Alaska Legislature: Senate Resources, 3/23/26, 3:30pm

Sa. Sam sa.

I'll send a Resources Committee meeting to order.

Today is Monday,

February,

excuse me, March 23rd, 2026, and the time is 3.30 p.m. Please turn off your cell phones.

And I'll do that for mine as well.

Committee members present today,

Senator Rauscher,

Senator Kawasaki,

Senator Meyer,

Senator Dunbar,

Senator Klayman, and myself, Chair Giesel.

I do expect Senator Wilkowski,

who is the vice chair,

to be along shortly.

We have a quorum to conduct business.

Thank you, Heather and Susan,

for keeping us recording the minutes and the audio working.

Today we're doing confirmation hearings. So these are folks that have been appointed.

You've been appointed by the governor to different roles and they have to go through legislative confirmation.

So that's where they get to be interviewed by us.

The first one we'll take up today is the appointee for the commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources.

So I would ask Mr.

John Crowther to come forward.

Pardon me, Crowther,

I mispronounced it.

You have information numbers in your packet that also describes the qualifications and the role and all that kind of stuff, the expertise that's needed.

And you have a brief resume from Mr.

Crowther.

So welcome.

If you would introduce yourself for the record and tell us why you'd like this job.

Thank you very much Chair Giesel and members of the committee.

It's an honour and a privilege to be here and I have a short statement I'll read.

I very very much want the job and I love the job, so excited to uh to hopefully keep pursuing it.

So for the record, my name is John Crowther, Commissioner Designate of the Department of Natural Resources.

I would like to say first thank you for considering my nomination.

It's an honor and a privilege to serve in this role,

and I'm thankful to Governor Dunleavy for entrusting me with this responsibility.

I intend to share a summary of my background,

five concepts that I want to emphasize at DNR, and five priorities that I have for the department in 2026.

I grew up about myself.

I grew up in Anchorage, and I've lived there almost all my life, except for some time that I went outside for college and law school.

And I also spent time working for both the state and federal governments in Washington, D.C.

In Washington,

D.C., I've been able to work directly for the last eight DNR commissioners.

I learned a great deal from all of them.

I'm thankful for their mentorship,

and I hope to put many of their good lessons to use at the department.

Over my career to date, I've been blessed to have what I would describe as several different dream jobs,

but I consider this chief among them.

Uh I view this undertaking as a very serious obligation to both our state and our people. I intend to pursue it earnestly, uh to make some attempted humility and some attempted humour along the way, uh recognising the important obligation that's been entrusted to me. Uh the five principles that I want to talk about today are first that I and our team are always willing and able to learn and adapt.

to avoid overconfidence,

to be creative,

to accept new ideas,

to be willing to change,

and to be willing to adopt new processes and tools.

Second,

in the midst of change,

to keep our eye on our mission and our purpose,

to develop,

conserve,

and maximize the use of our resources in the public interest.

Why do we do that?

So that Alaskans can thrive.

We have to keep that focus on that vision in all that we do.

Third,

we respect ourselves.

I want the employees of DNR to support and encourage each other,

to acknowledge the significant demands on ourselves and our capabilities,

to cultivate professionalism,

and ultimately to hold our heads high.

These three build into the fourth,

to respect the public that we serve.

We adapt,

we stay focused on our goal,

we hold ourselves to a high standard so that we can make the hard decisions that affect Alaskans and at times have no perfect answer.

When it's needed most, we're responsive,

forthright, and comprehensive so that Alaskans know we're going the extra mile to understand their needs while we meet our mission.

Finally,

opportunities seen and unseen,

known and unknown are all around us.

Our task fundamentally is to take joy in stoking optimism,

seizing the day, and unlocking these opportunities for the public.

So that brings me to five priorities for the department in 2026 that I want to put these principles to work on.

First is to advance the governor's initiatives and execute his vision for growth.

This means supporting the gas line,

boosting the dynamic use of our lands for commercial opportunities,

for new housing,

for new access,

for development partnerships with industry,

and for long-term planning for our assets like timber and agricultural land.

He wants us to be energized and he wants us to act when opportunity is at hand and we will act.

Second,

to seize the federal opportunities that are available us today.

The partial revocation of Public Land Order 5150 is a marquee example of this,

but there are many, many others.

