Conservation Watch #25 3/30/2010
Week 11 of the legislative session. Holy cow! Only three weeks left! ACV priority bills may take a break this week with no hearings scheduled for SB 220, HB 305 and HB 306. However, SB 220 and HB 305 can be brought up in committee under bills already heard
In this Issue
- Clean Energy Alaska in the year 2035
- Legislative Potpourri
- From the Blog
- Bill Spotlight
- This Week in Committee
- New in Town
- Tweet of the Week
Week 11 of the legislative session. Holy cow! Only three weeks left!
ACV priority bills may take a break this week with no hearings scheduled for SB 152, SB 220, HB 305 and HB 306. However, SB 152, SB 220 and HB 305 can be brought up in committee under bills already heard.
Clean Energy Alaska in the year 2035
Vacation House of the Future c. 1957 | James R. Powers
Picture Alaska in the year 2035. Coniferous forests, bright muscular salmon, good wages, snow machines and fall hunts. Sounds like a good place to live. As in all times, in 2035 Alaska is a mix of stupendous natural beauty and the equally craggy terrain of human work, creativity and the drive to test boundaries and overcome challenges. If the Alaska in this story is as bountiful a quarter century from now as it is today, how did we protect and pay for all that beauty and fun? A good start was the passage of clean energy legislation in the spring of 2010.
When we include the riches associated with the development of Alaska’s natural gas, if we act fast, we can remember the building of the Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline as just the beginning of a century of Alaska energy leadership. Alaska’s citizens own the resources; with smart and measured development we will be the benefactors.
Disbelief suspension time
You are a tourist. It is the year 2035 and you are taking a deluxe all-included Alaskan vacation: the Inside passage, Kenai Peninsula, Fairbanks, Chena and Denali, Rural villages, Arctic Refuge and Arctic Ocean. Along the way we’ll see how Alaska has changed since the passage of the (now referred to as The) Omnibus Energy Bill of 2010.
Inside passage to Juneau
Boarding the newest Alaska Class Ferry in Bellingham, the M/V Tileston, it is already apparent that this vacation isn’t going to cost you many carbon credits. Lighter, faster and fuel efficient these Ferries can burn diesel to natural gas to hydrogen. The modern ferries offer all the amenities we remember including a solarium, where you unroll your sleeping bag and watch the world pass by.
Along the way the Tileston fuels at several remote stations along the route, the added time it offset by extra cargo space and weight savings of the smaller fuel tanks. The stations are powered by local resources, tidal, wave, hydro, geothermal, biomass, converting hydrogen (H2O) and
carbon (CO) into synthetic gas and liquid fuels. The local commercial fishing fleet also use these remote stations.
(Ferries in 25 years may be electric hybrids with natural gas turbines generating electricity for large motors. If storage technology improves steadily, or in a couple big hops ferries could make short runs on battery power alone).
The ferry glides quietly past Vancouver, Prince Rupert and into the Dixon Entrance. You can see that several small communities have their own windmills, but less noticeable are the many tidal and wave power stations. The many narrow channels of the inside passage make it ideal to harness the power of tides (water is nearly 1,000 as dense as air). The area could meet gigawatts of demand.
Up past Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg and, way off to the West, Sitka, Alaska’s first zero-carbon city. The hydroelectric city of Juneau is your final destination on the M/V Tileston (motto: the M/V Tileston, doing it right for over two years).
Many Juneau-ites have switched to electric cars, but you don’t worry about transportation because the Southeast Alaska Regional Transit Authority makes sure there is a bus pulling up soon when the ferry arrives, a hydrogen powered bus.
Juneau enjoys distributed energy systems with several small hydro projects (lake-tap and Run of the River) and vertical wind turbines. Island communities tap into micro hydro, solar, tidal, wave and wind energy. Heat transfer pumps keep schools, pools, and municipal buildings warm through wet windy winters.
Juneau is bustling with energy and communications businesses.
Remote mico-hydro refueling stations for fishing fleet and inside passage shipping. Tidal power projects, offshore wind, biomass heat and power including diesel from fish oil.
The ArcticLink fiber optic line from Asia to Alaska to Europe places Alaska in the center of hard-wired data and communications.
Alaska supplies reliably-priced clean green energy to massive server farms, which save 1/3rd of costs on cooling as water and air heat exchangers cool the hard drives and heat nearby homes and municipal buildings.
Unfortunately there is no time to take a dip in Juneau’s geothermal-warmed swimming pool, it’s off to the airport to catch Flight 220 to Anchorage.
