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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Lujan, B.
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
2-6-06
HB 797
SHORT TITLE
ESPANOLA BASIN REGIONAL PLANNING
EFFORTS
SB
ANALYST Hadwiger
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY06
FY07
$150.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 797 appropriates $150 thousand from the general fund to the Local Government Divi-
sion (LGD) of the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) in FY07 to have Santa Fe
County continue a forum on regional planning issues in the Espanola basin.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $150 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general
fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY07 would revert to
the general fund.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
DFA explained decades of mistrust, usurpation of water rights, degradation of water quality and
outright lack of water has resulted in decades-long lawsuits among water users in the Espanola
Basin. All parties recognize a need to build relationships among tribes, counties, and other local
entities as a cost effective investment and preferable alternative to litigation and lingering mis-
trust. Through the offices of Santa Fe County, Los Alamos National Lab's Water Resources