Date: 02/12/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB15-064

SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES, & ENERGY

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt amendment L.002. The motion passed without o
Refer Senate Bill 15-064, as amended, to the Commi		Pass Without Objection
PASS



01:47 PM -- SB15-064

The committee returned from recess. Senator Sonnenberg, sponsor, described the provisions of Senate Bill 15-064 concerning the application of state water law to federal agencies and distributed Amendment L. 002 (Attachment B). This bill prohibits the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from placing conditions on special use permits, or for rights-of-way on federal land, that: demand that the owner of a water right or conditional water right assign partial or joint ownership of the water right to the USFS or the BLM; impose limitations on a water right that restrict the water right owner's ability to receive fair market value for the water right; impose limitations on the alienation of a water right; or impose restrictions that give the USFS or BLM full or partial control over the use of a water right. Further, the bill prohibits the State Engineer and division engineers in the Department of Natural Resources from cooperating with the USFS or the BLM in administering or enforcing the conditions identified above on special use permits, or for rights-of-way on federal land.

150212 AttachB.pdf150212 AttachB.pdf

The following persons testified on the bill:

01:52 PM -- Jen Boulton, Colorado Trout Unlimited, Colorado Audubon, spoke in opposition to the bill.

01:57 PM

Jennifer Berman, Office of Legislative Legal Services, responded to questions from the committee about the bill's legislative declaration and other provisions.

01:59 PM -- Rob Harris, Western Resource Advocates, spoke in opposition to the bill.

02:06 PM -- Dianna Orf, Colorado Water Congress, spoke in support of the bill.

02:07 PM -- Kristnn Mosely, Colorado Water Congress, Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, Eagle River Water Authority, spoke in support of the bill and identified recent USFS directives that claim ownership of water rights based on the source of the water rights being on federal lands.

02:14 PM -- Dianna Orf, Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado, spoke in support of the bill.

02:15 PM -- Donna Brosemer, City of Greeley, spoke in support of the bill.

02:18 PM -- Evan Goulding, Special District Association of Colorado, spoke in support of the bill.

02:20 PM -- Carlyle Currier, Colorado Farm Bureau, spoke in support of the bill.

02:22 PM -- Gary Moyer, Colorado Association of Conservation Districts, spoke in support of the bill.

02:26 PM -- James Eklund, Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board, spoke in support of the bill.

02:28 PM

Testimony was closed and Senator Sonnenberg closed his remarks on the bill.

02:28 PM

Senator Sonnenberg described the provisions of Amendment L. 002
BILL:SB15-064
TIME: 02:29:29 PM
MOVED:Scott
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.002. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Baumgardner
Cooke
Donovan
Guzman
Hodge
Jones
Scott
Roberts
Sonnenberg
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:SB15-064
TIME: 02:29:48 PM
MOVED:Sonnenberg
MOTION:Refer Senate Bill 15-064, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 8-1.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Baumgardner
Yes
Cooke
Yes
Donovan
Yes
Guzman
Yes
Hodge
Yes
Jones
No
Scott
Yes
Roberts
Yes
Sonnenberg
Yes
Final YES: 8 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS




02:30 PM