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Committee advances bill to require measurement and five-year planning for commercial groundwater use
Summary
The Energy and Natural Resources Oversight Committee voted 10-2 to report House Bill 1807 do pass after Representative Carl Newton said the bill adds a five-year plan to measure commercial groundwater use and includes drought adjustments; the bill does not apply to domestic water use.
The Energy and Natural Resources Oversight Committee on an 10-2 vote advanced House Bill 1807 after Representative Carl Newton told members the bill’s purpose is to measure groundwater use for non‑domestic users and to add a five‑year planning option with drought adjustments.
Representative Carl Newton, who explained the measure to the committee, said the bill adds a five‑year plan for commercial groundwater users and builds in allowances for drought conditions. “The whole goal here is to measure our groundwater use,” Newton said. He told the committee that if a user adopts the five‑year plan they may be allowed to increase use “up to as much as 2 years and 1 year, if it's a really severe drought,” and emphasized the bill “does not regulate or touch domestic water.”
Committee members offered no further substantive questions and moved the bill to a do‑pass recommendation. Staff recorded Representative Gregor and Representative George among those voting aye; the chairman reported the final tally as 10 ayes and 2 nays.
Why it matters: The bill would create a formal planning mechanism and measurement requirement for commercial groundwater users and establishes drought‑time flexibilities. The committee made clear the measure is not intended to change rules for household/domestic water use.
The bill will be reported out of committee with a do‑pass recommendation and proceed to the next legislative stage.