These general opportunities can be unlocked with hard work and partnership with the willing federal government.

Third.

To seize the development window we're in. The North Slope Renaissance,

co-nit energy security,

mineral exploration development driven by booming commodity demand, all of these are DNR's core businesses, and I want to double down on all of them.

Fourth our firm firmly establish a reputation for responsiveness, engagement and decisiveness with the public, where DNR is clear and confident about our mission, our processes and our results.

Finally,

I want to strengthen our culture.

I want to promote from within,

I want to train new leaders,

bring in new talent,

and cultivate our people so that the department is even more energized and motivated at the end of the year than it is today with a record of accomplishment to be proud of.

In closing, I want to say thank you to my family and friends for all their support. Uh thank you to the employees of the department who make me imminently confident that all I just discussed is not only achievable, but is likely. Um and I want to say thank you again to the governor for his designation and to you all for your consideration. And I welcome your questions.

Very good, thank you.

Questions for the Commissioner designee.

Senator Klayman.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I actually had a question from a constituent that I'm going to inquire. I know there are requirements that when you are commissioner they have to have bonds for you.

Does that also apply when you're acting commissioner and we haven't confirmed you? Or do you even know?

I I I admittedly, Senator Klayman, I don't know the answer to that.

That's fine.

And then the the second question, you've got a law degree. Are you a member of the Alaska Bar?

Thank you, Senator Clayman. I, for the record, I am not a member of the Alaska Bar.

Good for you.

That's it.

Um as somebody that in my case have tried more cases than I care to count, should we have any concerns that you're running D_N_R_ and you're a lawyer and you've haven't tried cases or argued appeals?

Senator Clayman, through the chair, I, not to make light of the very serious question, I will confess the first matter on behalf of an employer when I was in law school and had the privilege to work in a clerkship for a small firm in Anchorage, I did file that document in the wrong courthouse. It gave me considerable pause about my own performance. But since that time, I've been working in government, not actively practicing or representing in the court.

Senator Clayman, through the chair,

not to

And I think my experience to date is very solid in that respect. And when it comes to representing the state or the department in court, we have the Department of Law to execute on those. And I don't hold myself out as a practitioner in the court itself.

Thank you.

Senator Myers.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Commissioner designee, I'm curious. You've got a couple of stints in DC and I'm just kind of wondering, given your experience there, how you think that informs the job that you're moving into.

Uh

Thank you, Senator. Senator, through the chair, it's a very good question. It's a very important question for the Department of Natural Resources because our lands and our resources are often intertwined with federal regulatory requirements. They're next door to federal lands. Access to them may be required to go across federal lands. And so it's very important to have experience and perspective on how the federal government engages with the state. And I think I mentioned in my remarks the unique opportunity we have right now.

We just saw the largest NPRA lease sale of all time. We saw the public land order being lifted. There's many other opportunities that having my experience I think makes me suited to seize and work those opportunities, not just at the rhetorical level, but to actually make real progress on those issues. So I'm very excited about what this next year holds vis a vis the state federal relationship.

Okay, thank you.

Senator Dunbar.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Commissioner Designee, for being here.

You know, it's interesting,

you are becoming the designee and perhaps the permanent commissioner at a really interesting time in Alaska's history, as you know. And, you know, if there is a new governor and you don't continue on it.

You're still this really pivotal moment,

right?

And part of it will be in the interim as well.

And we are being asked questions about the gas line in particular that many of us find it challenging to answer without,

I think some of us feel the right kind of information.

And one of the frustrations I've had in oil and gas discussions at this committee and this table.

is that we will ask DNR a question and DNR will say,

well, that's a matter for revenue.

And then we'll ask revenue a question,

they'll say that's a matter for DNR.

But truly the questions we're going to be asked to answer over the next however many months and years intertwine those two issues.

How do we create a sustainable oil and gas revenue system?

that both allows for the development of these resources and allows us to, I mean, they're closing an elementary school in my district, right?

So we also have to maximize the benefit to Alaska.

So my question for you is,

how do you navigate that?

How do you break down those walls? How do you provide us the information we need when maybe it's split between DNR and DOR?

