Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources (01/29/2009)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Date:	01/29/2009	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:37 PM to 02:28 PM	Brophy	X
		Gibbs	X
Place:	0SCR 353	Harvey	X
		Kester	E
This Meeting was called to order by		Schwartz	*
	Senator Isgar	Hodge	X
		Isgar	X
This Report was prepared by
	David Beaujon
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Conf 09-Water Resources Power Development Authority SB09-106 SB09-116		Favorably refer to the full Senate Amended, Referred to Appropriations Referred to the Committee of the Whole

01:37 PM -- Water Resources Power Development Authority

Dan Law, Executive Director, Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority (CWRPDA), explained that the federal economic stimulus legislation includes an appropriation of $35 million for drinking water projects and $48 million for wastewater projects in Colorado. These moneys, along with the moneys in House Joint Resolution 09-1002, will provide $100 million for public drinking and wastewater project in Colorado in 2009. He also introduced the Governor's appointments to the CWRPDA including Gregory C. Fisher of Denver, Colorado, for a term expiring October 1, 2012, to fill a vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Barbara J. Green, and to serve as a member from the City and County of Denver who is familiar with its water problems, and with experience in the planning and developing of water projects. Also appointed for terms expiring October 1, 2012, Steven O. Sims, of Greeley, Colorado, a resident within the South Platte Drainage Basin, who has experience in water law and water project financing. For terms expiring October 1, 2011, Frank J. Kugel of Gunnison, Colorado to serve as a member from the Gunnison-Uncompahgre Drainage Basin, and with experience in water law, appointed, and Ty H. Wattenberg of Walden, Colorado to serve as a member from the North Platte Drainage Basin, appointed.

01:44 PM

Steven O. Sims described his qualifications to serve on the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority.

01:45 PM

Frank Kugel described his qualifications to serve on the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority.

01:47 PM

Ty H. Wattenberg described his qualifications to serve on the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority.

01:47 PM

Gregory C. Fischer described his qualifications to serve on the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority.


BILL:	Water Resources Power Development Authority
TIME:	01:49:46 PM
MOVED:	Hodge
MOTION:	Moved to recommend that Gregory C. Fisher and Steven O. Sims*, for terms expiring October 1, 2012, and Frank J. Kugel and Ty H. Wattenberg, for terms expiring October 1, 2011, be favorably recommended to the Senate for confirmation to serve on the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority. The motion passed on a vote of 5-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Brophy	Yes
	Gibbs	Yes
	Harvey	Excused
	Kester	Excused
	Schwartz	Yes
	Hodge	Yes
	Isgar	Yes

Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

*Due to an error, the calendar announcement for the confirmation of the appointees to the Water Resources and Power Development did not include the name of Mr. Sims. Consequently, the committee will take action on Mr. Sims' confirmation after posting an announcement in the Senate Calendar that the action will occur on February 5, 2009 at 1:30 PM.

01:51 PM -- Senate Bill 09-106

Senator Isgar, sponsor, described the provisions of SB 09-106 that extends indefinitely the funding for the Water Supply Reserve Account and stipulates that the unencumbered and unexpended balance from the account is to remain in the fund. Beginning in FY 2011-12, $10 million will be transferred from the Operational Account of the Severance Tax Trust Fund to the Water Supply Reserve Account annually. The bill allows the Colorado Water Conservation Board to allocate moneys by grant or loan from the Water Supply Reserve Account to only those "covered entities" that have adopted a water conservation plan. He also responded to questions from the committee and distributed Amendment L. 001 (Attachment B). In 2005, the General Assembly enacted the Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act that establishes a process to address the state's growing water demand. This law created nine basin roundtables covering the Denver metropolitan area and eight of the state's major river basins. The Water Supply Reserve Account was created in Senate Bill 06-179 to help address Colorado's future water needs. Money in the account is divided between two subaccounts. Each roundtable has its own process and criteria for approving funding from the Water Supply Reserve Account. Once a request for funding from the Water Supply Reserve Account is approved by a basin roundtable, the request is forwarded to the Colorado Water Conservation Board for funding evaluation and final authorization.

