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House passes amended State Facilities Water Conservation bill, requires agency guidelines and report
Summary
The Utah House amended and passed House Bill 380 to have state agencies develop water-conservation guidelines and to require a Division of Water Resources report to the governor and appropriations committee by Aug. 1, 2008; the measure passed the House 44–26 with five absent and moves to the Senate.
House Bill 380, the State Facilities Water Conservation Program, was amended and passed by the Utah House Wednesday, directing state agencies to work on guidelines to reduce water use in state facilities and setting an Aug. 1, 2008, reporting deadline.
Representative Dunstan moved to reconsider the bill and Representative Buxton offered a brief amendment that replaced the word “directs” with “assist” in the bill’s wording and narrowed a renovation clause to “renovation projects that involve potential water saving devices.” The House adopted the amendment by voice vote.
Sponsor Representative Wiley told colleagues the bill “is not a mandate” and said it “assists the Division of Water Resources and DFCM [Division of Facilities Construction and Management] and other agencies in developing guidelines to saving water.” He and other supporters said the change clarifies the bill’s role as supportive rather than prescriptive.
Representative Wheeler asked whether the amendment could redirect or supplant existing capital-improvement funds. Representative Buxton responded that it “will not add to it or change the direction of the capital improvement funds,” and said the effort would instead supplement existing projects.
Representative Riley framed the measure within broader state goals on water use, saying Utah “ranks second in the country with the amount of water used per person” and estimating long-term savings associated with statewide reductions.
Voting was opened on the amended bill and the Speaker announced that House Bill 380 passed the House with 44 yes votes, 26 no votes and 5 absent. The bill will be referred to the Senate for further action.
The bill’s amendment requires agencies to assist in establishing guidelines and specifies that only renovation projects involving potential water-saving devices be considered under the renovation clause. The bill also directs the Division of Water Resources to report to the governor and the capital facilities and administrative services appropriations committee by Aug. 1, 2008.
Next steps: the bill is transmitted to the Senate for consideration.
