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t- o en C\l .~~ ..~ .r:',W,'f!, _,,;..,iL:"r'~__ ------ . 1!~IAtll~.~i/R,fl,.~t~l!l~ Carpenter 'kills' his own bill . State Representative Ed Carpenter has told The Fruita Times that a bill he Wll8 sponsoring in the state legislature has been pulled from further considera- tion this session. House Bill 1203, among other thi "go; would have established procedures for the formation of special taxing irriga- tion districts so that farmers irrigating out of laterals scheduled for salinity improvements could have contracted directly with the federal government for the work. Carpenter met with a group of area farmers on March 14 in Fruita who told him of their concerns about the pro- poeed law. (The Fruita Times. March 19, 1986.) . Among their worries were that if the bill passed, the federal and state govern- ments might force the farmers under the newly-formed districts to levy taxes on themselves for the full construction, and operation and maintenance costs .of the salinity control project. Federal officials of the Bureau of Rec- lamation have stated in the past that the U.S. government would pay the full 0- and-M costs of the proposed piped lat- eral system. They have since backed off that promise. The Fruita-area farmers expressed concern that, due to budget constraints, the Feels might decide not to fund the cOnstruction fully (as they have alao promised to do) and that the producers could be forced to tax them- selves to pay for the work. The salinity control work is being pushed here because of U.S. treatyobli- gations which require the federal government to reduce the salt content of the Colorado River at the Mexico border. Directors of the Price and Stubb ditches in the east part of the valley had asked Carpenter to carry the bill through the current session of the legis- lature. After hearing of the local farmers' concerns, Carpenter promised to meet with those directors before mak- ing a decision on what to do about the bill this year. "Very, very few" people irrigating out of the Price and Stubb ditches knew anything about the bill at all, Carpenter told The Times. He said that it would be unfair to the 'irrigators to push it this year, because they didn't know anything about it. He said that the meeting with the Fruita.area farmers entered heavily into his decision to have the bill pulled. As the bill's lone sponsor, Carpenter had the right to have the bill withdrawn from legislative consideration at any time. "I won't do anything that the people don't support," Carpenter said. "I want it to help everybody, whatever I do. I want to help (the Fruita-area farmers) solve their problems. and give folks the necessary protection from the Bureau of. Reclamation," he said. Carpenter said that he had the bill pulled officially on March 25. After dis- cussing the situation with Rep. Scott Melnnis. chairman of the state legisla- ture's agriculture committee, the bill was referred back to that committee where it will be allowed to die, peace- fully, this year. ~A""''':'''' DI., ............:.I::...-...~.... -.-- ~- - - . FRUtfA TIMGj Ap/</<.. q ,Qg7 I