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Committee votes at a glance: water bills advanced, WIFA presentation received
Summary
The committee advanced multiple water bills with do‑pass recommendations: HB20 24 (cloud seeding) 6–4; HB20 53 (stormwater recharge mapping as amended) 6–4; HB20 97 (INA groundwater cap) 6–4; HB21 16 (Colorado River Litigation Fund) passed (recorded majority); HB21 17 (environmental special plate fund cleanup) passed 7–3. WIFA presented long‑term augmentation options and requested current funding levels be preserved.
During the January 12 session the committee handled a batch of water bills and a long‑form presentation from WIFA. Key recorded committee outcomes follow.
- House Bill 20 24 (cloud seeding, expand WIFA eligibility): Committee voted to return the bill with a do‑pass recommendation (6 ayes, 4 nays). The bill would include snowpack augmentation in the WIFA definition of water supply development; proponents argued new drone and radar validation improve measurement and efficiency; opponents urged more study on silver iodide environmental impacts.
- House Bill 20 53 (stormwater recharge mapping): Committee adopted a Griffin committee amendment (extending ADWR’s delivery timeline to one year and adjusting exclusion language) and returned HB20 53 as amended with a do‑pass recommendation (vote recorded as 6 ayes, 4 nays). ADWR said it can expand previous state‑land mapping (331 sites) statewide but cautioned it cannot make legal determinations about appropriable surface‑water rights.
- House Bill 20 97 (INA groundwater cap): Committee recommended do pass on HB20 97 to cap annual withdrawals in INAs at 6 acre‑feet per acre (6–4). ADWR flagged implementation questions, potential staffing needs and substitution baseline details that need sponsor clarification.
- House Bill 21 16 (Colorado River Litigation Fund appropriation): Committee returned the bill with a do‑pass recommendation; the committee recorded the vote as a majority ayes (announced as 9 ayes, 1 nay on the record).
- House Bill 21 17 (environmental special plate fund cleanup and NRCD board changes): Committee returned the bill with a do‑pass recommendation (7 ayes, 3 nays). Testimony described the bill as a technical cleanup to let the Natural Resource Conservation Board administer education funds and update district boundaries/numbering.
WIFA’s director Chelsea McGuire briefed the committee on program performance and the long‑term augmentation solicitation. McGuire said WIFA has awarded roughly $87.3 million under the rural fund and $211 million under the conservation grant fund (ARPA funds) and has identified seven possible augmentation projects under development teams. She urged that WIFA’s budget not be further cut during feasibility work.
Next procedural steps: bills with do‑pass recommendations move to the House floor calendar; several committee members requested follow‑up materials (study summaries, ADWR technical clarifications, WIFA 1‑pagers) before floor consideration.
