Joint Committee Committee on Joint Agriculture and Natural Resources (01/18/2012)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

COMMITTEE ON JOINT AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Date:	01/18/2012	ATTENDANCE

Time:	09:44 AM to 11:58 AM	Baumgardner	X
		Brophy	X
Place:	HCR 0107	Brown	X
		Carroll	*
This Meeting was called to order by		Coram	X
	Senator Schwartz	Fischer	*
		Giron	X
This Report was prepared by		Grantham	X
	Lauren Ris	Harvey	X
		Jones	X
		Looper	E
		McKinley	E
		Ryden	X
		Scott	X
		Tochtrop	X
		Vaad	X
		Vigil	X
		Wilson	X
		Sonnenberg	X
		Schwartz	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Briefing from Dept. Natural Resources		-

09:46 AM -- SMART Act Briefing from the Department of Natural Resources

Executive Director Mike King, Department of Natural Resources, provided an overview of the department and the strategic plan requirements of the SMART Government Act.

09:49 AM

Senator Schwartz announced that the liaisons from for the Department of Natural Resources from the House Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources Committee are Representatives Fischer and Baumgardner and from the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee are Senators Harvey and Giron.

09:49 AM

Mr. King discussed Attachment A, which outlines the department's top challenges and priorities.

09:59 AM

Bill Levine, Department of Natural Resources Budget Director, spoke about the second page of Attachment A which shows the appropriations by division. The committee asked questions about funding for two new local government liaisons in the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Mr. Levine continued discussing the department's strategic plan, Attachment B, beginning on page 11.

10:31 AM

The committee asked questions about the performance measures for state park visitation.

10:37 AM

Mr. Levine continued discussing the department's strategic plan measures and answered questions from the committee concerning the department's objective for meeting future water supply needs of the state.

11:07 AM

Director King and the committee discussed the department's overarching approach to the strategic plan and the department's mission statement.

11:09 AM

Dave Neslin, Director of the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, discussed the performance measures for the commission beginning on page 54 of the strategic plan.

11:28 AM

The committee asked questions about the performance measure concerning public health and the number of complaints the commission has received concerning oil and gas development.

11:31 AM

Director Neslin continued discussing the commission's performance measures.

11:35 AM

Jennifer Gimble, Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, discussed the funding for the Long Hollow water storage project in the La Plata River Basin. She also discussed the importance of funding multi-purpose projects that satisfy environmental needs as well as consumptive needs. She distributed Attachment C, which is a report on the Water Project Loan Program.

11:42 AM

Dick Wolfe, State Engineer, Division of Water Resources, explained that the performance measures for the division begin on page 86. He answered questions previously raised concerning the Republican River Compact, compact over-deliveries, and the division's role in the Long Hollow water storage project.

11:54 AM

Bill Ryan, Director, State Board of Land Commissioners, discussed the revenues obtained from state trust lands and future oil and gas development revenues from state land leases.

11:58 AM

The committee adjourned.