Repealed or Renumbered
Repealed or Renumbered
The principal executive officer of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is the commissioner of transportation and public facilities.
The department may adopt regulations under AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act) to implement, interpret, or make more specific its powers and duties.
The commissioner may apply for and accept, on behalf of the state, grants from the federal government or an agency of it, or from another state, a foundation, or any person, for any of the functions or purposes of the department.
The commissioner shall establish regions within the state. The functions of the department within each region shall be performed, to the maximum extent feasible, through a regional office. Each regional office shall be directed by a regional transportation and public facilities director appointed by the commissioner.
The department shall consult with the appropriate officials of other departments regarding environmental risks and economic and social considerations that may arise by reason of the location, design, construction, or reconstruction of a transportation facility.
In this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise,
(1) 'commissioner' means the commissioner of transportation and public facilities;
(2) 'department' means the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities;
(3) 'transportation' or 'transportation mode' includes, but is not limited to, the following means of conveyance or travel, including their related or auxiliary structures, facilities, or services: air, rail, water, highway and pipeline.
There is created within the department the following capital projects funds:
(1) educational, cultural, and related facilities;
(2) transportation and related facilities;
(3) public institutions and related facilities;
(4) public safety, justice, and related facilities;
(5) health and related facilities;
(6) natural resource development facilities;
(7) general purpose facilities.
(a) The department shall, as soon as practicable after July 1, 1980, and at least once every seven years thereafter, perform an energy audit of each public building.
(b) The department shall include in each energy audit required by (a) of this section recommendations for corrective measures to improve the energy efficiency and to minimize the life-cycle cost of the public building surveyed. These measures may include (1) energy conservation measures, (2) measures involving solar technology and other alternative energy systems, (3) energy management, and (4) maintenance and operating procedures and energy-related modifications. In recommending the corrective measures, the department shall give priority to changes in maintenance and operating procedures over measures requiring substantial structural modification or installation of equipment.
(c) In this section, 'energy audit' means a determination of
(1) the energy consumption characteristics of a building, including the size, type, and rate of energy consumption of major energy-consuming systems of the building and the climate characterizing the region where the building is located; and
(2) a determination of the energy conservation and cost savings likely to result from appropriate energy-conserving maintenance and operating procedures and modifications, including the purchase and installation of energy-related fixtures.
(a) The commissioner shall develop annually a comprehensive, intermodal, long-range transportation plan for the state. In developing and revising the state plan, the commissioner shall consider means and costs of improving existing modes and facilities, state and federal subsidies, and the costs and benefits of new transportation modes and facilities. The commissioner shall also consider the recommendation of the Alaska Transportation Planning Council. The plan shall be submitted to the governor for review and approval and submitted by the governor to the legislature.
(b) In developing and revising the plan, the commissioner shall seek public review and evaluation by any reasonable means and may
(1) consult and cooperate with officials and representatives of the federal government, other governments, interstate commissions and authorities, local agencies and authorities, interested corporations and other organizations concerning problems affecting transportation in the state; and
(2) request from an agency or other unit of the state government or of a political subdivision of it, or from a public authority, the assistance and data that may be necessary to enable the commissioner to carry out responsibilities under this section; every such entity shall provide the assistance and data requested.
(c) Copies of the plan, as revised, shall be kept on file as a public document in the office of the commissioner and at each regional office of the department.
(d) The plan must include a description of projects planned for design and construction for the following two years. The description is in addition to the long-range plan required by (a) of this section and by AS 19.10.140 . The description must include an itemization of the estimated cost for each project and the total cost of all projects. The commissioner shall propose and forward to the governor for review and approval and inclusion, as approved, in the capital budget a construction program that includes the projects to be undertaken during the following two years, including recommended project priorities. Funds for transportation construction projects and necessary contingencies shall be itemized as allocations within the bill for the General Appropriations Act.
(a) The department shall
(1) plan, design, construct, and maintain all state modes of transportation and transportation facilities and all docks, floats, breakwaters, buildings, and similar facilities;
(2) study existing transportation modes and facilities in the state to determine how they might be improved or whether they should continue to be maintained;
(3) study alternative means of improving transportation in the state with regard to the economic costs of each alternative and its environmental and social effects;
(4) develop a comprehensive, long-range intermodal transportation plan for the state;
(5) study alternatives to existing modes of transportation in urban areas and develop plans to improve urban transportation;
(6) cooperate and coordinate with and enter into agreements with federal, state, and local government agencies and private organizations and persons in exercising its powers and duties;
(7) manage, operate, and maintain state transportation facilities and all docks, floats, breakwaters, and buildings, including all state highways, vessels, railroads, pipelines, airports, and aviation facilities;
(8) study alternative means of transportation in the state, considering the economic, social, and environmental effects of each alternative;
(9) coordinate and develop state and regional transportation systems, considering deletions, additions, and the absence of alterations;
(10) develop facility program plans for transportation and state buildings, docks, and breakwaters required to implement the duties set out in this section, including but not limited to functional performance criteria and schedules for completion;
(11) supervise and maintain all state automotive and mechanical equipment, aircraft, and vessels, except vessels and aircraft used by the Department of Fish and Game or the Department of Public Safety; for state vehicles maintained by the department, the department shall annually evaluate the cost, efficiency, and commercial availability of natural gas for automotive purposes, and the purpose for which the vehicles are intended to be used, and convert or purchase vehicles to utilize natural gas whenever practicable; the department may participate in joint ventures with public or private partners that will foster the availability of natural gas for all automotive fuel consumers;
(12) supervise aeronautics inside the state, under AS 02.10;
(13) complete and maintain a current inventory of public facilities, including a projection of the serviceability of the facilities and projections of replacements and additions to facilities needed to provide the level of services programmed by the various user agencies, for municipalities with populations of less than 12,000 and for unincorporated communities, and perform those duties on a cooperative basis with larger municipalities;
(14) adopt energy performance standards for public facilities of the state, the construction of which begins after July 1, 1980; the standards shall be based on thermal and lighting energy standards established by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers as adapted for application in high latitude, cold climate environs;
(15) provide planning assistance, including but not limited to energy audits and related technical services, to school districts and regional educational attendance areas to develop and implement
(A) standards for the design, construction, and operation of rural educational facilities; and
(B) energy conservation measures for rural educational facilities;
(16) implement the safety and financial responsibility requirements for air carriers under AS 02.40;
(17) inspect weights and measures.
(b) The department may
(1) engage in experimental projects relating to available or future modes of transportation and any means of improving existing transportation facilities and service;
(2) exercise the power of eminent domain, including the declaration of taking as provided in AS 09.55;
(3) publish plans, schedules, directories, guides, and manuals for distribution, with or without charge, to private or public entities or persons;
(4) operate state housing in support of the department's statutory responsibilities and charge rent that is consistent with applicable collective bargaining agreements, or, if no collective bargaining agreement is applicable, competitive with market conditions;
(5) charge reasonable fees to cover the costs of issuing easements, licenses, and permits and to cover the costs of reproduction, printing, mailing, and distribution of contract and bid documents and design and construction standards manuals;
(6) charge and collect fees for training services and technical assistance provided by department personnel.
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