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Rep. Nicastro seeks to direct ARPA interest to regional water fund; hearing draws few comments
Summary
Representative Anthony Nicastro introduced House Bill 941 to dedicate accumulated ARPA interest to the Montana Coal Endowment Regional Water Systems Fund, arguing water projects are a high statewide priority. The committee heard no public opposition and no informational witnesses participated online.
HELENA — Representative Anthony Nicastro opened House Bill 941 asking the committee to repurpose ARPA interest funds into the Montana Coal Endowment Regional Water Systems Fund to support regional drinking-water systems and related projects.
Nicastro said the bill aims for a middle-ground solution and referred members to relevant code sections (the code citation 17-57-03 was mentioned in his presentation) that funnel the fund toward regional drinking-water projects and special revenue accounts. “I figure the spending of our ARPA interest towards one of our, probably our most important resource that we have, in this state — water,” Nicastro said.
The hearing record showed no proponents or opponents online, no informational witnesses online, and no additional proponents in the room. Representative Nicastro answered committee questions about the fund balance and project demand by offering to provide the committee with the current fund balance and lists of projects after the hearing.
Ending: The sponsor closed the hearing and indicated he would supply additional fiscal and demand information to help the committee assess whether ARPA interest might be best applied to regional water system needs. No committee vote occurred at the hearing.
