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Senate approves Water Quality Board changes to allow settlement recommendations after fiscal note check
Summary
First substitute Senate Bill 36 authorizes the Utah Water Quality Board to recommend penalty amounts to the director for certain users; senators temporarily circled the bill to confirm a fiscal note before approving it unanimously.
First substitute Senate Bill 36, which adjusts Water Quality Board authority to permit settlement negotiations and penalty recommendations in some cases, cleared the Utah Senate after sponsors verified a fiscal note.
Senator Wyler, the bill sponsor, said the substitute was a consensus measure that allows the Water Quality Board to engage in settlement negotiations and mediation and to recommend a reasonable penalty amount to the director for an end user such as a sewer district. "It makes some modifications to the Water Quality Board so that they can engage in some settlement negotiations and mediation with, a fine that would be for an end user like a sewer district," Wyler said.
Senators briefly circled the bill to confirm whether a fiscal note applied to the substitute. After the fiscal-note question was resolved, the sponsor moved the bill for third reading. The roll call on final passage recorded 29 yeas, 0 nays; the bill will be returned to the House for further consideration.
Wyler said he was not aware of any opposition on the floor and noted the change was intended to provide a clearer administrative path for enforcement actions that involve local users.
Votes at a glance: First substitute Senate Bill 36 — Passes 29-0; allows Water Quality Board to recommend penalty amounts to the director and engage in settlement discussions with regulated users.
