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SPONSOR: |
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DATE TYPED: |
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HB |
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SHORT TITLE: |
Water Trust Board Project Approval |
SB |
843/aHFL#1 |
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ANALYST: |
L. Baca |
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APPROPRIATION
Appropriation
Contained |
Estimated
Additional Impact |
Recurring or
Non-Rec |
Fund Affected |
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FY03 |
FY04 |
FY03 |
FY04 |
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NFI |
See
Narrative |
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(Parenthesis
( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Relates to: HB
95,
HB
124, Phreatophyte Eradication and Control
HB
280, Goats for Phreatophyte Control
HB
260, State Water Plan
SB
195, State Water Plan
SB
769, Salt Cedar Biomass for Electric Generation
HB
910, Watershed Restoration
Responses
Received From
Environment
Department. (ED)
Office
of the State Engineer (OSE)
Department
of finance and Administration (DFA)
Energy,
Minerals & Natural Resources Department (EMNRD)
SUMMARY
Synopsis
of HFl Amendment
House Floor Amendment #1 strikes the $50,000.0
appropriation. The Office of State
Engineer reports the Water Trust Fund currently contains $10,000.0, enough to
cover the proposed projects.
Synopsis
of Original Bill
Senate Bill 843
provides legislative approval for the Water Trust Board (WTB) to make loans or
grants for qualifying water projects on terms and conditions established by the
WTB and the New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA); lists 14 projects as
qualifying for grants or loans; and
appropriates $50,000.0 with a non-reversion provision.
The bill contains an
emergency clause.
Significant
Issues
The OSE reports that all fourteen projects
listed in the bill have been approved as qualifying
projects by the WTB pursuant to Section 72-4A-3
NMSA 1978. Expenditures for the projects
listed total $9,988,055 and would use up almost all of the $10,00.0 currently
available in the
Water Projects Fund.
All 14 projects in the bill have been reviewed
OSE, and 12 have been approved. The
Water Resource Allocation Program (WRAP) was not able to give a formal opinion
regarding water rights that would be affected in Section 1 (N) Taos War Chief
Watershed Restoration and Management Project), and an analysis of the Santa Fe
Regional San Juan–Chama Diversion Project showed a new diversion point would be
needed. Both of these project
applications are pending.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of
$50,000.0 contained in this bill is a non-recurring expense to the general fund
and may be expended in fiscal year 2003 and subsequent fiscal years. Any
unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining shall not revert. The appropriation is for capital projects
and, therefore, is presumed to be non-recurring,
TECHNICAL ISSUES
The Environment Department finds that on page 2,
line 17, paragraph J, identifies a project for the Upper Hondo Soil and Water
Conservation district for an eradication project along the upper Hondo and Rio
Bonito but does not specify what is to be eradicated.
The OSE suggest the bill could be improved by
the following amendment:
In Paragraph B, page 1, line 24, insert after
“San Juan-Chama” the words “and