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MINUTES OF THE
NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE
Monday,
February 8, 2021
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8:00 a.m.
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210 Senate Building
Members Present:
Sen. David P. Hinkins, Senate Chair
Rep. Stewart E. Barlow, House Chair
Rep. Scott H. Chew, House Vice Chair
Sen. David G. Buxton
Sen. Gene Davis
Sen. Jani Iwamoto
Sen. Daniel McCay
Sen. Scott D. Sandall
Sen. Ronald M. Winterton
Rep. Carl R. Albrecht
Rep. Stephen G. Handy
Rep. Timothy D. Hawkes
| Rep. Brian S. King
Rep. Phil Lyman
Rep. Casey Snider
Rep. Keven J. Stratton
Rep. Ryan D. Wilcox
Members Absent:
Rep. Doug Owens
Staff Present:
Ivan D. Djambov, Finance Manager
Lacey K. Moore, Financial Analyst
Rafaela Eguiguren, Committee Secretary
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Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.
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| Chair Barlow called the meeting to order at 8:01 a.m. |
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| 1) Feb. 8th Detailed Agenda |
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| 2.RFA: Box Elder County (Rep. Gwynn) |
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| Rep. Matthew Gwynn presented the request for funding with the assistance of Stan Summers, Commission Chair, Box Elder County. |
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| Chair Barlow asked where the funding will be going. Rep. Gwynn responded. |
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| 3.RFA: Utah Lake Authority (Rep. Brammer) |
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| Rep. Brady Brammer presented the request for funding. |
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| Rep. Chew asked what the request proposes for algae bloom mitigation. Rep. Brammer responded. |
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| 4.RFA: Economic Impact Study of Natural Resources and Energy Sectors (Sen. Vickers) |
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| Sen. Evan J. Vickers presented the request for funding with the assistance of Brian Somers, President, Utah Mining Association. |
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| Rep. Albrecht thanked Sen. Vickers for the request. |
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| 5.A Performance Audit of the Department of Agriculture and Food's Brand Inspection |
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| Benn Buys, Audit Manager, Legislative Auditor General, presented the Performance Audit of the Department of Agriculture and Food's Brand Inspection Program with the assistance of David Gibson, Audit Supervisor, Legislative Auditor General. |
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| 5) LAG Presentation: Performance Audit of the Brand Inspection Program |
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| Rep. Chew asked a series of questions on the audit. David Gibson responded. |
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| Rep. Handy asked why the Brand Inspectors carry fire arms. David Gibson responded. |
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| Chair Barlow commented on the equipment and weapons purchased by the Brand Inspection program. |
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| Sen. Hinkins explained a reason that Brand Inspectors carry fire arms. |
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| Craig Buttars, Commissioner, Department of Agriculture and Food, commented on the Performance Audit of the Department of Agriculture and Food's Brand Inspection Program. |
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| Leann Hunting, Director, Division of Animal Industry, commented on the audit. |
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| Sen. Winterton asked about the difference in pay rate for POST certified inspectors and inspectors that are not certified. Leann Hunting responded. |
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| Rep. Albrecht commented on the audit. |
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| Rep. Stratton asked about the advantages of entering private property without a warrant. Leann Hunting responded. |
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| Rep. Chew commented Brand Inspectors entering private property. |
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| Rep. Stratton expressed concerns about the Brand Inspection program and the results of the audit. |
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| Chair Barlow asked when a Brand Inspector should get a warrant. Leann Hunting responded. |
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| Sen. Hinkins commented on the importance of Brand Inspectors. Leann Hunting responded. |
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| Chair Barlow asked if the division tracks numbers for reported missing and estray livestock. Leann Hunting responded. |
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| 6.Division of Animal Industry |
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| Leann Hunting presented the division's program and funding. |
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| Utah Meat Inspection Programs |
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| Rep. Chew commented on the decrease in the wool market due to the pandemic. |
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| Sen. Winterton commented on the request for additional inspectors and thanked the division for its work. |
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| 7.Department of Agriculture and Food Fee Data Report |
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| Kelly Pehrson, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Agriculture and Food, presented the department's fee data update. |
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| Lacey Moore, Financial Analyst, presented an overview of the Department of Agriculture and Food Fee Data Report. |
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| 7) LFA Presentation: UDAF Fee Report |
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| 8.Department of Agriculture and Food Administration |
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| Kelly Pehrson presented on the Office of the Commissioner programs and funding. |
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| Sen. Hinkins asked about the Attorney General funding for the Medical Cannabis program. Kelly Pehrson responded. |
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| 9.RFA: San Rafael Energy Research Center and USU Partnership (Sen. Hinkins) |
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| Sen. Hinkins presented the request for funding with the assistance of Stuart Clason, Utah Association of Counties |
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| Rep. Lyman thanked Sen. Hinkins for the funding request and noted that this has long been a priority in San Juan County. |
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| Rep. Albrecht thanked Sen. Hinkins for the request for appropriation. |
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| 10.RFA: Public Land Education (Sen. Hinkins) |
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| Sen. Hinkins presented the request for funding with the assistance of Don Peay. |
