Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Water

Request for Information on the Regulations of the Department of Environmental Conservation

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Division of Water is holding an informal comment period and public hearing to gain public input from stakeholders, industry representatives, and interested parties on potential reforms to those State regulations contained in 18 AAC 69, 18 AAC 70, 18 AAC 72, 18 AAC 73, 18 AAC 74, 18 AAC 76, 18 AAC 77, or 18 AAC 83 and implemented by the Division of Water. 

On August 4, 2025, Governor Mike Dunleavy issued Administrative Order 360, directing State agencies to identify outdated, unnecessarily burdensome, or unclear regulations and propose reforms to improve government efficiency and public service while continuing to protect Alaskans.

The Division of Water is particularly interested in specific ideas for regulatory change that may:

• clarify existing regulatory obligations;
• reduce costs for the public, industry, or government;
• improve or streamline procedures, application requirements, and review processes, for example reducing the time required to apply for a license, permit, or benefit;
• reduce administrative burdens;
• streamline permitting procedures;
• improve communication procedures;
• provide greater transparency with respect to standards, decision-making, and rationales for application processing; or
• clarify interagency roles.

A public hearing to be held virtually on October 1, 2025.

There will not be in-person attendance provided at the hearing site, so please prepare to share your oral comments at the virtual hearing only. The hearing is schedule to begin at 4 p.m. and scheduled to end at 6 p.m. Priority will be given to commenters in attendance before the beginning of the hearing. The hearing may be extended to accommodate those in attendance before 5:30 p.m. who did not have an opportunity to comment. Before the start of the hearing DEC may limit the time allotted for each person providing oral testimony as reasonably necessary to conclude the hearing in the time provided. If all who wish to comment have done so, DEC will pause for 15 minutes for any additional comments and will close the virtual meeting prior to 6 p.m. if no additional commentors express interest in providing oral comments.

Written comments can be submitted electronically to the Department of Environmental Conservation public notice site at https://dec.alaska.gov/commish/public-notices/. Additionally, DEC will accept comments submitted by mail and addressed to Brock Tabor, DEC Division of Water at 410 Willoughby Ave, P.O. Box 111800, Juneau, Alaska 99811-1800 or by electronic mail to brock.tabor@alaska.gov. The comments must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. on October 10, 2025.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you are a person with a disability who may need accommodation in order to participate in this process, please contact Kristin Mabry, kristin.mabry@alaska.gov, 1-907-334-0884; or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 prior to September 20, 2025, to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.