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<br />House Bill 1357 included none of t,he "housekeeping" changes from the bill of the <br />pr~or year. Like the prior bill, it provided for a seven year winter weather <br />modification research and demonstration program to better understand the effects, <br />both beneficial and detrimental, of winter weather modification. It proposed an <br />annual appropriation of $650,000 to the Department of Natural Resources for seven <br />years. The program was to commence during the winter of 1981-82 and be completed <br />no later than June 30, 1988. <br /> <br />A local control council was proposed for each target area consisting of two <br />members from each county located in whole or in part of the target area for which <br />that council was created. Members were to be appointed by the county <br />commissioners and to serve for the duration of the project. The control councils <br />were to meet and review local weather and snowpack conditions and no project was <br />to commence unless the control council agreed to the conditions and criteria <br />under which the program was to operate. <br /> <br />-i <br /> <br />In the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, the bill was amended <br />and the appropriation reduced from $650,000 per year for seven years to $325~000 <br />for each of the seven years with an equal amount ($325,000) -to be raised from <br />other sources before any of the appropriated funds could be spent. It was also <br />amended to read "no other weather modification projects that could affect winter <br />storms shall be carried out in the state of Colorado during the period that such <br />research and demonstration program is in progress". <br /> <br />As amended the bill passed the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee <br />by an 8-1 vote with one member absent and was subsequently forwarded to the <br />Appropriations Committee. Members of the Colorado Cattlemen's Association were <br />strongly opposed to any weather modification bill. As in the prior year, the <br />bill was not heard by the Appropriations Committee and consequently no further <br />action was taken. <br /> <br />Water user and ski industry interest continued in a weather modification research <br />and demonstration program. However, due to the continued seven percent annual <br />increase spending limitation of general fund moneys and lack of interest on the <br />part of most legislators in the controversial subject of weather modification, no <br />legislative attempts were made in the 1982 session. <br /> <br />22 <br />