MINUTES OF THE

SENATE NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENT

STANDING COMMITTEE

Room 415, Utah State Capitol

January 27, 2016

 

Members Present:     Sen. Scott K. Jenkins, Chair

                                    Sen. Allen M. Christensen

                                    Sen. Margaret Dayton

                                    Sen. Jani Iwamoto

                                    Sen. Peter C. Knudson

                                    Sen. Brian E. Shiozawa

                                    Sen. Evan J. Vickers

 

Staff Present:             Brian Allred, Policy Analyst

                                    Kelly Pettit, Committee Secretary

 

NOTE:  A list of visitors and a copy of handouts are filed with the committee minutes.

 

Chair Jenkins called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m.

 

S.B. 80         Infrastructure Funding Amendments (Sen. J. S. Adams)

 

Sen. Adams explained the bill to the committee.

 

Spoke for the bill:          Mr. Richard Bay, General Manager, Jordan Valley Water Conservation

                                           District

                                       Mr. Tage Flint, General Manager, Weber Conservation District

                                       Mr. Sterling Brown. VP Public Policy, Utah Farm Bureau

 

Spoke against the bill:    Mr.  Zachary Frankel, Utah Rivers Council

                                       Mr. Hans Ehrman. Emeritus U of U Professor  

                                       Mr. Matthew Weinstein, Voice of Utah Children

                                       Ms. Jamie Butler, citizen

                                       Mr. Steve Erickson, Great Basin Water Network

                                       Ms. Lola Britton. League of Women Voters

 

Spoke to:                        Mr. Carlos Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of

                                          Transportation

                                      

MOTION:   Sen. Dayton moved to pass the bill out favorably.  The motion passed with Sen. Iwamoto and Sen. Knudson voting in opposition.

 

S.B. 72         School and Institutional Trust Lands Management Act Amendments (Sen. M. Dayton))

 

Sen. Dayton explained the bill to the committee.

 

Spoke for the bill:       Mr. Kim Christy, Deputy Director, SITLA

                                    Mr. Jim Tracy, Utah County Sheriff

                                    Mr. Tim Donaldson, State Board of Education, USOE

 

MOTION:   Sen. Dayton moved to pass the bill out favorably.  The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Vickers absent for the vote.

 

S.B. 75         Water Rights Adjudication Amendments (Sen. M. Dayton)

 

Sen. Dayton explained the bill to the committee.

 

Spoke for the bill:       Mr. Ben Jensen, Attorney General's Office

                                    Mr. Blake Bingham, Division of Water Resources

                                    Mr. Mike Styler, Executive Director, Department of Natural Resources

 

MOTION:   Sen. Dayton moved to pass the bill out favorably.  The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Shiozawa and Sen. Vickers absent for the vote.

 

S.B. 49         Statute of Limitations on Environmental Code Violations (Sen. L. Escamilla)

 

Sen. Escamilla explained the bill to the committee.  

.

Spoke for the bill:          Ms. Ashley Soltysiak, Heal Utah, Senior Policy Associate

                                       Ms. Ingrid Griffie, Civic Engagement, Utah Mothers for Clean Air

                                               

Spoke to the bill:            Mr. LeGrand Bitter, Executive Director, Utah Association of

                                                Special District

                                       Mr. Bryce Bird, Director of Environmental Quality

                                       Mr. Todd Bingham, President, Utah Manufactures Association

 

Spoke against the bill:    Mr. Lee Peacock, Utah Petroleum Association

  

MOTION:   Sen. Christensen moved to amend the bill as follows:

I.                    Page 1, Line 15:         


             15     Code is   {five}    three   years; and


 

2.         Page 2, Line 49: 


                               49   An action may be brought within   {five}    three   years upon a statute in Title 19, Environmental

 

The motion passed with Sen. Jenkins voting in opposition and Sen. Vickers absent for the vote.

 

MOTION:   Sen. Iwamoto moved to pass the bill out as amended.  The motion failed with Sen. Iwamoto, Sen. Shiozawa, and Sen. Vickers voting in favor of the motion.

 

S.B. 66         Environmental Code Fines (Sen. L. Escamilla)

 

Sen. Escamilla explained the bill to the committee.

 

Spoke for the bill:          Mr. Michael Shae, Policy Associate, Heal Utah

                                       Ms. Ingrid Griffie, Civic Engagement, Utah Mothers for Clean Air

      

Spoke to the bill:            Mr. Bryce Bird, Director of Environmental Quality

 

Spoke against the bill:    Mr. Dave Jorgenson

 

MOTION:   Sen. Iwamoto moved to pass the bill out favorably.

 

SUBSTITUTE MOTION:   Sen. Dayton moved to go to the next item on the agenda.

                                                The motion passed unanimously

 

S.B. 49 Statute of Limitations on Environment Code Violations (Sen. L. Escamilla)

 

MOTION:   Sen. Iwamoto moved to amend S.B. 49 as follows:

I.                    Page 1, Line 15:         


             15 Code is   {five}    two   years; and


 

2.         Page 2, Line 49: 


                               49   An action may be brought within   {five}    two   years upon a statute in Title 19, Environmental

 

The motion passed with Sen. Christensen voting in opposition.

 

MOTION:   Sen. Iwamoto moved to pass the amended bill out favorably.  The motion passed with Sen. Dayton voting in opposition.

 

S.C.R. 4       Concurrent Resolution – Old Spanish Trail Designation (Sen. Okerlund)

 

Spoke for the bill:       Mr. David Ogden, Mayor of Richfield City

 

MOTION:   Sen. Dayton moved to pass the bill out favorably.  The motion passed unanimously. 

 

 

MOTION:   Sen. Christensen moved to adjourn.  The motion passed unanimously.

 

Chair Jenkins adjourned the meeting at 5:00 p.m.

 

 

 

________________________

Sen. Scott K. Jenkins, Chair