[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6314420,"mediaKeyId","2383849-52f612ee85a90e80c649d6f94f383785","parentId",2383849,"title","DNR requests $10.1 million supplemental for FY2025 fire suppression costs","audioSeconds",273,"startMs",1148000,"endMs",1421000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2383849-52f612ee85a90e80c649d6f94f383785&start=1148&end=1421","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2383849-52f612ee85a90e80c649d6f94f383785/thumbnail_1148000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6314420/Alaska/DNR-requests-101-million-supplemental-for-FY2025-fire-suppression-costs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6314420-3f66cf5fbe139fddf1ef6b0a5ac5560a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770942543&Signature=YH3bYNpdhrJc7J7EAnKUQPSifWQK6DMoodeVF2klSTwMaOGIBe4TBlRppBCdSvqlHeig5wwtwGoRzR09scIoB0PMU7~tUduslV06ts1rjIW8UKNBIhdv9LF7pdMYd4HbS9t0vy0M41VSnr7-y6xmB2Dtz3sqCHkyAG85KOcAPEFkMor99CM3X8mX~gUC~L2csWTq9WXjdXYE5uNf7GbQily-jbNDPD9PFZVS~Rqqmz9YiM-d~N1iVhKv8Y0aH7ufRZ~loI2-v8cvjV3TCkF4fDQAuXYVQD7ToR4pQsbHP8DROY0BXfwblkAD~cVjt2CCKCerMqlB7FeJ8QP82Lbs-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska Legislature","date","2025-02-24T00:00:00Z","article","Juneau — The Department of Natural Resources told the House Finance DNR subcommittee on Feb. 24 that it is requesting a FY2025 supplemental appropriation of $10,141,700 from the Unrestricted General Fund to cover current fire suppression activities.

Deputy Commissioner Brent Goodrum said the supplemental is intended to cover the department's estimate of general funds required for the remainder of the FY2025 fire season because the initial FY2025 allocation of approximately $34,340,000 is insufficient to cover invoices and obligations incurred to date. \"Failure to meet these financial obligations promptly will result in the state of Alaska not fulfilling the intent of cooperating agreements and contracts,\" Goodrum said, warning that unpaid obligations could jeopardize relationships and the state's ability to protect values at risk from wildland fires.

The presentation included a 10-year chart showing average annual fire and pre-positioning costs of just over $60 million, and DNR emphasized the variability of suppression costs driven by the length and intensity of the fire season.

Committee members accepted the supplemental as informational; the subcommittee chair noted that supplemental appropriations are not technically within the committee's purview but invited the briefing for context. Lawmakers asked clarifying questions about the relationship of supplemental requests to FY2026 budgeting and about how the department forecasts and manages variable suppression expenses.

No committee action or vote on the supplemental request was recorded in the transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","02/24/2025 House NATURAL RESOURCES","oneSentenceSummary","The Department of Natural Resources briefed the subcommittee on a FY2025 supplemental request of $10,141,700 to the fire suppression fund after invoices and obligations exceeded prior allocations; DNR warned failure to pay would jeopardize cooperative agreements.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Alaska, Alaska","taxId",78559,"location","Alaska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6314425,"DNR seeks $45,000 to fund critical-minerals report mandated by SB118",481,610000,1091000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2383849-52f612ee85a90e80c649d6f94f383785&start=610&end=1091","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2383849-52f612ee85a90e80c649d6f94f383785/thumbnail_610000.jpg","/articles/6314425/Alaska/DNR-seeks-45000-to-fund-critical-minerals-report-mandated-by-SB118","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6314425-22a1f61d5e4fefbaeac7772668534fb8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770942543&Signature=EA2jNWAoGH1UTjJmYWNuZjBmtNOHA~362D5~Cg6q94UA8XpWJKOdekRJ~pG4ivGiHEwQz~JA-UvgtGP0POE9RCiqbkRBfn6p2896~SwA0uJ8-CA6Z8kdj2S6FEbmvzVC8hwBa7YyTCpmxY9rlkV2xnZNGi8iOhzIrbyOMH~M5bGQSuC3jNQJubBoJbU4nLxsqzTylryjJIfrLMYkIZptqRnhO0EJTNudfF0bHMVzhkfl1LEsS2KynwAKipRwDziRpCvO6fOfnNj1IIsUVpaQD3gqhOL-QYQMcAprCKed08w0PE-ZDA-Q-dveR24T~q9OM9is9fnpARqZRQhke4ZINw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Juneau — The Department of Natural Resources informed the House Finance DNR subcommittee on Feb. 24 that it is requesting $45,000 in unrestricted general funds in the governor's amended FY2026 budget to fund a report required by Senate Bill 118.

The report, as described by DNR, directs the Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys to compare Alaska's production of critical and essential minerals to national and global production, consult with relevant state and federal agencies, the University of Alaska, industry and advocacy organizations, and identify strategies and timelines to increase state production over 3-, 5- and 10-year horizons. The report is also to compare permitting timelines and exploration incentives with other jurisdictions.

Deputy Commissioner John Crowther said the department has \"significant mineral assessment capabilities\" but had not yet begun the specific report because it was awaiting the budget item. \"We have not yet begun on this particular report because we've been waiting to have the item passed through the budget,\" Crowther said. He said work could begin as soon as the funds are technically available for FY2026.