Fly to Anchorage International Airport
The jet airplane you take to Anchorage International Airport runs on synthetic kerosene made near Fairbanks. Out the window you see the signature curled up wing tips that increase efficiency by about 4% and GE’s newest GEnx turbofan engine that is as much as 15% more efficient than the one it replaces.
The plane may also be wider with a lifting body design and low-power Organic Light Emitting Diode screens give passengers the sense of flying in an open cockpit…without the 500mph wind!
Flight 220 swings in over the Fire Island Wind Farm (which you can see) and the Ocean Renewable Power Corporation tidal power plant (which you can’t) and lands in Anchorage next to the new Virgin Galactic / Fed-Ex space port.
The rental cars in Anchorage looks about the same as others, but these Compressed Natural Gas-electric hybrid cars are decedents of those first used in the state fleet.
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/02/jaguar-developing-jet-powered-hybrid/
http://itwildcats.net/2009/11/2010-toyota-surfrider-camry-hybrid-cng-in-detail/
Drive the scenic Seward Highway
On the drive down to Seward, stop in Bird Creek to fill up on CNG and coffee. Along the way pass several small Run of the River hydroelectric plants from Girdwood to Moose Pass.
A new 215Kv line take wind, hydro and biomass energy from the Kenai Peninsula to the large load center of Anchorage & Matanuska-Susitna Valley. With a secure supply of natural gas feedstock, Agrium in Nikiski is again manufacturing fertilizer and ammonia for fuel.
Once in Seward, a good stop to make in is at the Alaska
SeaLife Center. Walk inside and enjoy the warmth provided to you and the animals by an industrial ocean water heat pump. The University of Alaska Fairbanks worked out of Seward, home port for the University’s $250 million research vessel, to uncover the secrets of Ocean Acidification.
Travel by train on the Alaska Railroad
Back in Anchorage to catch the train to Fairbanks. Fur Rondy the holds 10th annual Digital Dogsled electric snow machine races. The winner of the 2035 Iditarod is disqualified for leading with a robot dog.
Leaving Anchorage the train passes ML&P’s natural gas turbine cooling tower with the familiar stack of steam, only smaller, as natural gas turbines become more efficient. Not long after, you ride past the new SusitChamna large hydroelectric project and the Mount Spurr geothermal project. Lake Eklutna hydroelectric, which like Bradley Lake is 60-years old, is still going strong...just past middle age.
Short break while the train pulls off on a side-rail to let a commuter train pass on its way to Anchorage. Then we stop to pick up passengers at the Anchorage / MatSu Regional Transit Station. The regional transit Authority Statute passed in 2010 let this municipal cooperation begin.
Passing through Denali National Park you see a sign touting the park’s fleet of natural gas powered buses. The buses were made possible by a spur off the Enstar gas pipeline that traverses a portion of the park along an existing corridor.
And there she is, Fairbanks Alaska…time to disembark
Fairbanks has changed in the last 25 years. Particulate matter is much less a problem since the city switched to natural gas. The interior city is now also home to a thriving petrochemical industry. A natural gas liquefication plant (Fischer-Tropche) is the anchor customer for Fairbanks’ gas pipeline.
The GTL plant is an economic engine for Fairbanks. It produces a synthetic fuel that burns cleaner than diesel, for a lower price per gallon than distilling crude oil. Synthetic fuels from the Fairbanks plant are used by air cargo companies, Alaskan commuters, Arctic shippers and the Department of Defense.
While eating breakfast in bed at the historic Exploration Inn you read in the Daily News Miner that the GTL plant just added the ability to turn municipal waste into jet fuel.
Transmission lines vs. Pipelines: A North Slope “mine-mouth” natural gas power plant generates electricity that is wheeled out over superconducting transmission cables to Anchorage, Valdez, Kenai Peninsula, Canada and possibly the U.S.
You also read that the University of Alaska student population has increased over the years as the clean energy industry programs draws kids from all over Alaska and the world to study for careers in the home towns and villages.
U of A touts successes such as advances in cold weather biomass gasification, cold weather batteries and energy storage, and cold weather CNG vehicles. The new not-for-profit (and completely fictitious) corporation, Invisible Grid, markets rural electricity generation, storage and distribution technology to 3rd world governments and off-the-grid business and communities.
UAF and UAA are hotbeds for advanced renewable technology & research. Known for producing world-class scientists, researches and technicians. AK is particularly adept at adapting existing technology for remote, rugged and cold applications. Cold Climate Housing Center engineers oversee construction of habitats on the Moon and Mars (also not yet true).
