NOTICE OF PROPOSED CHANGES ON

AGRICULTURAL REVOLVING LOAN FUND LOAN LIMITS

IN THE REGULATIONS OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSERVATION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The Board of Agriculture and Conservation proposes to change regulations on Agricultural Revolving Loan Fund loan balance limits.

The Board of Agriculture and Conservation proposes to adopt regulation changes in 11 AAC 39 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with the total outstanding balance on loans that the board may make, including the following:

(1)        11 AAC 39.191 is proposed to be repealed to remove the current regulatory limit of $1,000,000 for the total outstanding balance that the board may loan to a borrower, leaving the recently increased statutory limit of $3,000,000.

(2)        11 AAC 39.201 is proposed to be repealed to remove the current regulatory limit of $1,000,000 for the total outstanding balance that the board may loan to a borrower, leaving the recently increased statutory limit of $3,000,000. This repeal would also eliminate an exemption for financing the purchase of a fund asset that is not consistent with current law.

You may comment on the proposed regulation changes, including the potential costs to private persons of complying with the proposed changes, by submitting written comments to the Division of Agriculture, 1801 S. Margaret Drive, Ste. 12, Palmer, Alaska 99645. Additionally, the Division of Agriculture will accept comments by facsimile at 907-745-7112 and by electronic mail at dnr.agriculture@alaska.gov. The comments must be received not later than 5 p.m. on December 17, 2024.

You may submit written questions relevant to the proposed action to Bryan Scoresby at bryan.scoresby@alaska.gov and at 1801 S. Margaret Drive, Ste. 12, Palmer, Alaska 99645. The questions must be received at least 10 days before the end of the public comment period. The Division of Agriculture will aggregate its response to substantially similar questions and make the questions and responses available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and the Division of Agriculture website at https://dnr.alaska.gov/ag/ag_arlf.htm.

If you are a person with a disability who needs a special accommodation in order to participate in this process, please contact Bryan Scoresby, bryan.scoresby@alaska.gov, 1801 S. Margaret Drive, Ste. 12, Palmer, Alaska 99645 not later than 5 p.m. on December 9, 2024, to ensure that any necessary accommodation can be provided.

A copy of the proposed regulation changes is available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and by contacting Bryan Scoresby, bryan.scoresby@alaska.gov, 1801 S. Margaret Drive, Ste. 12, Palmer, Alaska 99645, 907-745-7200.

After the public comment period ends, the Board of Agriculture and Conservation will either adopt the proposed regulation changes or other provisions dealing with the same subject, without further notice, or decide to take no action. The language of the final regulation may be different from that of the proposed regulation. You should comment during the time allowed if your interests could be affected.

Statutory authority: AS 03.09.040; AS 03.10.020; AS 03.10.030; AS 03.10.050

Statutes being implemented, interpreted, or made specific: AS 03.10.020; AS 03.10.030.

Fiscal information: The proposed regulation changes are not expected to require an increased appropriation.

The Board of Agriculture and Conservation keeps a list of individuals and organizations interested in its regulations. Those on the list will automatically be sent a copy of all of the board’s notices of proposed regulation changes. To be added to or removed from the list, send a request to the Division of Agriculture at bryan.scoresby@alaska.gov or 1801 S. Margaret Drive, Ste. 12, Palmer, Alaska 99645, giving your name, and either your e-mail address or mailing address, as you prefer for receiving notices.

Individuals can also signup to receive automated notifications of all State of Alaska notices, including public notice for regulation changes, by subscribing to the Alaska Online Public Notices System: https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Default.aspx.

Date:   11/14/2024                             

Bryan Scoresby, Director of Division of Agriculture,

Board of Agriculture and Conservation