Thank you Senator. It's very much appreciated the question. I very much understand how important that is to this committee given your jurisdiction and given the importance you know our resource development drives economic activity, it drives revenues to the state, and it does that through important important ways like our royalty and like obviously our taxation. When it's royalty it flows directly through the department. When it's taxation it doesn't, and that that brings about the dynamic that you just referenced. Um

You know, I in in my role, you know, the the obligations of the department are to maximize our royalty,

which,

you know, we work on on our oil and gas.

There's that active question with with gas potential development.

We work to maximize the use of the resource as well. And that goes to those other sources of revenue like taxation,

like economic employment that benefits the residents and citizens.

And so to me, the most important thing for for.

You know, properly executing those duties of the department is taking into as much consideration cooperating with those other agencies,

learning from them, listening to them, and then being ready and available to speak to the committee about what's directly within our jurisdiction and then how we try and partner with those other agencies to look at the whole picture.

So it's certainly the committee and the legislature has my commitment to show up, to be responsive, as I hope I've demonstrated in the past.

asked, but certainly to continue to do my best, at least on behalf of the department, to do so.

Thank you.

Follow up, Senator Dunlop.

I know that's good for now. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Senator Kawasaki.

Thank you. I have a question about

administrative order 360 as it pertains to the Department of Natural Resources. And you know, as you mentioned, public land order 5150 just came out. Also, a lot of this has to do with sort of like streamlining and ensuring that permitting is streamlined, those types of things. How is that going currently and what are some obstacles that you've seen?

Thank you for the question, Senator Kawasaki. Through the chair, I think it's going relatively well at the department level. We've worked to do under the AO 360 process public notice that solicited public comment and feedback. We've developed an initial regulatory plan that we've submitted through that process that's identified some of the areas and baselines for potential regulatory changes.

And so I think the specific obligations of the AO we're continuing to meet. It's also driven, as you know, as frankly is a perception and approach that's already in the department about how to be kind of self-critical about our regulations. You know, how

and why can we improve things and propose things, whether it's adjustments or deletions to make the process more manageable for the public. And so it's, I would say the thing that's most encouraging to me is that I know that our leadership at the divisions and that the talented staff we have buy into that focus of efficiency for regulatory efforts.

Follow up.

Hold up, Senator Prosekhi.

So we're at just past day 60 midway, midpoint through the legislative session.

Do you anticipate there's going to be statutory changes that are required to make those regulatory changes within the agency work right?

And if they are, are we going to see those before the end of session or?

Is it going to be an after-session sort of thing?

Thank you, Senator Kawasaki, through the chair.

I think many, at least to speak for the Department of Natural Resources,

I don't think we anticipate any statutory proposals for AO 360 alignment.

We have many regulatory proposals we're evaluating, and certainly there's different concepts about continued improvement that are out there, but I don't think the department intends to bring forward additional legislation this session.

Yes, follow up, Senator Kawasaki.

Senator Kawasaki, this is a different question. One of the governor's big asks over the last couple years has been for a Department of Agriculture outside of under the division.

Is that something that you've looked at and what do you think about the proposal?

Or do you have any comments about that?

Yeah, thank you, Senator Kawasaki, through the chair.

So, you know, I think the the.

The best information for the committee there is the proposal has been subject to legal challenge that resulted in a Superior Court decision that the administration has appealed to the Supreme Court for final ruling on our authority there.

I believe it's still very much the governor's intent to see that litigation through and his objective is to form the Department of Agriculture.

Certainly if that's the court ruling,

we will do everything in our power to make that a success.

as successful and effective as possible.

And I think whatever the situation,

the intent to support agriculture,

to respond to the food security needs that I know the legislature has identified through the discussions on this topic,

that certainly the governor has prioritized, you know, whether it's the Department of Natural Resources as a partner with a sister department or whether due to the legal ruling,

we continue to function in the near term with the division.

The focus on trying to make that as efficient as possible and productive as possible will be there.

Further questions, Senator Wilkowski.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Can you talk about in Cook Inlet what are you doing to ensure leaseholders are living up to their obligations to explore and develop the natural gas that is there?

Yeah.

Absolutely,

Senator Wilkowski,

through the chair.

The status of things in Cook Inlet is a critical issue for the department and, of course, for the state because of how important development is.

