Gov. Mike Dunleavy will be at the Tanana Valley State Fair in Fairbanks on Monday for a bill signing ceremony, taking up four House bills that have Fairbanks-area sponsors.
House Bill 104, sponsored by Rep. Mike Cronk, addresses the salvaging of insect-decayed wood from state forests. After an insect infestation, such as the occasional spruce bark beetle infestations, timber dies by the millions of board feet and can become a fire hazard. The legislation directs the Division of Forestry to focus on areas of commercially viable timber where fire dangers are high. The prioritization may provide fuel for biomass energy production and expansion.
In addition to Rep. Cronk, other legislators co-sponsoring the bill include, Reps. George Rauscher, Kevin McCabe, Tom McKay, Jess Sumner, Fran Tomaszewski, Craig Johnson, Ben Carpenter, Sarah Vance, DeLena Johnson, Justin Ruffridge, and Stanley Wright; also Sens. Jesse Bjorkman, Kelly Merrick, Mike Shower, Bert Stedman, James Kaufman, and Shelley Hughes.