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Senate debates cloud-seeding amendment to omnibus water bill; funding amendment fails by one vote
Summary
Senators debated a second-reading amendment to House Bill 117 to fund ground-based cloud seeding; the amendment (approx. $322,000) failed by a one-vote margin. The chamber later approved a separate amendment moving a project date for Alkali Creek to 2026.
The Wyoming Senate considered two second-reading amendments to House Bill 117, the omnibus water bill, including a contentious proposal to fund ground-based cloud seeding and an amendment to accelerate the Alkali Creek project timeline.
Senator Larson moved second-reading amendment number 1 to restore a ground-based cloud-seeding program with an appropriation of about $322,000; he said Lower Colorado River Basin states would contribute roughly $500,000 and local partners could add additional funds. Supporters, including Senator Landon, said cloud seeding is a relatively low-cost supplement to water management and cited recent dry conditions. Skeptics such as Senator Hyde and Senator Scott questioned the scientific payoff and cited studies showing small average increases in snowpack (often under 526ndash;6%) and uncertainty whether seeded precipitation is captured by downstream reservoirs.
Senator Hicks summarized relevant science and economics, noting academic research that under favorable conditions ground-based seeding can slightly increase snowpack but that the water must be captured in reservoirs to be useful. He cited university-run cost estimates of roughly $35 to $45 per acre-foot for the water produced under certain assumptions.
Because the cloud-seeding amendment involved an appropriation, the chief clerk called a roll; the amendment failed 15 ayes to 16 no. Later in the bill sequence the Senate adopted second-reading amendment number 2, moving the Alkali Creek project date to 2026 rather than 2029. Several other water projects and dam rehabilitation items were discussed, and members asked for additional data on individual projects including LaPerel and Bridal dams and associated irrigator counts and acreage.