And, you know, we've been working very actively in the last several years to share general information about the production in the inlet,

the demand in the inlet,

how they interact to give a comprehensive picture to the public and to the legislature about the status of things.

things, we've also been working very hard with the operators to to both push and pull development as aggressively as we can. Um when we see our largest operator, that's Hilcorp and with their Cook Inlet position, we've seen fortunately uh you know our our team works through the plan of development process to basically at this stage review every well they propose to ask why aren't they drilling wells or targets that we see in our d our geologic data, both public and confidential, and

We've seen an uptick in development wells coming from them.

I think this summer,

hopefully they have one of their busiest seasons in several years planned,

and that follows an increase in wells drilled last year and the year before. And so we...

We view that as critical to fulfill their obligations and want to keep that pressure on.

We also have our operator,

the Hex Fury with the kitchen lights unit,

that has had significant new drilling in their platform over the last several years,

enabled by a give from the state,

a significant give,

and a royalty reduction,

but we've seen the wells that we need to continue to provide supplies come in in response to that.

And then finally we do have the cosmopolitan unit, which is in default for the department because of a a lack of uh fulfilling the obligations to development t to develop, we anticipate that uh we've been working with that operator very closely as they work to cure and meet the terms of their default, that would involve bringing in investment and having a discrete plan to drill as soon as possible to meet the need.

And we're at a stage where

they know and we know and expect that they will either meet that obligation or they will be in a significant default and the state will pursue its remedies as aggressively as possible. So uh we're we're doing everything we can and we welcome talking about it and and answering questions.

Follow-up, Senator Wilkowski.

And what's your what is the expectation for

Hex Fury and for Cosmopolitan unit,

are you expecting gas to start flowing or significant new gas to start flowing this fall in the near future because we're getting to that point where we have contracts that are expiring and we need new gas right away.

Now, thank you for the question,

Thank you for the question, Senator.

And from our understanding,

so in the Kitchen Lights unit,

we have seen several wells drilled

in the last several seasons, the last two seasons. And those have been done with a rig share with Hilcor. There's one rig jackup rig in the inlet, it has to be scheduled appropriately to get as many high productivity wells as possible. We've encouraged the operator to look at alternatives. Can they bring in other rigs? And we know they're actively doing that because they're taking their obligation in the plan of development, which has been incorporated into a condition of their royalty modification

to push their drilling schedule hard to bring wells forward, and so we're hoping whether it's with the Hilcor rig that there is a contract on or alternative options that the Hex Ferry team will continue to see what they've successfully done the last several years, add new wells and increase their production. They've slowly ticked up as a percentage of total gas in the inlet. And we frankly need to continue to see that just to meet our basic needs.

With

the Cosmopolitan unit, if we are successful in seeing a cure, I think we expect and hope to see development this year that results in new gas. But we need to see that cure completed, executed and finalized. And so the department's pushing hard for that follow up.

Follow up, Senator Wilkowski.

With the significant royalty relief that the state gave to Hex Fury, are we seeing that relief reflected in the costs that they're demanding or the charges that they're demanding for the sale of their gas?

Senator Willikowski, through the chair,

it's not directly the department's authority to review or set commercial terms for gas sales in the inlet,

but certainly the prevailing gas market in terms of supply,

but price is something we look at to just inform ourselves. We have seen gas sold at a higher price recently,

which is frankly not good for the consumer. It's not a department authority to...

to directly oversee that,

but we're

pushing things like gas storage to expand the total market and potentially drive down some of those edge deliverability price pressures that we think have caused some of that higher gas price.

So we do think people are responding to the tightness in the market that's pushed the price up and that's why we're trying to push more drilling and more development so that there's not that squeeze that ultimately negatively affects the consumer.

Follow up Senator Wilkowski.

Yeah,

and I would just to comment on that,

I would certainly hope that if the state has unilaterally agreed to take a massive cut to our share,

our royalties, the money that goes into the permanent fund,

my hope is that the producer would pass those savings on to the consumers.

Because the owners of the orries, the overriding royalty interest,

they didn't take any cut to their share.

We took the sole cut.

So my hope is that DNR will,

to the extent you can,

ensure that the savings are passed on to the consumer.

That's one.

My question, though, is on royalty audits for TAPS.

