4-14 Senate Committee

• Title: 4-14 Senate Committee
• IBCC - Doc Type: Legislation

4-14 Senate Committee
Interviewer, Interviewee

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of the states water policy board. It didn't seem appropriate at the
outset to encumber CWCB with this idea at the beginning.
Because it was not clear to me where we would go, how far we
would go, or what it would look like. CWCB already has its
substantial statutory fi.Jl1ction, which I think it does very well; but
to me these are all part of the same. And over time I would expect
CWCB staff to be the folks who do the work. We already have in
the bill the intentional liaison interconnect with the board members;
because, as we know, the CWCB is quite wisely organized to have
members who live in all of the river basins in the state. It's already
this way and that's proven to be a very wise way of governing and
because that's successful we intend to do the same thing. And
these are water leaders in our community, so we want them to be
the liaisons between the basin round tables and the CWCB. So,
my belief is this; this well within the statutory authority of the
many things that CWCB does and is expected to do in the fi.lture
and that they'll be hand in glove for the entire duration of this
effort.

Chairman:

Senator Entz?

Sellator Entz:

Will it replace the CWCB at point in time?

RlIssell George:

No. I can not see any way that would occur.

Sella tor Elltz:

Can we discuss, Mr. Chairman, and
amendments while

, can we discuss

Chairmall: Sure, go ahead. Senator Entz.

Senator Elltz: How do you address the opt-in, opt-out position? I mean, I thought
we were supposed to do this statewide and I see we've got one
little amendment that says you can opt-out. Now, the
Colorado River if they could opt-out. I mean, what kind of an
impact, do you feel like it would have on the legislation as a whole?
I mean, I think that would be disastrous.

Chairman: Mr. George?

RlIssell George: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The underlying principle here is one of
voluntary participation. We absolutely did not want to go down
the path of any state agency asking for legislation that empowered
it to tell people in their own communities what they could do with
their water rights. So, that's absolutely foundational to what we're
doing here. We - it's an invitation to the table, not an order to

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