Another flawed Seekins initiative losing support

April 28, 2006

JUNEAU REPORT/ Myrl Thompson

Editor's note: The observations and opinions below are excerpted from the weekly Juneau Report compiled by Valley resident Myrl Thompson, who is spending the legislative session in Juneau as a citizen lobbyist.

&#8220If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.”

- Benjamin Franklin

Senate Bill 316 - Stranded Gas, elimination of judicial review

This bill by the governor and carried by Seekins' Judiciary Committee, was first billed last week as, an act amending the Alaska Stranded Gas Development Act to eliminate the opportunity for judicial reviewŠ” What a difference a week makes.

The majority senators have been backing off eliminating judicial review faster than a leech from a pinch of salt. This is in direct contrast to how they felt at the first hearing.

Sen. Charlie Huggins claimed that he was representing the folks that he talked to back home: &#8220The guy in a log cabin in Big Lake isn't going to be filing a lawsuit against the gas-line findings, it's going to be some special interest group.”

Other than Sarah Palin and me, I'm not sure whom else Huggins talked to, but neither of us supported the proposed changes as they were. Besides, the governor hasn't shown anybody anything about any gas contract.

The only special interest groups holding up getting gas to market or Alaska homes are the oil companies, as far as I know. It's hard to trust the governor on any gas contract, since he hasn't really been up front and open with Alaskans. His best experts at the Department of Natural Resources bailed on him from concerns about possible illegal negotiations that still haven't come to light.

The bill is being scaled back in both the Senate and the House Judiciary Committees, as it should be. Like many proposed bills here in Juneau, it's trying to fix something that's not broken.

After a hefty dose of condemnation from testifiers and questions about the need for the bill in the first place, it will be going through badly needed changes. Questions about removing documents from judicial and public review spawned the change of heart from the majority committee members.

Even with the changes now proposed, the reasons for the bill seem dubious at best. Now the talk is not to eliminate judicial review but to change the timing concerning judicial and public review in the process.

The best thing to do would be to just tell the governor no, and get back to some useful business.

House Bill 306 -

Hatcher Pass ski area bill

This bill, by Mat-Su Rep. Bill Stoltze, is entitled &#8220An act making certain land available for selection by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.” It would make available 200 acres along the Little Susitna River in Hatcher Pass for use by the borough in concert with the private sector (JL Properties Inc.) for the development of a regional alpine and Nordic ski area, which would include housing and other development. This land is within the previously established Hatcher Pass Public Use Area.

An amendment by Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, would have provided for a 1,000-foot setback from the river area. After testimony concerning setbacks and a conversation between Stoltze and Seaton, the proposal was amended to a 600-foot setback and passed.

A second amendment that passed would allow for a vote of the people to take place in the general election, which includes the primary election.

The bill has been moved from the Resources Committee and was scheduled to be heard Monday at 1:30 p.m. in House Finance - its last committee before it reaches the floor.

House Bill 500 -

Hatcher Pass funding bill

This bill passed the House floor on a 31-0 vote last Friday. It allows the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to issue bonds to finance the development of Hatcher Pass or may finance the project by other means. The principle amount of the bonds and other financing may not exceed $25 million, up from $15 million.

Jim McMillian, deputy director of credit for AIDEA, testified that the preliminary costs associated with the proposed Hatcher Pass ski area were close to $42 million. They are roughly divided up, with JL Properties putting in about $5 million, the Mat-Su Borough about $10 million and AIDEA putting in up to $25 million for the project.

Myrl Thompson is a former independent candidate for state House in District 15 and a regular contributor to these pages. His Valley Voices guest opinion column appears every four weeks. Excerpts from his Juneau Report appear as space and relevance allow.