Senate Resources Committee discussed SB 163 Monday, hearing from DEC commissioner Larry Hartig and others about why a Tier 3 process needs to be developed, and why the Governor thinks the Legislature should control it.
The state legislature may soon take a clear line of authority over designating Tier 3, or "Outstanding Natural Resources Waters" in Alaska, which is the highest level of protection for bodies of waters in the US. Both the Koktuliand the Bristol Bay Watershed as a whole have been nominated in the past. Governor Bill Walker says the consequences Tier 3 status are too far-reaching for a state agency to have control over.