Is DNR directly involved in that,

or is that Department of Revenue?

concern issue

Senator Willikowski, through the chair,

your point's very well taken there.

uh on the cook inlet pricing mechanisms uh when it comes to royalty if i understand the question the department does audit the department natural resources does audit our royalty receipts so when producers are paying upstream value uh one of the components that's deducted from that is things like the transportation tariff so that does play into our audits if that's your question at the department level

And has

Yes, Philip,

And has there been any recent disputes over the amount of royalties that are owed by the producers,

and do you have the auditing staff that you need to properly adjudicate those disputes?

Senator Wilkowski,

through the chair.

Depending on the definition of recent,

I think there have been. We regularly do audits every period, an audit eligibility will open and or close and we'll issue audits. Those are sometimes paid directly,

sometimes the subject of litigation.

And so that process has been continuing.

I do believe some of those have occurred and will occur in the future.

We currently do have a staff,

have a good team. We actually just, I believe one of our longtime folks has retired and we were able to promote from within to a new position there. So I think we're well staffed and we think we're able to engage as needed there.

Follow up, Senator Wilkowski.

Has there been any concerns that the state has not gotten the amount of royalties that we should have gotten in the last five years from TAPS?

Uh Senator Wydenowski,

through the chair, I m I think we always pay very close attention to the royalty valuation terms of our leases with for the purpose of properly conducting those audits, because we don't we want to avoid that issue where where we we feel like royalty has not been properly accounted for.

Mm.

Senator Wydenowski.

I think I think there's been some testimony in the Senate Finance Committee that the state um believes there was an underfunding of royalties to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. Is that

Am I recalling that correctly,

and if so, could you describe what the dispute is and how much the department believes we have been underpaid?

Senator Willekowski,

through the chair,

I just would want to make sure I understood.

the matter you're referencing to give accurate information off the top of my head I there's there's a vast number of audits of other obligations that occur outside of the Department of Natural Resources we're responsible only for royalty audits and the transportation tariff can factor both into a company's

corporate tax liability production tax liability and their royalty and I'm not aware of a significant shortfall that's been publicly discussed vis-a-vis royalty audits but I that might be my oversight

All right.

All right. Senator Kawasaki, you had a question?

Yeah.

So I've just been reading crude dreams,

just talking about oil all the time.

It's there's one part where they're talking about Tom Kelly,

who was a DNR commissioner around the late 60s.

He was a professional from the Texas oil field and was brought in under the Hickel administration.

And but he was always a entrepreneur on the private sector side. So Kelly viewed his public service as a challenge after being appointed by Hickel.

He said, quote,

when you're dealing with a public resource,

the highest price is the fairest price.

That's because the state,

that's because a state official has fiduciary responsibility to maximize the state's resources or value of its resources.

And I just wanted to hear what your thoughts are on that quote from that commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources.

Thank you, Senator Kawasaki, through the chair.

You know, I do,

I believe Commissioner Kelly is oversaw our first major, not our first Prudhoe Bay lease sale ever,

but the major lease sale that ran almost into a billion dollars and essentially established the permanent fund.

So I appreciate that he took his job very seriously because it's resulted in a tremendous outcome for all of us. And, you know, consequently,

I view,

you know, what he was describing there,

we have an obligation to.

mission to maximise production, we have an obligation to maximise the value from that production. It's a very complex task, uh but it's it's critical to our near-term near-term econ economic health, near-term revenue and hopefully a hundred years from now people will be talking about the things that we're doing on the gas line or other north slope development and the beneficial impact it's had for the state in long term. So I I generally would say I agree with his his framing there.

Senator Kawasaki.

Thank you, Madam Chair, through the Chair.

So in 2018,

four commissioners ago,

okay,

so this isn't your fault, but four years, four commissioners ago in 2018,

this...

body here on both sides of the building passed the Jonesville Act and we've been waiting for a we've been waiting for regulations to be formulated over that whole period of time and the last year and a half or more I've been getting that they're illegal and I'm just wondering

Is there any way you can make this happen before,

I don't know,

every year the community of Sutton spends most of their, well, a lot of their revenue sharing money cleaning up that area for the DNR, which put that area out there.

And I'm just wondering how fast we can make that happen, and is it in the near future.

Senator Rauscher through the chair.

I have to admit I understand those regulations to still be illegal,

but your point's taken that it's been a long-standing and a very visible and a very impactful situation out there.

And I think there's absolutely an intent at the department level.

As evidence,

you know, our team has been going to public meetings to talk about the status of things,

been working with yourself,

Senator,

and on legislation about the proper boundary. You know, we want this to...

