Barnes guts spill bill

JUNEAU - A controversial environmental spill response bill released by Rep. Ramona Barnes Wednesday night no longer requires the Alaska Railroad Corp. and other nontanker vessels to establish contingency plans or give the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation the right to inspect vessels.

Barnes Special Committee on World Trade and State-Federal Affairs stripped Senate Bill 273 of a provision allowing the states environmental agency to inspect vessels, saying she didnt think there was a need to have anybody boarding the boats. The bill has moved to the House Finance Committee.

The bills sponsor, Senate President Drue Pearce, has accused her fellow Anchorage legislator of trying to kill the bill on behalf of local and out-of-state industries that would come under the states spill response safety net.

On Tuesday, Pearce agreed to delete a portion of the bill that required the ARRC and large vessel owners to provide the ADEC with contingency plans mapping out how they would respond within 48 hours to clean up a spill of at least 15 percent of their maximum oil capacity.

Added to the bill was a resolution directing a task force to study both the costs of contingency requirements and inspections. The task force will report its findings to the Legislature next year.

Barnes was opposed to the original bill because she was concerned that costs for implementing spill plans would affect shipping costs for the fish, timber and mining industries.

The only part that remains of the original bill, as it was first submitted to Barnes committee, is the requirement of owners of ships weighing more than 400 gross tons to prove they could take financial responsibility for cleaning up a spill.

ADEC Commissioner Michele Brown said she was disappointed the requirements for the ARRC to come under the states safety net were removed from the bill, especially since railroad officials expressed support for SB 273.

Were very concerned as to why the railroad was taken out since we feel they have supported and consented to be a part of the bill, Brown said.

Senate Bill 273 was introduced two months ago along with a companion House bill sponsored by Gov. Tony Knowles in response to recent railroad spills in the Mat-Su Valley and around the state. Today, more than 100,000 gallons of Jet A fuel remain in the ground north of Talkeetna from two winter railroad derailments.