The subcommittee's questions focused on whether any assessment work had already been started and how the fiscal note tied to SB118 was handled in the baseline budget. Crowther explained that while the fiscal note accompanied the bill when it passed, the timing of enactment meant the fiscal note was not incorporated into the baseline; the amended budget item brings those anticipated funds into the FY2026 budget.","DNR told the subcommittee the department has not yet begun the minerals production comparison report required by Senate Bill 118 and is requesting $45,000 to fund the Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys to start the work once FY2026 funding is available.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":80,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":83,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6314430,"DNR outlines governor's plan to create Department of Agriculture, transfer staff and programs",187,797000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2383849-52f612ee85a90e80c649d6f94f383785&start=610&end=797","/articles/6314430/Alaska/DNR-outlines-governors-plan-to-create-Department-of-Agriculture-transfer-staff-and-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6314430-36f33c6f075ec17d460eac14851b942d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770942543&Signature=cHD29-w0FTDmDxsXt1BYGGrspYufp-SrA5LWBOU19oXfESEMOLwhlA7vSxKKOODFtPbV1fNoD4zIMJlXxU2x4jirynPVY4ArpSCs5hxbSKn72DUt4Cah-3L9Eso9wLSnSeUWmxRGEsuEwax7LXtgfPMxF2yDjKfbq7WxVzJunipNCi3nEFfjffDe0B5MRAPIaDDlRpsg3x17EwSZ3VU7fbd7-fuMJ~VUg9kdLa~gILMlS5hm-XR8OhPGokglNQ1BdjtiIads4a0mvHiLphPRG1F7hqovGEaF1G3YGp~nnTe9SVRpYfDsf2qFeI86ntwcgyHIfCV180o2gCKRWQwrHw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Juneau — The Department of Natural Resources on Feb. 24 presented to the House Finance DNR subcommittee the governor's amended budget items to implement Executive Order 1 36 and establish a standalone Department of Agriculture, including transfers of staff, programs and federal grant authority.

Deputy Commissioner Brent Goodrum, Department of Natural Resources, told the subcommittee that the amended FY2026 governor's budget moves multiple funding sources and positions from DNR to the proposed department and requests federal receipt authority for a microgrant program aimed at food security. \"As envisioned in Executive Order 1 36, tomorrow's Department of Agriculture is a measured approach,\" Goodrum said, adding the leadership structure and a lean support-services team are intended to allow a new commissioner to assess priorities quickly.

Why it matters: The administration says elevating agriculture to a cabinet-level department would centralize policy and funding decisions, provide a single executive-branch contact for agriculture, and help coordinate food-security efforts the governor highlighted after supply-chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Legislators on the subcommittee raised repeated concerns about timing, the potential for mission creep, additional costs, and how functions such as IT and land management would be shared or retained.

Details of the proposal. The presentation described three primary amended budget items tied to Executive Order 1 36:
- A transfer of authority, positions and funding totaling $3,473,300 from the Department of Natural Resources' agricultural development component to the Department of Agriculture, including 17 permanent full-time positions.
- A transfer of the North Latitude Plant Material Center and associated authority totaling $3,792,715 and the movement of specified permanent full-time and permanent part-time positions to the new department.
- A request for $2,200,000 in federal receipt authority in FY2026 for a USDA-funded microgrant program to increase locally grown food in areas of the state with high food insecurity. Goodrum said the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service awards the funds, which are then competitively distributed as subawards.

The department also noted a FY2025 supplemental request (discussed for informational purposes) to increase federal receipt authority by roughly $3,200,000 so the division can meet current microgrant obligations for FY2025. Goodrum said the supplemental is informational to the subcommittee because supplemental appropriations are not technically within the committee's purview.

Committee questions and concerns. Representatives pressed DNR leaders on whether the transfers represent new funding or merely move existing authority. Deputy Commissioner John Crowther explained that some allocations (for example, the $45,000 fiscal note tied to Senate Bill 118) were enacted but not rolled into the baseline budget because of timing, and the amended budget item is intended to make the funding present in FY2026.

Several legislators asked about administrative costs and whether existing staff could absorb new federal grants. \"These costs would be handled by existing staff both within the division as well as the anticipated staff that would be part of the Department of Agriculture when it stands up in January,\" Goodrum responded, noting the administration's intent to keep the commissioner's office and support services lean. Representative Sadler and others repeatedly emphasized concern about mission creep and requested clarity on who would perform public information and outreach duties.

Timing and contingency. Goodrum told the committee that the structural transfers are being put in motion on the executive branch side so the department could stand up on the administration's intended effective date in January if the legislature concurs or takes no action. He said that if the legislature were to oppose creation of the department, the structural items would be undone and the division of agriculture would remain within DNR.

Staffing and costs. The presentation listed 13 new permanent full-time positions in the proposed commissioner's office and support services, with an added unrestricted general fund increment of roughly $2.734 million. The administration's FY2026 estimate for a Department of Agriculture totaled about $12.2 million, with roughly one-third of that shown as federal receipt authority. DNR emphasized the new support-services team would be \"very lean,\" while acknowledging officials will revise roles once a commissioner is in place.

Commissioner Christian Boyle, appearing online, framed the initiative as a response to food-security vulnerabilities revealed during the pandemic and said task force recommendations supported creating a department to elevate agriculture within state government and at the governor's cabinet level.

Next steps. The presentation was informational; the subcommittee did not take a formal vote on the amended budget items during the hearing. Several legislators asked the department to provide additional detail on the agriculture revolving loan fund, average loan sizes, and the fund's current balance; DNR staff said they would follow up with more specifics.","The Department of Natural Resources presented the governor's amended budget items that would stand up a Department of Agriculture under Executive Order 1 36, transferring staff, the North Latitude Plant Material Center and federal grant authority while legislators pressed for detail on timing, staffing and costs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DNR requests $10.1 million supplemental for FY2025 fire suppression costs

DNR seeks $45,000 to fund critical-minerals report mandated by SB118

DNR outlines governor's plan to create Department of Agriculture, transfer staff and programs