Fairbanks rounds out its energy needs with barley biomass, deep hot rock geothermal, wind from Healy and Chena Hot Springs. Bernie Karl’s Chena Chillers produces 30 MW for the Railbelt. Karl is immortalized as the grandfather of low-temperature geothermal. His Chena Chillers are fitted to 80 percent of the spent oil wells in Texas and Alaska.
Fairbanks is also the beachhead for shipping NG liquids (propane etc.) to villages along the Tanana and Yukon Rivers.
Rural Alaska
A small electric hybrid Cessna takes you north to visit rural Alaska. While Alaska’s native cultures were threatened by ultra-high energy prices in 2010, in 2035 communities and culture is thriving around stable, reasonably priced energy from hydrokenetic, wind, biomass, natural gas liquids and solar power. Electric snow machines and 4-wheelers will take locals out hunting and joy riding. And one town even has a 5MW Toshiba nuclear reactor.
Other changes in Alaska
Once stranded, tidal and geothermal in Aleutian chain now supply hydrogen or ammonia fuel to the Arctic Ocean shipping fleet and the Bering Sea fishing fleet. Alaska Fishermen enjoy at $2-dollar/ gallon advantage over world market.
Ruby Alaska is where it all started. Governments from all around the world send representatives to Ruby to learn how Alaska saved its indigenous culture by becoming an RE/EE incubator of ideas, a crucible, a hotbed.
Ruby showed that a community could control its own energy destiny, save money and require meaningful and skilled labor.
Legislative Potpourri
Big week for natural gas legislation in Juneau
Both bodies of the Alaska State Legislature took action with regards to in-state natural gas projects this week in Juneau. After what has seemed like a lot of talk and not much action so far this session, three pieces of legislation made major moves.
On the House side, HB 369 and HB 280 both passed the full body on Wednesday, and will now move to the Senate side for debate and passage. HB 369, sponsored by Representative Mike Chenault, overhauls the existing in-state pipeline development process which is currently seen by some as fragmented and unproductive. Its main accomplishment is the creation of a committed development team within the office of the governor. Headed by the CEO of the Alaska Housing and Finance Corporation, the team would combine the current Natural Gas Development Authority with the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and the Alaska Railroad Corporation.
The bill mandates the presentation of an economically feasible, construction ready project plan to lawmakers by July of 2011, beginning a process that will deliver gas to Alaskans by 2015. The bill is big on direction but its potential for implementation and effect remain unknown. Although it passed with unanimous support, Representative Les Gara warned that the project and its delivered gas would be costly, and many debated the most efficient course of action. HB 369 has now moved to the Senate side where it will be heard by the Resources Committee on Thursday, April 1.
HB 280 passed the full House during the same session on Wednesday, addressing the expected natural gas shortage in the Cook Inlet Region. The bill provides tax incentives (and regulates the conditions for those incentives to benefit energy consumers) for gas storage facilities, the creation of which could buffer the region against crisis during a natural gas drought. HB 280 also seeks to address the coming shortage by further encouraging gas exploration in Cook Inlet through more streamlined benefits. In addition, the bill contains various other statutes regarding exploration, production, and storage as well as guidance to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska in planning for the state’s natural gas future.
The Senate Resources Committee is scheduled to hear HB 280 on Wednesday March 31st.
And in the Senate...
In the other side of the Capitol, Senate Resources Committee deliberated on and moved HB 287 to Finance. The bill places responsibility for planning, designing, and marketing Alaska’s natural gas pipeline project with the Alaska Railroad Corporation. Sponsored by Senator McGuire, the bill got a big boost a week ago when former Senator Ted Stevens and a host of other Alaska political veterans testified before the committee, imploring the legislature to act on the natural gas issue. Many have debated the effectiveness of placing Alaska’s pipeline future in the hands of the Railroad Corporation, but its capable team of engineers and ability to bond were strong selling points in moving the legislation. There has been talk of eventual cooperation between HB 369 and SB 287, as both pieces of legislation aim, first and foremost, to get Alaska’s in-state natural gas projects moving before it is too late. SB 287 has now been referred to Finance where it is waiting to get a hearing.
UPDATE: Greater Railbelt Energy and Transmission Corp.
The Greater Railbelt Electricity and Transmission Corporation (GRETC) legislation is quiet after committees from both houses brought up their versions of the bill for consideration. If the bill is passed, the six Railbelt utilities could come together in a region-wide, single utility that would be responsible for generating and transmitting electricity. The six smaller utilities would remain in existence to distribute the power to us, the ratepayers.
