Commission supports removing rulemaking deadline and delegates contracting authority for Upper Amite project

The Amite River Basin Commission reviewed a resolution expressing support for House Bill 165 by state Rep. Kathy Edmonston that would eliminate the statutory deadline for the commission to promulgate watershed‑management rules. Commission staff told members the administrative rulemaking process — including public comment and publication in the Louisiana Register — is time consuming and resource intensive, and said the commission lacks capacity to meet the current deadline while also finishing a master plan and annual work plans.

Separately, staff presented a resolution that would delegate to the commission’s executive the authority to enter contracts and to acquire real estate needed for capital outlay projects associated with Upper Amite flood‑risk reduction and restoration. Staff said the delegation mirrors past delegations and is intended to allow the commission to execute capital‑outlay work quickly once funding and other prerequisites are in place. The transcript records a staff motion to move the resolution but does not show a recorded final vote in the provided excerpt.

Staff emphasized that completing a master plan, annual plan and watershed capacity work in Region 9 make the statutory deadline difficult to meet and that removing the deadline would allow the commission to comply with legislative mandates when it has capacity to do so. The delegation of contracting and acquisition authority was presented as an administrative step to enable capital projects to proceed; the transcript does not record details of any contracts or properties to be acquired.