The following persons testified on the bill:

01:56 PM -- Eric Heacox, Colorado Department of Natural Resources, spoke in support of the bill and described the approval process for grants from the Water Supply Reserve Account (Attachment C).

02:00 PM -- Travis Smith, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Rio Grande Basin Roundtable, spoke in support of the bill and described projects in the Rio Grande Basin that have received moneys from the Water Supply Reserve Account.

02:02 PM -- Steve Harris, Southwest Basin Roundtable, Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority, spoke in support of the bill and described projects that received moneys from the Water Supply Reserve Account in the Southwest Basin. He also responded to questions from the committee regarding the approval process for obtaining grants from the Water Supply Reserve Account.

02:07 PM -- Michael Preston, Southwest Basin Roundtable, spoke in support of the bill and described projects that received moneys from the Water Supply Reserve Account.

02:08 PM -- Frank Kugel, Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, Gunnison River Basin Roundtable, spoke in support of the bill and described projects in the Gunnison River Basin that received moneys from the Water Supply Reserve Account.

02:10 PM -- Gary Barber, El Paso Water Authority, Arkansas River Basin Roundtable, described the membership of the Arkansas River Basin Roundtable. He also spoke in support of the bill and described projects that received moneys from the Water Supply Reserve Account, including money zebra mussel control, and identified funding needs for water projects in the basin.

02:14 PM -- Jim Yahn, South Platte Basin Roundtable, North Sterling Reservoir and Irrigation Company, Pruett Reservoir Company, spoke in support of the bill and described the benefits of projects that received moneys from the Water Supply Reserve Account. He also described the Interbasin Compact Committee process and how it has improved relations between water users in the South Platte River Basin and relations between the basin and other water basins.

02:18 PM -- Jim Pockrandt, Colorado River Basin Roundtable, spoke in support of the bill and described the benefits of projects that received moneys from the Water Supply Reserve Account including an improvement to Dillon Reservoir and a study of water needs for oil shale development.

02:20 PM -- John McClow, Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, Gunnison River Basin Roundtable, spoke in support of the bill and described projects that received moneys from the Water Supply Reserve Account. He also described how the roundtable process has improved interbasin cooperation and identified water supply funding needs in the Gunnison River Basin.


BILL:	SB09-106
TIME:	02:22:30 PM
MOVED:	Isgar
MOTION:	Moved to refer SB 09-106 to the Committee on Appropriations, as amended. The motion passed on a vote of 5-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Brophy	Yes
	Gibbs	Yes
	Harvey	Excused
	Kester	Excused
	Schwartz	Yes
	Hodge	Yes
	Isgar	Yes

Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


BILL:	SB09-106
TIME:	02:22:44 PM
MOVED:	Isgar
MOTION:	Moved Amendment L. 001. The motion passed without objection. (Attachment D)
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Brophy
	Gibbs
	Harvey
	Kester	Excused
	Schwartz
	Hodge
	Isgar

Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

02:26 PM -- Senate Bill 09-116

Senator Hodge, sponsor, described the provisions of SB 09-116 concerning the continuation of the sunset of the Colorado Seed Act. The sunset hearing on the law was held by the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on January 8. The bill includes the Department of Regulatory Agency's sunset report recommendation that the Colorado Seed Act continue until July 1, 2020, under the provisions of the sunset law.

There was no testimony on the bill.


BILL:	SB09-116
TIME:	02:27:20 PM
MOVED:	Hodge
MOTION:	Moved to refer SB 09-116, without amendment, to the Committee of Whole, with a recommendation to add the bill to the consent calendar. The motion passed on a vote of 5-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Brophy	Yes
	Gibbs	Yes
	Harvey	Yes
	Kester	Excused
	Schwartz	Excused
	Hodge	Yes
	Isgar	Yes

Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:28 PM

The meeting adjourned.