Language now under consideration has changed dramatically from the original legislation introduced by then-Governor Palin last year. Changes resulted after Railbelt utilities joined forces in the interim to develop their own version of the proposal. Current language is reported to have strong support from all six Railbelt utilities.
Utility consolidation can potentially provide many benefits for the Railbelt region if the utility is set up correctly.
Through this bill, the legislature has an opportunity to create an entity that can bring important energy improvements to reality by improving the level of coordination among the utilities and making new power projects more affordable. The Alliance is watching to see if the way this bill sets up the utility will give renewable energy and energy efficiency a fair opportunity to join the Railbelt power mix.
During a committee hearing on Thursday, Senate Resources committee members heard from AEA staff and attorneys as well as several of the Railbelt utilities about the changes in the bill. While there are many changes, the issue highlighted by both AEA attorneys and committee members was the language proposal that left the single utility unregulated.
Caitlin Higgins, Executive Director of the Alaska Conservation Voters & Alaska Conservation Alliance, had the opportunity to share testimony with the committee, as well. In it, the ACV / ACA requested that the committee pay special attention to making demand-side energy efficiency a priority in the big utility’s energy planning, ensuring the new entity would be subject to financial and regulatory oversight, creating a fair and diverse governance structure, and providing the public opportunities for meaningful input to the single utility’s decision makers.
The Senate Resources committee ended public testimony on Thursday and is expected to bring the bill back up for consideration in coming days. They have asked utilities and other stakeholders to prepare comments on the benefits of both regulation and deregulation so that they may have an informed discussion on the issue. If the Resources committee passes the bill, it will then go to the Senate Finance committee before reaching the Senate floor and going over to the House.
The House Special Committee on Energy also heard presentations on GRETC legislation on Thursday. They, too, had questions about changes to the bill and spent time asking AEA attorneys about provisions involving regulation, gas storage and whether or not all utilities would have to participate in the proposed new entity (as written, the new entity would begin when four of the six agree to join). The committee ran short on time and expects to bring AEA attorneys back to present on the remainder of the bill on Tuesday, March 30. They have not yet begun public testimony.
If the Energy committee passes the bill, it then goes to the House Labor and Commerce and House Finance before reaching the House floor and going over to the Senate.
(Courtesy Elizabeth Outten, Statewide Energy Coordinator. Contact Elizabeth Outten at elizabeth@akvoice.org)
From the Blog
Monday March 29th, 2010
11:38 AM -- Legislation to Watch
HCR 22: Alaska Northern Waters Task Force
(H)Community & Regional Affairs Standing Committee, March 30th Tuesday at 8:00 AM in Barnes Rm 124
SB 4: Coastal Management Program
(S)Finance Standing Committee, March 30th Tuesday at 9:00 AM in Senate Finance Rm 532
11:28 AM -- Solar and Wind tower near Indian Alaska
Kayla Spaan’s spots renewable energy sources tower above the town of Indian
Solar and wind power towers like this one found right next to the town of Indian Alaska are examples of how our society might one day treat energy production.
11:11 AM -- Anaktuvuk Pass test home: Arctic living; build it and live in it for less
As Alaskans our lives are framed by rugged climate zones, geographic dispersion, and high fuel costs.
Recently, an Alaskan project comprised of students and teachers, scientists and carpenters, combined traditional wisdom and modern technology to tackle these shared challenges. Together, they demonstrated a way forward toward sustainable living and lasting economic opportunity.
Anaktuvuk Pass: Population 312.
The village sits above the Arctic Circle in the Brooks Range, where January temperatures average -14 and air travel provides the only access. It is the last remaining Nunamiut settlement in Alaska. Exorbitant energy prices make life difficult, and overcrowding has resulted from high construction costs.
Enter the Sustainable Northern Shelters project. Piloted by the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) in Fairbanks, the program aims to “develop energy efficient and affordable homes that can withstand the extreme climatic conditions of Alaska while reflecting a community’s lifestyle and culture.”
Working with community members and contributing organizations, they have done exactly that.
CCHRC began work in 2008 through meetings with local stakeholders and an on-site forum to ensure community involvement with the project’s design and implementation. Through summer and winter the project progressed with laboratory research and testing in Fairbanks, a special course through Ilisagvic College in Barrow for residents wanting to build Northern homes, and continued input from villagers in Anaktuvuk Pass.
Then, in June 2009, with preparations complete and the daylight long, a large and diverse team gathered at the project site and successfully constructed a groundbreaking new model for Arctic living.
The building is simple and smart. It is positioned to maximize natural light and to minimize the freezing effects of Arctic winds. Features include a semi-subterranean design, the use of sod for roofing, and a traditional qingok (passive venting system). It makes use of lightweight steel frames with an interior plywood skin to keep structural weight (and therefore costs) low, and combines a modern soy-based spray foam with an elastomer liner to maximize insulating efficiency.
The Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council (YRITWC) installed six solar panels and a small amp-air turbine to tap into locally available renewable resources. The house also uses a water conservation system to maximize usage and minimize waste.
Too good to be true? The proof is in the numbers. It was the village’s first new home in ten years, and took only three weeks to build. Regional new home prices average $1.2 million according the North Slope Housing Bureau, the Anaktuvuk Pass prototype was finished under its $150,000 budget. Normal houses in the area use 1500 gallons of heating fuel per year. With its localized solar generator and wind turbine, the experts estimate the prototype’s annual energy consumption at a lowly 110 gallons.
And thanks to high-tech assessment devices, the numbers keep rolling in. According to Martin Leonard III, Renewable Energy Expert at YRITWC, the prototype is “the most wired home in the arctic.” Data sets and projections are crucial components of the project, yielding valuable information for the energy and construction fields at any latitude.
In that sense the completed test home is just the beginning. Perhaps its greatest value lies as a model to be replicated around Alaska and beyond, with existing plans to construct similar homes in Point Lay, Nuiqsut, and other Alaskan communities. In the view of CCHRC President Jack Hebert, “If you can build a sustainable community in Anaktuvuk, you can build a sustainable community anywhere in the world.” Alaska is demonstrating excellence in the fields of energy efficiency and emerging energy technology, and with continued effort can remain at the forefront to become a leader the world over.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
12:14 PM -- Senate Finance heard SB 220 Energy Efficiency / Alternative Energy this morning for the first time. Public testimony was held with 12 testifiers including Caitlin Higgins, Executive Director of Alaska Conservation Alliance and Alaska Conservation Voters. The testimony was overwhelmingly positive with some suggestions to change specific provisions of the bill. Alaskans from Cordova to Nome called in to offer support.
Senate Finance heard and held SB 220 on the afternoon of March 25th. It has yet to be scheduled for another hearing.
Bill Spotlight
HB 267 Plows On Through Opposition
Although short two members and pressed for time, the House Transportation Committee rushed to move House Bill 267 on Thursday. The bill, which allows for snowmachine use within the southern portion of the Dalton Highway Corridor for a trial period of two years, now moves on to the House Resources Committee.
The proposal was hotly debated, with opposition coming from environmental, industrial, and local residential voices in the forms of emails, letters, and phone testimony. The public tally, announced in committee by Representative Tammy Wilson, was 98 contacts in support of opening up the area to snow machine use, and 143 contacts against opening the proposed territory.
The version that was moved on Thursday addressed certain concerns brought up during previous hearings and a special subcommittee meeting chaired by Representative Tammy Wilson. It includes the addition of permitting regulations, geographic limitations, and a sunset period. Remaining unaddressed, however, were the issues of negative environmental impact, a non-existent fiscal note, emergency services, and the departmental structure for regulating what had previously been a closed area.
In pushing to move the bill, Representative Craig Johnson claimed that all transportation aspects of the bill had been dealt with, and gave a personal guarantee that he would address remaining issues as Co-Chair of the House Resources Committee. Representative Peterson cautioned, anyway, against moving such an incomplete piece of legislation, but was outvoted by the rest of the committee. With that, HB 267 and the Dalton Highway debate is scheduled to be heard next at 1:00pm on March 31 in the House Resources Committee.
HB 182 Railbelt Energy & Transmission Corporation is scheduled for a meeting in House Energy Committee on March 30th at 3:00 PM.
HB 36 Initiatives: Contributions/ Procedures, sponsored by Rep. Kyle Johansen, Rep. Charisse Millett.
After moving out of (H) Finance over a week ago HB 36 has lodged in (H) Rules waiting for a day on the House Floor.
Introduced as a prefile in the first session of the 26th State Legislature, January 9th 2010 the bill passed out of (H) Finance, its final referred committee in the House, on Tuesday, March 16th. It passed with six Do Pass (Reps. Bill Thomas, Alan Austerman, Mike Kelly, Anna Fairclough, Bill Stoltze, Mike Hawker) and four Amends (Reps. Les Gara, Mike Doogan, Reggie Joule, Neal Foster)
It moved out of (H) Judiciary four days before the end of the session last year with three Do Not Pass; Rep. Lindsey Holmes, Rep. Max Gruenberg, Rep. Jay Ramras, Do Pass, Rep. (now Sen.) John Coghill, No Recommendation Nancy Dahlstrom and an Amend by Rep. Bob Lynn.
