Alaska's Legislative
TRUTH SQUAD
"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
Bulletin No. 25 -- April 2, 1999
A Note from the Editor: This edition of the Truth Squad is a little more
packed than usual, coming as it does during an intense period of
deliberation on the state operating budget. Budget issues are sometimes
complex and dull, but no less critical to credible environmental and
economic policies. Please review these items carefully and let lawmakers
know you are concerned about a state as wealthy as Alaska using a temporary
budget gap as an excuse to dismantle health, safety and environmental
capability.
ACV website for more info: http://www.akvoice.org
* Budget cuts severely diminish environmental regulation
To check the latest on budget matters (see cuts to DEC and F&G
especially) look to http://www.legis.state.ak.us/I/hfinidx99.htm
Agency responses will be included on the site Monday afternoon.
Tuesday, April 6 is the day to testify on state budget cuts proposed by
lawmakers. Public testimony will be taken at Legislative Information Offices
between 4 pm and 10 pm according to the following schedule:
4-5 pm Rural Communities
5-6 pm Fairbanks
6-7 Dinner Break
7-9 pm Anchorage
9-10 pm Juneau
Majority lawmakers have indicated they intend to cut at least $40 million in
General Funds from the budget $2.2 billion annual budget, but they have yet
to reveal where those large cuts will come.
Recently announced budget "allocations" (formerly called caps) show a $25.5
million increase from the 1999 budget. Nonetheless, a number of cuts made by
subcommittees are of concern and include:
DEC: For guys who hate the federal government, Republican lawmakers sure are
fond of turning their responsibilities over to Uncle Sam. Too many more cuts
to the Dept. of Environmental Conservation and the only remaining funds will
be federal pass-through monies.
Legislators now want to cut $150,000 earmarked for stream baseline data
collection. This is the information critical to calculating clean water
violation levels and assessing individual water body conditions. It is
important not only for environmental purposes, but is part of the process of
providing industry with a stable, consistent regulatory regime. If DEC can't
find a way to make up this amount by pulling from other departmental
operations, an additional $1.5 million in federal receipts will be lost!
In addition, DEC's food safety and sanitation inspections could be
jeopardized by proposed cuts.
ADFG: Just as the oil giants tighten their economic and environmental
leverage over Alaska, lawmakers want to plunder the Dept. of Fish and Game
to the tune of $623,100 overall, including $75,000 for a new habitat
management program to mitigate North Slope oil development.
Occupational Health/Safety: In a move that would leave state and municipal
employees (including copes and firefighters!) without any protection from
occupational health and safety regulations, legislators want to strip the
Dept. of Labor of $2.4 million.
* Bill would have chilling effect on public interest lawsuits
Public interest litigation would be severely discouraged by passage of SB
123, recently introduced by Sen. Donley. The bill would prohibit public
interest litigants who prevail from receiving more than 30% of actual
reasonable attorneys fees in a case that goes to trial, or 20% in a case
resolved without trial. Currently, prevailing public interest litigants can
recover up to 100% of their attorneys fees. If passed the bill would
discourage public interest litigation from non-profit groups, which
typically have limited funds to pursue litigation. SB 123 is scheduled for
hearing in Senate Judiciary at 1:30 p.m. on April 9. A similar bill, HB 176,
was introduced in the House by Rep. Green.
* Tourism bills address marketing and impacts
Several new legislative proposals for tourism marketing create an important
opening for making tourism more sustainable as an industry, as well as
addressing its negative impacts. Of particular interest are SB 121 and SB
122, by Sen. Elton.
SB 121 would tax visitors to the state to pay for tourism marketing
(currently funded from the General Fund). Elton's innovative plan would
also provide that 25% of the funds would go back to communities as well as
providing matching funds to address not only tourism promotion but also
planning and impact mitigation.
SB 122 creates a new corporation for tourism development and marketing with
a broadly balanced membership representing communities, industry sectors,
and the public. The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee has already passed
out a committee substitute for SB 107, which would provide for a new
industry dominated tourism marketing group.
However, Senate Labor and Commerce will be holding a hearing on Elton's
proposal on April 15, at 1:30 pm. The bills provide an opportunity for
conservation groups to work with community leaders to develop a tourism
funding mechanism that addresses both the tourism promotion and growth
management issues. There is likely to be serious consideration of the tax
for purposes of tourism promotion, and perhaps less serious consideration
for purposes of impact mitigation. Contact local community leaders and ask
them to support these bills.
For more information, or to express support, contact Senator Elton. The
Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association is also closely
monitoring these bills, and would appreciate your views and copies of any
correspondence. Contact Steve Behnke, AWRTA, fax: 463-3280, or
awrta@alaska.net.
Senate Labor and Commerce Committee are Chair, Senator Mackie, Co-Chair, Tim
Kelly, members: Donley, Leman, Hoffman.
* BP Amoco/ARCO: If Republicans don't like it, it must be bad
If the state's two largest oil companies thought decades of feel-good
advertising would help them sell their proposed marriage to state leaders,
they were in for a surprise. Stalwart industry pal Gov. Tony Knowles'
administration announced the beginning of a months-long scrutiny of the
merger's potential drawbacks. And Rep. Jim Whitaker, the Republican chair of
the House Oil and Gas Oversight Committee, raised a strident alarm:
"We will in effect become a colony of British Petroleum," said Whitaker, who
called for the firms to divest all of their North Slope natural gas
holdings, as well as substantial interest in the trans-Alaska pipeline as a
condition of state approval. (See related story below.) "We are in nothing
less than an epic battle to control our own economic destiny," said
Whitaker.
While company spokesmen tried to downplay the negative impacts of the
merger, lawmakers of both parties were clearly skeptical.