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| 11.Department of Agriculture and Food Administration |
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| Brandon Forsyth, State Chemist, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, presented the services function and budget. |
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| 12.RFA: Integrating Water Planning and Land Use Planning (Rep. Hawkes) |
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| Rep. Hawkes presented the request for funding. |
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| Rep. Handy asked what agency would lead the study. Rep. Hawkes responded. |
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| 13.RFA: Conserving Working Agricultural Lands Linked to the GSL Ecosystem & Return |
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| Rep. Hawkes presented the request for funding. |
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| Bear River Canal Company letter |
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| 14.RFA: Innovative and Sustainable Funding Sources - Great Salt Lake Water Supplies |
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| Rep. Hawkes presented the request for funding. |
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| Rep. Albrecht asked if the funding planned for a study and what agency the funding would be appropriated to. Rep. Hawkes answered. |
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| Sen. Buxton commented on water scarcity and the increasing prevalence of agricultural conversion to residential. Rep. Hawkes responded. |
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| 15.RFA: Utah Coal to Carbon Fiber (Rep. Ferry) |
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| Utah Coal to Carbon Fiber |
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| Rep. Joel Ferry presented the request for funding with the assistance of Dr. Eric Eddings, University of Utah. |
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| Sen. Hinkins commented on the price of carbon fiber. |
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| Sen. Buxton asked how close the product is to market. Dr. Eddings responded. |
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| Rep. Handy asked how many years the Utah Legislature has funding this project. Dr. Eddings responded. |
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| Rep. Albrecht commented that this request for funding was presented in Utah Rural Caucus. |
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| 16.RFA: Utah Legacy Fund (Rep. Snider) |
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| Rep. Snider presented the request for funding. |
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| 17.RFA: Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (Rep. Snider) |
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| Sen. Snider presented the request for funding with the assistance of Craig Buttars, Commissioner, Department of Agriculture and Food. |
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| Rep. Chew asked if there is only one diagnostic lab in the state, and where the lab is located. Craig Buttars responded. |
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| Chair Barlow asked if the commission retains gene samples to figure out the rates of reinfection for COVID-19. Dr. Ken White, Utah State University, responded. |
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| 18.RFA: Kane County Bellwether RS2477 Lawsuit (Rep. Lyman) |
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| Rep. Lyman presented the request for funding with the assistance of Andy Gant, Commissioner, Kane County, and Anthony Rampton, Attorney General's Office, Public Lands Section Director. |
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| Rep. King thanked Rep. Lyman for the funding request. |
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| 19.RFA: Monroe Mountain Data Gathering (Rep. Lyman) |
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| Rep. Lyman presented the request for funding with the assistance of Darin Bushman, Commissioner, Piute County, and Redge Johnson, Director, Public Lands Policy Coordination Office. |
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| Rep. Snider asked which group is leading the litigation. Darin Bushman responded. |
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| Rep. Albrecht supported the request for appropriation. |
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| 20.RFA: Bridal Veil Falls / State Monument / State Park (Rep. Stratton) |
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| Rep. Stratton presented the request for funding. |
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| Rep. Chew asked about the conservation easements in the area. Rep. Stratton responded. |
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| 21.RFA: Wild and Astray Livestock (Rep. Stratton) |
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| Rep. Stratton presented the request for funding with the assistance of Redge Johnson, Director, Public Lands Policy Coordination Office. |
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| 22.10:15 a.m. RFA: Port Passport Pilot Program Extension (Rep. Stratton) |
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| Port Passport Pilot Program Video |
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| Rep. Stratton presented the request for funding. |
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| 23.RFA: Toilets Aren't Trash Cans Campaign (Rep. Stratton) |
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| Rep. Stratton presented the request for funding. |
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| Toilets are not trash cans |
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| 24.RFA: Amending State and County Resource Management Plans (Rep. Stratton) |
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| Rep. Stratton presented the request for funding. |
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| Rep. King remarked that avoiding discussions about climate change makes land management more difficult. Rep. Stratton responded. |
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| 25.RFA: Correction of Structural Imbalance for PLPCO (Rep. Stratton) |
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| Rep. Stratton presented the request for funding. |
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| 26.RFA: Protection of Utah Natural Resources and Public Lands (Rep. Stratton) |
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| Rep. Stratton presented the request for funding. |
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| Sen. Hinkins thanked Rep. Stratton for his requests for funding. |
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| MOTION:Rep. Handy moved to adjourn.The motion
passed
with a vote of
14-0-4.
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| Yeas -
14 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
4 | |
Rep. C. Albrecht
Rep. S. Barlow
Sen. D. Buxton
Rep. S. Chew
Sen. G. Davis
Rep. S. Handy
Sen. D. Hinkins
Sen. J. Iwamoto
Rep. B. King
Sen. S. Sandall
Rep. C. Snider
Rep. K. Stratton
Rep. R. Wilcox
Sen. R. Winterton
| | Rep. T. Hawkes
Rep. P. Lyman
Sen. D. McCay
Rep. D. Owens
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| Chair Barlow adjourned the meeting at 10:50 a.m. |
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