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Senate Rules advances amendment to water-transfer bill after debate over tribal role and pre‑1909 rights
Summary
The Senate Rules Committee adopted the dash-10 amendment to Senate Bill 1153 and advanced the amended bill to the floor, after testimony from tribal representatives, the governor’s office and extended debate over how the measure would affect tribal interests and pre-1909 water rights.
Senate Bill 1153 (dash-10) would bar approval of certain water-right transfer applications that "result in the loss of in-stream habitat" for sensitive, threatened or endangered aquatic species and would allow federally recognized tribes to elect to review transfer applications in specified counties and provide input to the Water Resources Department (OWRD).
Kathleen Taylor, state senator (District 21), read a statement of legislative intent, saying the phrase "contributes to" should be read narrowly: "Therefore, 'contributes to' looks at the effects of the specific transfer in question on stream flow of the stream at the time the application is made." She asked that statement be entered into the record as legislative intent.
Michael Mason, state lobbyist for the Confederated Tribes of…
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