Date: 02/12/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB09-125

SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Moved to amend the Printed Bill, Page 3, strike li
Moved to refer Senate Bill 09-125, to the Committe
Pass Without Objection
PASS



03:12 PM -- Senate Bill 09-125

Senator Isgar, sponsor, described the provisions of Senate Bill 09-125 that appropriates funds from the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) Construction Fund for water studies and water project grants and creates the continuously appropriated Wild and Scenic Rivers Fund for the CWCB to develop a state alternative to the wild and scenic river designation under federal law for river preservation. It also extends two loans authorized by the General Assembly in 2007.

The following persons testified on the bill:

03:14 PM --
Jennifer Gimbel, Director of the CWCB, explained that the Senate Bill 09-124 does not authorize new loans. It authorizes $8.78 million for non-reimbursable loans and grants and extends two loans authorized by the General Assembly in Senate Bill 07-122(Attachment H). She also spoke in support of the bill and identified non-reimbursable loans including $500,000 for flood plain mapping, $250,000 for watershed restoration, and $175,00 for weather modification. The bill also appropriates $2.2 million to restore the unencumbered balance in the Litigation Fund to $4 million and appropriates $400,000 to explore alternatives to federal wild and scenic rivers designation. The bill also extends the authorization for a $60 million loan to the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District for the Arkansas Valley Conduit Project.

090212AttachH.pdf


03:34 PM -- Ms. Gimbel responded to questions from the committee about the effectiveness of weather modification programs and other issues. Committee discussion followed about the need for appropriations for weather modification and climate change studies.

03:41 PM --
Dan McAuliffe, Assistant Director, CWCB, responded to questions from the committee regarding loans issued by the CWCB for small water storage projects.

03:42 PM --
Eric Wilkinson, Representative of the South Platte River Basin on the Colorado Water Conservation Board, described the CWCB Construction Fund loan approval process and identified non-reimbursable loans in the bill including $1.5 million to continue the Alternatives Agriculture Water Transfer Sustainability Grant Program.

03:50 PM --
Jim Broderick, Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, spoke in support of the bill and described the district's request to extend for two years the $60 million loan for the Arkansas Valley Conduit Project. He explained that federal legislation is pending that would match local moneys for the conduit.

03:53 PM --
Tom Easley, Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, spoke in support of the bill and described the need to prepare for the impact of climate change on water supplies and other resources (Attachment I).

090212AttachI.pdf

03:58 PM --
Jen Boulton, Colorado Trout Unlimited, Audubon of Colorado, spoke in support of the bill.

03:58 PM --
Jay Winner, Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, spoke in support of the bill.

BILL:SB09-125
TIME: 03:59:41 PM
MOVED:Isgar
MOTION:Moved to refer Senate Bill 09-125, to the Committee on Appropriations, as amended. The motion passed on a vote of 6-0.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Brophy
Yes
Gibbs
Yes
Harvey
Yes
Kester
Excused
Schwartz
Yes
Hodge
Yes
Isgar
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


BILL:SB09-125
TIME: 04:00:38 PM
MOVED:Isgar
MOTION:Moved to amend the Printed Bill, Page 3, strike lines 26 and 27 and substitute "appropriations.". The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Brophy
Gibbs
Harvey
Kester
Schwartz
Hodge
Isgar
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

04:01 PM

Linda Bassi, CWCB Staff, and Jennifer Gimbel, CWCB Director, commented on the proposed amendment.



04:08 PM

The meeting adjourned.