 May 22, 2003
The first bill, HB 191, reforms and streamlines the Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP). It retains the general structure of the current program, but makes several important changes that will eliminate the duplicity and regulatory confusion of the current program. This bill clarifies the scope, applicability, and requirements of the existing Coastal Management Program. It also streamlines the ACMP by relying on the Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) regulatory requirements as the enforceable policies of the ACMP and relying on DEC's implementation of its requirements to determine consistency for those parts of a development project. The Alaska Coastal Policy Council (CPC) is eliminated in this bill. The CPS's authority for the development of statewide standards and the approval of district coastal management plans is transferred to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The bill requires DNR to adopt regulations within one year, establishing clear and enforceable statewide standards and criteria for the approval of new district coastal management plans. The bill retains the coastal resource districts, including the existing coastal resource service areas, but requires that the coastal districts submit new or revised coastal management plans to the DNR for review and approval. The district plans must have enforceable policies that are clear, concise, provide greater uniformity throughout the state and do not duplicate state and federal requirements. "The goal of HB 191 is to create a new coastal management program that retains the benefits of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, but eliminates the complexity and duplication built into the current ACMP," Murkowski said. "It provides certainty and predictability to the process by clarifying standards and responsibilities for program implementation." The second bill, SB 142, designates the Department of Natural Resources as the lead agency for resource development projects. The bill authorizes DNR to "lead and coordinate all matters relating to the state's review and authorization of resource development projects," but does not diminish the existing authority of other state agencies, such as the Department of Environmental Conservation or the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. "The purpose of SB 142 is to facilitate and expedite resource development in Alaska," Murkowski said. "In recent years, the laws governing resource development have proliferated, and there are now more agencies than ever with permitting authority over large projects. Resource development should not be held up by the sheer complexity of government. The significance of designating DNR as the lead agency is to streamline the process of permitting these natural resource development projects. "With the transfer of habitat permitting and other reorganization efforts made earlier this year, the passage of these two bills completes our immediate effort to fuel the engine of Alaska's resource development economy."
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