewable Energy Atlas of Alaska

The Alaska Energy Authority

Documents on the 2007 Tidal Conference in Ketchikan

HB 25 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 easily from House Resources this week. The bill is on the move and is already scheduled for a hearing in the next committee of referral - House Judiciary - on Wednesday, January 31st. Last year's version of the bill (HB415) was widely supported, but failed to pass as a result of last-minute politics. Barring any time constraints, we anticipate that this bill is likely to make its way through both bodies this session.

HB 87 Citizen's Advisory Committee on Federal Areas - Rep. Kelly (R-Fairbanks)
HB87 was heard in House Resources this week but did not move from committee. It is scheduled again for a hearing in House Resources on Wednesday, January 31st. The measure would reestablish the Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Federal Management Areas in Alaska. The Committee would consist of 16 individuals with no designated seats. Instead, the bill requires a mix of appointments made by the House Speaker, Senate President and the Governor that are “representative of the diversity of users and uses of federal land in the state” plus 2 legislators from each of the bodies (4 legislators total). The committee is likely to focus on issues relating to mining, trapping, fishing, hunting and recreation. We expect the bill to move soon.

SB57 Marine Parks Additions/Hunting Allowed - Sen. Elton (D-Juneau)
This bill addresses issues related to hunting in marine parks of the Alaska state park system and makes additions and changes to the current marine park units. This bill is nearly identical to Rep. Kerttula's HB94 in the House except that Kerttula's bill addresses fishing, hunting and trapping, while Elton's version only addresses hunting.

SB48 / HB103 Bond Requirement on Appeal - Sen. Huggins (R-Wasilla) / Rep. Coghill (R-North Pole)
SB48 and HB103 limit the size of the bond required to stay execution of a civil judgment that is appealed. It includes an exception for awards resulting from the injury, loss or destruction of natural resources caused by an “environmental disaster” (i.e., oil and hazardous substance spills). SB48 was referred to Senate Judiciary and Finance while HB103 was referred to House Judiciary only. We are likely to take a closer look if they start to move.

SB26 Geoduck Aquatic Farm Exemption - Rep. Seaton (R-Homer)
This bill addresses the issue of geoduck aquatic farming by stating that the Commissioner of Fish & Game may not use the absence of wild geoduck clams in a particular area as a reason for denying a permit for an aquatic farm. The bill also allows a certified hatchery to transfer geoduck seed to an aquatic farm located in an established fisheries management area that is contiguous to the Gulf of Alaska. This bill has a hearing in House Fisheries on Friday, February 2.

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.