Anchorage Daily News

Gov. Sarah Palin announced Tuesday that she is restoring the state employees who regulate fish habitat to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Her decision will move 38 biologists out of the Department of Natural Resources and will reverse one of former Gov. Frank Murkowski's most controversial acts.

Fishermen, some legislators and environmentalists praised the long-awaited decision, saying it will help restore some checks and balances to the state's permitting process for major development projects.

"We believe that habitat permits should be in the hands of biologists. ... This will make people feel more comfortable," said Mark Vinsel, executive director of the United Fishermen of Alaska, a statewide organization that represents commercial fishing fleets.

Five years ago, Murkowski ordered the transfer of the habitat biologists to DNR -- which issues development permits -- claiming they had thrown up too many barriers to industrial projects such as logging and dam-building.

Murkowski's decision prompted an outcry from five former Fish and Game commissioners, Democratic legislators and environmental groups, who said putting the biologists in the state's development agency violated the balance between resource protection and development.

The Legislature, however, approved the executive order.

SHUFFLING THE DECK

The state's habitat biologists are responsible for issuing permits to developers who want to build culverts or bridges or disturb a stream inhabited by salmon and other fish that ascend rivers to spawn. For example, roughly a decade ago they demanded a major design change for the Glenn and Parks highways interchange near Palmer to preserve wetlands used by coho salmon for rearing.

Palin's proposed executive order will move all of those fish permitting responsibilities out of DNR to Fish and Game.

"There was a perception by the public that (this role) belongs at Fish and Game," said Ken Taylor, Fish and Game's deputy commissioner.

Though 38 biologists will move back, some of those biologists never actually left their old offices, despite reporting to DNR.

Most of the employees of both departments supported moving the habitat positions back, Taylor said.

The 34 habitat biologist jobs that Murkowski eliminated will not be restored, DNR officials said.

THE PEBBLE FACTOR

In recent years, the move became a target of those opposed to development of the massive and controversial Pebble copper and gold prospect in Southwest Alaska.

Some of Pebble project's biggest opponents in the Bristol Bay region recently began collecting signatures for a ballot initiative to force the state to return the biologists to Fish and Game -- an initiative that now may be moot.

One of its sponsors, Bobby Andrew of Dillingham, said he is grateful to Palin for her decision but he will wait to see her executive order before deciding how to proceed.

Palin said in an interview Tuesday that Pebble factored into her decision, but so did a lot of other controversies about development around Alaska.

Some miners are concerned about the big change looming for DNR, but overall, if Palin maintains her commitment to science-based decisions on permits, "we applaud her," said Steve Borell, executive director of the Alaska Miners Association.

ANY HARM DONE?

Palin said she doesn't believe that putting the biologists in DNR caused any actual harm, and her Cabinet struggled over whether to just write a "very strong and clear" agreement between the departments to address the public concerns about the checks and balances.

They concluded that "it's got to be stronger ... it's got to be the move," she said.

Unless the Legislature rejects her order, the habitat biologists will be moving back to Fish and Game starting in July, she said.

The executive order has not been published yet, but by law it has to be submitted to the Legislature by Feb. 13, allowing lawmakers 60 days to review it before the legislative session ends.

Find Elizabeth Bluemink online at adn.com/contact/ebluemink or call 257-4317.

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