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MINUTES OF THE HOUSE

NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE, & ENVIRONMENT STANDING COMMITTEE

Room W125, West Office Building, State Capitol Complex

February 20, 2007


Members Present:    Rep. Roger E. Barrus, Chair
    Rep. Kerry Gibson, Vice Chair
    Rep.     Sylvia Andersen
    Rep. Mel Brown
    Rep. Glenn Donnelson
    Rep. Jack Draxler
    Rep. Carl Duckworth     Rep. James Gowans
    Rep. Neal Hendrickson
    Rep. John Mathis
    Rep. Mike Noel
    Rep. Patrick Painter
    Rep. Phil Riesen
    Rep. Steve Sandstrom

Members Absent:    Rep. Richard Wheeler
         
Staff Present:    Brian Allred, Policy Analyst
            Carrie Griffith, Committee Secretary
    
Note:        List of visitors and a copy of handouts are filed with committee minutes

Rep. Barrus called the meeting to order at 8:03 a.m.

MOTION:    Rep. Hendrickson moved to approve the minutes of the February 16, 2007 meeting. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Andersen, Rep. Donnelson, Rep. Draxler, Rep. Noel, and Rep. Painter absent for the vote.

H.B. 421    Suspension of Hunting or Fishing Privileges for Illegal Vehicle Use (Rep. F. Hunsaker)

Rep. Hunsaker, assisted by Martin Bushman, explained the bill to the committee. (handout)

Spoke to the bill:    Martin Bushman, Division of Wildlife Resources
Spoke for the bill:    Ernie Perkins, Cache Deer Working Group

MOTION:    Rep. Riesen moved to pass the bill out favorably.



SUBSTITUTE
MOTION:    Rep. Gibson moved to proceed to the next item on the agenda. The motion passed with Rep. Draxler, Rep. Riesen and Rep. Sandstrom voting in opposition.

1st Sub. H.B. 422    Prerequisites for Utah Entering an Agreement to Divide Groundwater with Another State (Rep. J. Biskupski)

Rep. Biskupski explained the bill to the committee.

Spoke for the bill:    Mike Styler, Director Department of Natural Resources
            John Cooper, Millard County Commissioner
            Todd Bingham, Utah Farm Bureau
            Tim Hawkes, Attorney, Trout Unlimited
            Terry Maresko, Snake Valley property owner
            Gerald McDunna, Salt Lake County citizen

MOTION:    Rep. Brown moved to amend the bill as follows and renumber accordingly:

1.    Page 4, Line 110 :    

             110          (b) review the inventory and assessment
  .            {   required by Section 73-29-201 ;   }


2.    Page 4, Line 114 through Page 6, Line 157 :    

{                114          Section 4. Section 73-29-201 is enacted to read:

             115     
Part 2. Agreement Requirements

             116          73-29-201. Inventory and assessment required.
             117          (1) Before the executive director may sign the agreement, as authorized by Section
             118      73-29-202 , the department shall complete the inventory and assessment required by this
             119      section.
             120          (2) The state engineer, in cooperation with other divisions within the department, shall:
             121          (a) inventory the vested water rights in the area affected by the interstate groundwater
             122      flow system; and
             123          (b) obtain current information on surface water and groundwater resources, including:


             124          (i) springs;
             125          (ii) seeps;
             126          (iii) water flows;
             127          (iv) water tables; and
             128          (v) vegetation.
             129          (3) The state engineer, as authorized by Sections 73-2-15 and 73-2-17 , may enter into
             130      agreements to investigate the surface water and groundwater resources as required by this
             131      section.
             132          (4) (a) The Utah Geological Survey shall use the information collected under
             133      Subsection (2) along with data from any test wells to predict and assess the impacts the project
             134      will have on:
             135          (i) Utah water rights;
             136          (ii) the agricultural industry and other business development in the area;
             137          (iii) air quality;
             138          (iv) water quality; and
             139          (v) Utah's ecosystem, including:
             140          (A) plant life;
             141          (B) wildlife; and
             142          (C) sensitive or endangered species.
             143          (b) The Department of Environmental Quality shall cooperate with the department in
             144      making the assessment required by this section.
             145          Section 5. Section 73-29-202 is enacted to read:
             146          73-29-202. Executive director to sign agreement -- Legislature to ratify.
             147          The executive director may not execute the agreement until:
             148          (1) the inventory and assessment required by Section 73-29-201 is complete;
             149          (2) the water resources study required by the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation,
             150      and Development Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-424, is complete; and
             151          (3) the agreement has been approved by the governor and the Legislature in a
             152      concurrent resolution.
             153          Section 6. Intent language.


             154          It is the intent of the Legislature that if this bill and H.B. 134, School and Institutional
             155      Trust Lands Amendments, both pass that the money appropriated to the Geological Survey in
             156      Subsection 53C-3-203 (4) for test wells and hydrologic studies in the West Desert be used by
             157      the Geological Survey to satisfy its responsibilities under Section 73-29-201 .  
}


    The motion passed with Rep. Duckworth, Rep. Hendrickson, Rep. Gibson, Rep. Mathis, Rep. Riesen, and Rep. Sandstrom voting in opposition.

MOTION:    Rep. Brown moved to pass the bill out favorably as amended. The motion passed unanimously.

MOTION:    Rep. Gibson moved to adjourn.

Rep. Barrus adjourned the meeting at 8:59 a.m.


    
                    _________________________
    Rep. Roger E. Barrus, Chair