To get finalized to be effective and to have a good good effect on the ground and so you know certainly at the department level we'll be asking and pushing for progress and finalization of those regulations so we can have that fully in effect out there.

Appreciate it. Thank you.

Senator Klayman.

Thank you. So this is a follow-up on what was said under Wilkowski's question.

There was a, my general sense in the 90s, we had a lot of fairly extensive cases about, and they weren't public,

but these were about underpayment of royalties and I think they came to the tune of sometimes billions of dollars.

One of the concerns as time has gone on is that although in some ways the tax structure has gotten easier and less complicated in terms of those royalty calculations, there's also a feeling that sometimes the private companies have developed an accounting advantage and that we don't have as strong a team in the department in terms of figuring that stuff and figuring out when we should be receiving more than we've been getting.

What's your sense of the department's royalty analysis team?

How are we doing dea dealing with the companies that I think frankly have a economic advantage in terms of hiring hiring folks to work on those issues?

Yeah. Senator Clyman through the chair, it's a very important question and it goes to one of the things in

my remarks on principles about staying humble and staying creative,

you know, certainly if I were to personally become aware or convinced or if there's discussion about

if we're not pushing hard and getting the right deal,

we need to accept.

We don't need to reflexively say,

oh, everything's good,

everything's fine.

We need to inquire and push on it.

That said,

I am not aware of a perception internally with our direct royalty management team, with our audit team,

that we have vulnerabilities. And I think in part, whether the

calculus,

the legal positions and settlements that went into those prior discussions you referenced ultimately resulted in what are called royalty settlement agreements,

RSAs, with many of the large producers that cover significant portions of production on the North Slope that govern those terms in our underlying leases that were subject to significant ambiguity and litigation about their meaning had some level of resolution through the work of the state and the producers.

And so we do look closely at those RSAs to make sure that they're addressing the current situation.

You know, we have a very sophisticated commercial team at the department that does great work.

And I think we feel like we're still,

you know

on fair grounds to punch above our weight and defend what we need to for the state. But, you know, certainly I'm not above taking a step back, investigating that,

and if we need to, pushing for change.

And

follow-up, Senator Clements.

a slightly different topic, but I I know under the constitutional mandates that we have and you referenced them early in your comments about the constitutional obligations of your department in particular.

How d how do you have have your approach both before you became the acting commissioner and designee uh but you've had other interactions with the the governor's part of the executive branch. How have you managed places in which you see the department's obligations

And duties to perhaps not always be aligned with what the governor is asking you to do. How have you managed those kinds of situation?

Yeah, thank you, Senator Klayman, for the question.

You know, the...

The department has a variety of explicit constitutional and statutory missions.

We work as hard, we have a dedicated team of professionals that are responsible for analyzing those, carrying them out,

and we take a lot of pride in doing that work comprehensively. We make recommendations in my previous roles to the commissioner.

In my current role, at times,

obviously the department's the final decision maker.

Sometimes there's other departments we're making recommendations.

patients to other cabinet officials we're asking for help from,

the Attorney General,

Revenue Commissioner,

Acting Revenue Commissioner,

and sometimes the Governor himself.

You know, I do believe the Governor is the elected head of the executive branch.

He has a foundational and fundamental role to make many of those decisions that are commended to him.

It's our job to give him the best advice we can,

to give him information about the alternatives that come up to those statutory authorities and to describe.

where we view our obligations of the department are and many times that involves letting him make the call carrying it out to the best of our ability it's it's a situation as you said I've you know I've worked for many commissioners I've worked for three governors and I I know the

There is tremendous respect and deference to the professionals at DNR because of their record of articulating what their obligations are,

articulating alternatives,

but staying focused on what we're supposed to do under the Constitution.

So I continue to have confidence that I'll be able to honor that obligation vis-a-vis my employees and vis-a-vis the Constitution.

And I frankly,

I'm confident in that myself.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you very much for answering all those questions.

At this time, I'm going to open public testimony.

Is there anyone in the room who wishes to testify on this appointee?

Seeing no one, I'm going to the online.

I see one person.

Mr.

Ed Martin is signed up to testify.

Mr.

Martin, I'm limiting public testimony to two minutes.

Can you hear us?

Yes.

Yes. Thank you, Senator Diesel.