The initiatives bill then collected several more co-sponsors and moved to (H) Finance where it was heard and held on February 8th, March 15th and finally passed out of committee on March 16th of this year.
During hearings Rep. Les Gara (D)-Anchorage voiced concern that the bill would place an onerous price on individuals or groups collecting signatures for initiatives, among other concerns.
HB 36 was amended in Judiciary last year. Removed was a provision that prevented the re-issuing of a failed initiative for two years after the attempt. However, the bill still deserves to be watched carefully.
The Administration allotted the bill a $60,000 fiscal note.
HB 36 passed out of (H) Finance Friday, March 16th. It was referred to (H) Rules.
For more information: Conservation Blog, February 4, 2010 at 1:03 PM -- HB 36: The Good, the Bad, and the "is it Really Necessary?"
HB 229 Gas Exploration\Development Tax Credit: An Act amending and extending the exploration and development incentive tax credit under the Alaska Net Income Tax Act for operators and working interest owners directly engaged in the exploration for and development of gas for delivery and sale from a lease or property in the state; providing for an effective date by amending the effective date for sec. 2, ch. 61, SLA 2003; and providing for an effective date. The bill is scheduled to be heard in (H) Finance Committee on Wednesday, Mar 31st at 9:00 AM in House Finance Rm 519
HB 306 State Energy Policy: an Act declaring a state energy policy. The bill passed the House of Representatives on March 17th with a unanimous vote. It has since been referred to Senate Resources then (S) Finance. Its companion bill, HB 305 Omnibus Energy Bill is in (H) Energy Committee. Neither bill is scheduled for a hearing.
HB 336 Electric & Telephone Cooperatives' Voting: An Act relating to electronic voting procedures for electric and telephone cooperatives; and providing for an effective date. The bill passed the on Reconsideration (Yes 24 to No 8) House on March 25th and was referred to Senate Judiciary. The bill does not have a scheduled hearing.
HB 422 Passenger Tax; Tourism Tax Credit: an Act relating to a corporation income tax credit for contributions to a qualified trade association awarded a contract by the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development for planning and executing a destination tourism marketing campaign made by a person that derives income from the sale of goods or services to visitors to the state; relating to the excise tax on passengers traveling on commercial passenger vessels providing overnight accommodations in the state's marine waters; and providing for an effective date. Introduced on Friday, March 26th the bill is sponsored by (H) Rules Committee by Request of the Governor. It was referred to (H) Finance Committee.
HCR 15 Bristol Bay Mining Study: directing the Legislative Council to contract for an assessment of environmental and socioeconomic consequences of large-scale mineral extraction in the Bristol Bay area watershed. The bill was heard and held in (H)Fisheries Special Committee on Monday March 29th.
HCR 22 Alaska Northern Waters Task Force: Establishing and relating to the Alaska Northern Waters Task Force. The bill is scheduled for a hearing in (H) Community and Regional Affairs on Tuesday, March 30th at 8:00 AM in Barnes Rm 124.
HJR 45 Oppose Federal Cap and Trade Legislation: Urging the United States Congress not to enact Cap and Trade legislation is sponsored by Rep. Bill Stoltze passed the House of Representatives on March 17th and referred to Senate Resources Committee the next day.
SB 195 Make Goldstream Public Use Area Permanent: an Act relating to the repeal of the establishment of the Goldstream Public Use Area is sponsored by Sen. Thomas and Rep. Scott Kawasaki. The bill passed (H) Resources Committee and referred to (H) Rules Committee.
SB 228 Tax Incentives for Gas-to-Liquid: an Act providing for an industrial incentive investment tax credit and including a gas-to-liquids facility as an eligible investment; and providing for a production tax limit on gas used as a raw material for producing liquids or petrochemicals from gas in the state. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Lesil McGuire, passed (S) Resources on March 23rd and is referred to (S) Finance.
SB 242 Geothermal Resource Tax Credits: an Act providing income tax credits for geothermal resource exploration and development is sponsored by Sen. Lesil Mcguire. The bill passed (S) Resources on March 23rd and is referred to (S) Finance.
SB 243 No Royalty on Geothermal Resource: an Act removing the royalty obligation for geothermal resources is sponsored by Sen. Lesil McGuire. The bill passed (S) Resources on March 22nd, and was heard and held in (S) Finance on March 29th.
SB 277 Public Utility Exemption: Renewable Energy: an Act exempting from regulation by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska and by municipalities certain generators of electricity from renewable energy resources that sell electricity to regulated utilities. The bill is sponsored by (S) Energy Committee. It is on its 3rd Reading on the Senate Floor.