* A state-owned gas line?
Rep. Jim Whitaker, the Fairbanks Republican who took such strong exception
to the proposed BP/ARCO merger, has offered more than rhetoric on Alaska's
oil and gas future. He introduced HB 170, which would study the merits of a
natural gas pipeline owned by the state and operated by the private sector.
A key advantage to the concept is that it would eliminate the federal taxes
that would encumber a private development and potentially improve the
feasibility of the gas line. Whitaker's plan would entail state purchase of
gas from the producers and resale to Asian buyers, assuring that the state
rather than producers would reap the benefits of the gas line's long-term
profitability.
BP Exploration announced it will move forward with a pilot gas-to-liquids
(GTL) plant on the North Slope to get natural gas to market, as well as with
ARCO's gas sponsor group that is working on an in-state gas pipeline and
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facilities. So-called "white crude" made from
GTL technology has significant environmental drawbacks, as well as
efficiency losses. GTLs produce twice as much carbon dioxide as LNGs per
unit (BTU) of energy burned.
* Bunde, Green push bill to block coastal trail extension through refuge
HB 131, to prohibit routing of the Anchorage coastal trail extension through
the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, was passed out of House Resources
along party lines and now goes to the House floor. Although it looks like an
easy environmental vote for Anchorage Republicans, the bill could preempt a
locally-driven process to study alternative routes.
* Resolution slams climate change accord
Although most world leaders and scientists agree that global climate must be
addressed to avoid severe dislocations, a resolution introduced in the
Legislature urges the opposite course. HJR 33, by Reps. Phillips and Green,
urges the U.S. Senate not to ratify the Kyoto climate change treaty. "The
claim that global warming is due to increased levels of carbon dioxide has
not been scientifically proven," the resolution states.
* Progress on contraceptive bill
SB 82, which would require insurance companies to cover contraceptives and
related health care services, has passed out of the Senate HESS committee on
a close 3-2 vote and is now in Senate Labor and Commerce. Pearce, Wilken and
Elton voted to move it out; Kelly and Miller voted no. An amendment only
requires coverage if the policy otherwise covers prescriptions. The bill
also exempts employers with bona fide religious objections. Continued
support for the bill is important to assure it keeps moving, isn't diluted
and receives passage this session--despite budgetary and other distractions.
* Lawmakers not moved by opposition to Tulsequah resolutions
Fishermen, Natives, cabin owners and conservationists PACKED the House and
Senate Resource committee hearings on SCR 7 and HCR 4 that were scheduled
back to back. Virtually all testimony (hours long in each hearing) opposed
these
resolutions. The most provoking thoughts being: why are our elected
officials going to bat for a foreign mining company? We are their
constituents. We are who they are supposed to represent, not the Canadians.
SCR 7 will be on the Senate floor April 6, and is scheduled to be heard in
House Resources April 7.
* Coming Up Next Week
--Tuesday April 6--
Senate Rules, on adjournment
-SB 24, Regulation Reform
-HJR 11, Endorsing ANWR leasing
Senate Floor
-SCR 7, the Tulsequah resolution
House Finance, 4:00-10:00PM
-Statewide Teleconference on the Budget (see schedule above)
House Special Committee on Econ Dev & Tourism, 4:30PM or after Adjournment
of House Floor session)
-HB 136, Abolish Tourism Marketing Council
--Wednesday April 7--
House Resources, 1:00PM
-SCR 7, Tulsequah Chief Mine resolution
Senate Judiciary, 1:30PM
-SJR 18, Exxon Valdez Damage Claims
--Thursday April 8--
House State Affairs, 8:00AM
-SJR 3, Repeal of Regulations by Legislature
H Special Cmte Wrld Trade & State/Fed Relations, 5:00PM
-HJR 33, UN Treaty on Climate Change
--Friday April 9--
Senate Judiciary, 1:30PM
-SB 123 Public Interest Litigant: Fees
Senate Resources, 3:00PM
-SB 90, State Jurisdiction over Fish & Game
-SB 91, Enforcement of Subsistence Laws
House Labor & Commerce, 3:15PM
-HB 136, Abolish Tourism Marketing Council
>>>Truth Squad Tool Box<<<
**Bill schedules: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis21.htm
***Gavel-to-Gavel schedule: http://www.juneau.com/ktoo/gavel
Your Senator and Representative:
State Capitol MS-3100, Juneau, 99801-1182
Email (sample):
Senator_Randy_Phillips@legis.state.ak.us
Governor Knowles
POB 110001, Juneau 99811, 465-3500, FAX 465-465-3532
office_of_the_governor@gov.state.ak.us
Do you know who your reps are?
Call the LIO to find out your own, or get a faxable list of all 60 of them
with phone/fax numbers: Anchorage 258-8111; Juneau 465-4648; Fairbanks
452-4448.
Letters to the Editor:
Juneau Empire, 3100 Channel Drive, Juneau 99801; FAX 586-3028
Anchorage Daily News, POB 149001, Anchorage 99514; FAX 258-2157;
letters@pop.adn.com
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: FAX 452-7917; letters@newsminer.com
Senator Ted Stevens, 522 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.; phone (202) 224-3004; FAX (202) 224-5301
email: senator_stevens@stevens.senate.gov
Senator Frank Murkowski, 322 hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510; phone (202) 224-6665; FAX (202) 224-5301
email: email@murkowski.senate.gov
______________________________________________________________
This bulletin is produced by the Alaska Conservation Voice (ACV), with
support from the Alaska Center for the Environment (ACE), the Anchorage
Women's Political Caucus and the Alaska Women's Lobby.
For more info: Call 258-6171, or email unite@akvoice.org.
Please copy and distribute.
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