Second Special Session Expected to Address Coastal Zone Management

Just a month after lawmakers gaveled out of the last special session they could be heading back to Juneau for yet another legislative special.

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By Grace Jang
Bio | Email | Follow: @GraceJangKTVA

Story Created: Jun 18, 2011 at 8:21 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Jun 18, 2011 at 8:21 PM AKDT

Just a month after lawmakers gaveled out of the last special session they could be heading back to Juneau for yet another legislative special.

There was talk in the last special session, which ended May 14, of having yet another special session, and late Friday afternoon, the Senate garnered the two-thirds vote needed to go into a second special session—the ball is now in the House’s court.

The Coastal Zone Management Program basically gives the state and local communities a say in how federal coastal lands are developed and requires a renewal every six years.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski believes an extension of the program should have been addressed during the regular session and went on to say that lawmakers should have extended the program years ago.

He says the program has been “very controversial for the last five or six years” and that last year lawmakers found themselves in a similar position, and decided to extend the program by one year and try to hash out problems as well.

“We figured this year we would get it resolved, unfortunately we didn't,” said Sen. Wielechowski.

Some major changes were made the last time the program was up for renewal and lawmakers have disagreed in recent years over whether to reverse those changes and, if so, how.

That disagreement is one of the reasons lawmakers were unable to make a decision on what to do with the program in the last two legislative sessions, which is why there's now need for a second special session.

Time is running, however, as the program ends on June 30.

“With this Coastal Zone [Management] Program, projects get permitted faster, there's coordinated permitting and local communities get a voice in maybe altering a project to maybe protect a local fishing stream or something like that. It's an important law to pass and if we don't pass it, we cede all that authority to the feds,” said Rep. Les Gara.

If the House agrees to hold another special session it will have to be in the next two weeks but it's expected to last no more than two days.

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