SB 287 In-State Gas Pipeline: an Act amending the powers and duties of the Alaska Railroad Corporation and the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation related to the exercise of authority to purchase, transport, and sell natural gas produced on the North Slope for in-state use, and transferring exclusive and primary responsibility for the initiation and development of that project from the Office of the Governor and the Department of Natural Resources to those corporations; and providing for an effective date. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Lesil Mcguire, it passed (S) Resources on March 22nd and then referred to (S) Finance.
SB 295 Flame Retardants and Toxic Chemicals: an Act relating to flame retardants and to the manufacture, sale, and distribution of products containing flame retardants; relating to bioaccumulative toxic chemicals; and providing for an effective date is sponsored by Sen. Bill Wielechowski. Passed out of (S) Health and Social Services on March 22nd and then referred to (S) Finance.
SB 301 Power Project Fund: an Act relating to the power project fund; authorizing the Alaska Energy Authority to charge and collect fees relating to the power project fund; authorizing the Alaska Energy Authority to sell and authorizing the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to purchase loans of the power project fund; providing legislative approval for the sale and purchase of loans of the power project fund under the memorandum of understanding dated February 17, 2010; and providing for an effective date. The bill is sponsored by (S) Rules Committee by Request of the Governor. It passed (S) Resources on March 17th and referred to (S) Finance on March 22nd.
SB 305 Separate Oil & Gas Production Tax: an Act relating to the tax on oil and gas production; and providing for an effective date. Though the scheduled bill hearing was postponed from March 29th, Sen. Bert Stedman, Chair of Senate Finance, has said that (S) Finance would hear SB 305 soon.
SB 311 Passenger Tax; Tourism Tax Credit: an Act relating to a corporation income tax credit for contributions to a qualified trade association awarded a contract by the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development for planning and executing a destination tourism marketing campaign made by a person that derives income from the sale of goods or services to visitors to the state; relating to the excise tax on passengers traveling on commercial passenger vessels providing overnight accommodations in the state's marine waters; and providing for an effective date. Introduced on March 26th, the bill is sponsored by (S) Rules Committee by Request of the Governor. It is referred to (S) Finance Committee.
SR 10 Domestic Natural Gas & Alternative Energy: supporting expansion of the use of domestic natural gas and alternative energies and urging agencies to use vehicles that run on compressed natural gas is sponsored by Sen. Thomas Wagoner. The bill passed (S) Resources and is referred to (S) Rules Committee.
SCR 17 Alaska Northern Waters Task Force: Establishing and relating to the Alaska Northern Waters Task Force. The bill is scheduled to be heard in (S) Community and Regional Affairs on Tuesday March 30th at 3:30 PM in BELTZ Rm 105
This Week in Committee
Tuesday, March 30
(S)Finance Standing Committee
9:00 AM in Senate Finance Rm 532
HCR 2 In-State Gas Pipeline
SB 237 School Construction Debt Reimbursement
SB 4 Coastal Management Program
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
(H) Resources Standing Committee
12:00 PM in Capitol Rm 106 CAPITOL 106
Lunch & Learn: An In-depth Look at Alaska's ResourcesPresentation: "Alaska's Offshore: Mega Promise, Mega Uncertainty," by Cam Toohey, Alaska Government Affairs Manager, Shell
(H)Transportation Standing Committee
1:00 PM in Capitol Rm 17
HB 333 Naturally Occurring Asbestos in Gravel
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
(H)Energy Special Committee
3:00 PM in Barnes Rm 124
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
HB 182 Railbelt Energy & Transmission Corp.
