4-29 Senate Passed

• Title: 4-29 Senate Passed
• IBCC - Doc Type: Legislation

4-29 Senate Passed

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Senator Dyer: Thank you, Madam Chairman. Members, I've looked at this really
closely, and I understand the concerns. Believe me, I understand
the concerns of people on the west slope, the community,
people out on the Arkansas. My concern with this is that we
already have Constitutional guarantees. We have court rulings.
We have statutes that pretty well establish that you can move water
from one basin to another. A basin of origin is important as they
are and their economies are is not a legal entity, and when you start
putting another layer of discussion in the way of acquiring and
moving water, I think you're just gonna create another oppOliunity
for more conflict. And I'm - I'm - I've sat at those tables and
done it on both sides of the Continental Divide, and I've done it
here and up in Jack's area. And I've gotta tell ya, it's - it's a tough
question, but I don't see the resolution being adding another quasi-
decision making group in the way of existing legislation, the
existing Constitutional mandates that already provide for that
without simply creating more legal conflict, more restrictions on
acquiring Colorado's unused compact allotment which continues
to flow out of the state, and for that reason, I'm gonna ask for a no
vote - not that I'm not in sympathy with bringing people together
and doing it, but we have lots and lots of opportunities to do that in
other ways, lots of guarantees, lots of basin of origin protections at
the federal, even the state level where something like this, I think,
just makes an already difficult decision making process more
difficult and more controversial. And for that, I would ask for a no
vote.

Chair: Senator Taylor.

Senator Taylor: Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, Senator Dyer, I'm aware I
believe of - of the existing laws and so forth that apply here, but
when you look at what's happened to all these years - nothing has
happened. That's the problem. These laws that are there aren't
allowing us or aren't helping us maybe would be a better word to-
to really accomplish what I think a lot of people on both sides of
the hill wanna do, and so therefore again I urge for support of
1177.

Chair: Senator Isgar.

Senator Isgar: Thank you, Madam Chair. Senator Dyer, I - I understand your
concerns, and I think our success when they move the water has
been cooperation when people have sat down and, you know, this
- this bill doesn't have basin of origin protection in it. And, for
that reason, I think there's been more support for this than other
legislation, even some that share the word basin of origin
protection. The protection here is that we're hoping people can

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