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State Lawmakers Head to Juneau for 2nd Special Session

June 26, 2011|By Christine Kim | Channel 2 News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — State lawmakers will be meeting in Juneau for a second special session set tentatively on Monday.

With Alaska's Coastal Management Program set to expire in just a few days, the House and Senate said they have enough votes to call lawmakers back after agreeing on a draft bill.

“It's a good compromise that allows us to move forward with coastal zone management,” said House Speaker Mike Chenault.

In the compromised version, the Governor can only remove someone from the Coastal Management board if there's a just cause. There's also the dispute on how much weight is put on local knowledge versus scientific evidence.

Those two terms and definitions are replaced in the draft bill with the term aggregate knowledge which incorporates both: any information passed down through generations has to be consistent with scientific conclusions.

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The new version also allows for a year-long transitional period that includes rebuilding staff. The legislature would extend the existing Coastal Management Program to July 1, 2012, when the House and Senate Conference Committee version would take effect with the two major changes including a few other minor ones.

“I’m optimistic. I think we'll get it done by Tuesday,” said Senator Bill Wielechowski. “I think there is support for this on the House and Senate side, but you don’t know until people actually press the buttons and see how people vote.”

The session is tentatively scheduled to begin Monday at 11 a.m. in Juneau. That's where lawmakers will take an official vote on the floor to begin the second special session.

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