TELECONFERENCED
(S)Community & Regional Affairs
3:30 PM in Beltz Rm 105 (TSBldg)
SCR 17 Alaska Northern Waters Task Force
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
(H)Finance Standing Committee
9:00 AM in House Finance Rm 519
HB 7 Robert E. Bush Veteran’s Memorial Bridge
HB 229 Gas Exploration/Development Tax Credit
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
(H)Resources Standing Committee
1:00 PM in Barnes Rm 124
HB 414 Separate Oil & Gas Production Tax
HB 267 Snow Machine Use in Dalton Hwy Corridor
HB 365 Fish Processor Fees, Licenses, Records
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
(S)Resources Standing Committee
3:30 PM in Butrovich Rm 205
Overview by DOR & DNR on Cook Inlet Gas Incentives
SB 309 Gas Exploration/Development Tax Credit
SB 290 Tax Credit to Drill Wells in Cook Inlet
HB 280 Natural Gas: Storage/Tax Credits
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
Thursday, April 1, 2001
(S)Miscellaneous Meeting, Other Committee
12:00 PM in Beltz Rm 105 (TSBldg)
Lunch and Learn Session Sponsored by the Senate Energy Committee, 'Rare Earth Elements, Alaska's Bokan Mountain'
(H) Finance Standing Committee
1:30 PM House Finance 519
HB 357 AK Railroad Corp. Land Sales
HB 344 Salmon Product Develop. Tax Credit
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
(H)Energy Special Committee
3:00 PM in Barnes Rm 124
Overview: Railbelt Energy Study, by Mary Ann Pease, Commonwealth North
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
(S)Resources Standing Committee
3:30 PM in Butrovich Rm 205
Overview from the Administration on In-State Gas
Overview from Experts on Export License Issues
Update from Conoco Philips on Gas Export Facility
HB 369 In-State Pipeline/Manager/Team
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
Friday, April 2, 2010
(H) Finance Standing Committee
9:00 AM in House Finance Rm 519
Presentation: "Federal Perspective on the Natural Gas Pipeline," by Larry Persily, Federal Natural Gas Pipeline Coordinator
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
(S)Finance Standing Committee
9:00 AM in Senate Finance Rm 532
Dept of Natural Resources- Presentation On AGIA Regulations
-- Testimony <Invitation Only> --
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
(H)Resources Standing Committee
1:00 PM in Barnes Rm 124
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
(S)Resources Standing Committee
3:30 PM in Butrovich Rm 205
Continuation of any Overviews or Bills Not Completed in Previous Hearings
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
TELECONFERENCED
Saturday, April 3, 2010
(S)Resources Standing Committee
11:00 AM in Butrovich Rm 205
Continuation of Overviews or Bills Not
Completed in Previous Hearings
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
New in Town
HB 422: An Act relating to a corporation income tax credit for contributions to a qualified trade association awarded a contract by the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development for planning and executing a destination tourism marketing campaign made by a person that derives income from the sale of goods or services to visitors to the state; relating to the excise tax on passengers traveling on commercial passenger vessels providing overnight accommodations in the state's marine waters; and providing for an effective date.
Sponsored by the Governor, the bill has been referred to the Finance Committee. It has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
HCR 22 Establishing and relating to the Alaska Northern Waters Task Force.
Sponsored by the Community & Regional Affairs Committee, the bill has been referred back to the Community and Regional Affairs Committee and the Finance Committee. It is scheduled to be heard by CRA at 8:00am on Tuesday, March 30.
SB 309 An Act amending and extending the exploration and development incentive tax credit under the Alaska Net Income Tax Act for operators and working interest owners directly engaged in the exploration for and development of gas from a lease or property in the state; providing for an effective date by amending the effective date for sec. 2, ch. 61, SLA 2003; and providing for an effective date.
Sponsored by the Rules Committee, the bill has been referred to the Resources Committee and the Finance Committee. It has been scheduled for a hearing in Resources at 3:30pm on Wednesday, March 31.
SB 311 An Act relating to a corporation income tax credit for contributions to a qualified trade association awarded a contract by the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development for planning and executing a destination tourism marketing campaign made by a person that derives income from the sale of goods or services to visitors to the state; relating to the excise tax on passengers traveling on commercial passenger vessels providing overnight accommodations in the state's marine waters; and providing for an effective date.
Sponsored by the Governor, the bill has been referred to the Finance Committee. It has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
SCR 17 Establishing and relating to the Alaska Northern Waters Task Force.
Sponsored by the Community and Regional Affairs Committee, the bill has been referred to the Community and Regional Affairs Committee and the Finance Committee. It is scheduled to be heard by CRA at 3:30pm on Tuesday, March 30.
Tweet of the Week
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Senate Finance: SB220: public testimony begins... Lissa Hughes from Northern Alaska Environmental Center testifies. 10:41 AM Mar 25th via TwitBird iPhone
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Senate Finance: SB220: Mark Mastellar and Jim Sykes testify in favor of omnibus energy bill. 10:45 AM Mar 25th via TwitBird iPhone
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Senate Finance: SB220: (S) Finance at ease until 1:30PM. Public testimony will continue. 11:09 AM Mar 25th via TwitBird iPhone
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Senate Finance Committee meeting continued: Kirk Hardcastle and Alaska Power & Telephone testified in favor of SB220 and biomass energy. 1:48 PM Mar 25th via TwitBird iPhone
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Senate Finance: SB220 heard and held. 1:49 PM Mar 25th via TwitBird iPhone
