Irrigation groups and water leaders urge sustaining Resources Trust Fund allocations in House Bill 1020

Representatives from the North Dakota Irrigation Association, Garrison Diversion Conservancy District and Southwest Water Authority urged the Senate Appropriations Education and Environment Division to preserve funding in House Bill 1020 that supports statewide water development, irrigation projects and revolving financing tools.

Steve Hansen, chairman of the North Dakota Irrigation Association and an irrigator from Ludden, told the committee the association supports House Bill 1020 and state funding for irrigation development. He said a recent study identified roughly 2 million acres of cropland with potential for irrigation, and asked that the legislature maintain roughly $8 million in the “general water bucket” from which irrigation planning and construction cost‑share requests can be funded. Hansen asked the committee to consider $300,000–$500,000 in planning support to enable a handful of irrigation projects to move forward.

James Oderman, chair of the Southwest Water Authority board and a member of the State Water Commission, urged senators to sustain the current 20.5% distribution of oil extraction tax income to the Resources Trust Fund and to support the engrossed version of House Bill 1020. Oderman argued that the Resources Trust Fund underpins construction of municipal, conveyance, flood control and irrigation projects and described program features such as interest buy‑down programs and the state capital repayment mechanisms that return funds to the trust.

Speakers referenced prior appropriations and programs: testimony mentioned Senate Bill 2020 (2023 appropriations to Red River), a state capitalized water infrastructure revolving loan fund (described in testimony as roughly $60 million over 40 years at 2% interest in one program description), and Department of Water Resources / State Water Commission cost‑share programs for shared works such as intakes and main transmission lines.

Hansen asked that funding for irrigation remain available in the general water bucket in the 2025–27 biennium and called for continued support of the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District request for $5 million for irrigation development along the McCluskey Canal. Oderman stressed that the Resources Trust Fund’s current distribution is constitutional protection and that reducing the 20.5% share would harm the state’s ability to meet multi‑biennium water needs.

No committee action or formal votes on House Bill 1020 were recorded during the hearing.