Video & Transcript Research : 'water development'

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AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

01/21/2026 - House Appropriations

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • Trent Blomberg, chief legislative liaison with the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
  • The 2007 agreement mandated a series of reductions as water levels decreased, measured by water levels
  • Water is the number one issue, or one of the top issues, this year and will continue to be.
  • Water is number one issue or one of the top issues this year and will continue to be.
  • on what is or is not appropriable water.
Bills: HB2053, HB2116, HB2148
Summary: The committee first considered House Bill 2116, which would appropriate $1 million in fiscal year 2027 from the State General Fund to the Colorado River Litigation Fund. The sponsor said it was a repeat of last year’s request and was intended as a backup if the seven Colorado River basin states cannot reach a new agreement. Arizona Department of Water Resources staff testified in support, explaining the state’s role in ongoing Colorado River negotiations and distinguishing the litigation fund from the executive’s separate Colorado River Protection Fund. The bill received a due pass recommendation on a 17-1 vote. The committee then took up House Bill 2053, which appropriates $100,000 to ADWR for updated stormwater recharge mapping and expands the mapping effort beyond state trust lands to private lands. The committee adopted Chairman Livingston’s amendment, which extended the coordination timeline to one year, broadened the agencies involved, and revised language on site eligibility and the definition of stormwater. The sponsor said the bill would help identify more places to capture stormwater for recharge, while ADWR testified neutral, supporting the mapping work but raising a concern about language tied to appropriable surface water because that is a legal determination for the courts. The amended bill passed 11-7. House Bill 2148 was then heard, proposing to give the legislature authority to appropriate non-custodial federal monies, with requirements for specifying purposes and allowing agencies to spend such funds if the legislature does not act. An amendment excluded university and Board of Regents research grants from the bill’s scope, which the chair said was intended to avoid implementation problems. The sponsor framed the bill as a transparency measure, and members discussed the large amount of federal pass-through funding Arizona receives. The amended bill passed 11-7. After the bills, the committee received a lengthy JLBC presentation comparing the executive budget with the JLBC baseline. Discussion focused on revenue forecasts, the impact of federal tax conformity, state employee health insurance costs, SNAP administrative and error-rate costs under H.R. 1, developmental disabilities and AHCCCS growth, and K-12/ESA funding trends. Members repeatedly criticized the executive budget for funding some ongoing costs on a one-year basis and expressed concern about rising caseloads and supplemental needs. No formal action was taken on the presentation.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Mar 3rd, 2025

Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • It is Texas Water Day at the Capitol.
  • All the offices have received invitations to participate in the Water Day activity from the Water Caucus
  • and the Texas Water Foundation.
  • I do have a resource witness, is that correct, from the Texas Water Development Board?
  • Development Board programs.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

01/13/2026 - House Natural Resources, Energy & Water

Natural Resources, Energy & Water

Transcript Highlights:
  • The Water Supply Development Revolving Fund specializes in access...
  • So we'll start with Water Supply Development...
  • So we'll start with Water Supply Development...
  • So we'll start with Water Supply Development...
  • , and even conservation is included within the Water Supply Development Revolving Fund as well.
Summary: The committee began with member and staff introductions, then heard House Bill 2024, which would expand the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority’s water supply development definition to include snowpack augmentation and related planning and facility work. Supporters argued cloud seeding and drone-based silver iodide deployment could increase snowpack and water supply at relatively low cost, while opponents raised concerns about weather modification, uncertainty in the science, and possible environmental or health effects. After debate, the committee approved HB 2024 on a 6-4 vote, with some members expressing reservations and requesting more information before floor consideration. The committee next considered House Bill 2053, which would direct the Arizona Department of Water Resources to update stormwater recharge mapping statewide and provide $100,000 for the work. The sponsor and ADWR said the bill would expand on prior state-land mapping and help identify recharge opportunities on private land; ADWR was neutral and said it could do the technical mapping but could not make legal determinations about appropriable surface water rights. Salt River Project opposed the bill’s language on surface-water rights, arguing that determinations about unappropriated water belong to the courts and that site-specific recharge projects could affect downstream rights. The committee adopted the Griffin amendment and then passed HB 2053 as amended on a 6-4 vote. Chelsea McGuire of WIFA then gave a broad presentation on the agency’s revolving funds, conservation grants, and long-term augmentation efforts, describing past investments, current grant awards, and seven potential augmentation projects under development. She said WIFA’s current budget ask was essentially for no additional cuts, while members asked about costs, project qualifications, and public-private structure. The committee then took up House Bill 2097, which would impose a six acre-feet-per-acre groundwater pumping cap in irrigation non-expansion areas, add reporting and well-measurement requirements, and set a $150 penalty for violations. ADWR said the bill could require additional staffing and that the cap and substitution provisions had technical concerns; environmental groups argued the cap was too high and could still encourage overpumping, while supporters said it would finally place a limit on INA pumping. HB 2097 passed 6-4. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2116, which would appropriate $1 million to the Colorado River Litigation Fund; the sponsor described it as a contingency for ongoing Colorado River negotiations, and the committee moved the bill forward after brief discussion.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

02/17/2026 - Senate Natural Resources

Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • providers, that they can recover their stored water within one mile of the location where the water
  • They can recover their stored water within one mile of the location where the water was stored, or, in
  • Pumping as stored water recovery.
  • Chair, and then, so wet water is ideal. We have 20,000 in wet water; the rest in long-term storage.
  • What is impact existing development? What is impact existing development?
Summary: The Senate Natural Resources Committee first considered two nominations. Jessica Manuel was introduced as a nominee to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, where testimony emphasized her science background and experience working with agencies and stakeholders. Members asked about wolf management and her qualifications, and the committee voted 8-0 to recommend her confirmation. Stephen Williams was then introduced for the Arizona Livestock Loss Board, with discussion focused on his livestock and State Land Department experience and how the board handles wolf-related livestock losses. The committee also voted 8-0 to recommend his confirmation. The committee then took up several bills. SB 1785, which would codify ADWR’s one-mile safe-harbor policy for recovery wells near groundwater storage facilities, passed 5-3 after ADWR said it largely reflected current practice but requested clarifying language. SB 1082, requiring sanitation measures and signage for petting zoos and similar animal encounter exhibits, drew strong testimony from a parent advocate describing severe E. coli/HUS cases and opposition from fair/agriculture representatives who argued the bill was too broad and unnecessary; after amendment, it failed 4-4. SB 1336, extending the State Land Department and creating a temporary oversight committee with a broad amendment on lease holdovers, notice periods, and committee membership, passed 6-2 after significant debate over the committee’s composition and scope. Later, SB 1200, which would require ADWR to revisit certain Phoenix AMA assured water supply applications using older groundwater models, passed 5-3 despite opposition from CAP and ADWR over added replenishment obligations and concerns about relying on outdated models. SB 1335, requiring the Arizona Water Banking Authority to post its annual report online, passed 7-1. SB 1559, creating rural groundwater management work groups in each basin to report to ADWR, passed 5-3 after supporters said it would improve basin-level coordination and opponents argued it created new bureaucracy without enforcement tools. SB 1761, appropriating $47.7 million to the University of Arizona for the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, Cooperative Extension, and the Experiment Station, passed 7-1 amid broad support but some concern about funding levels. Finally, SCM 1007, urging Congress to divest and improve the San Carlos Irrigation Project electric system, passed unanimously.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • brine, which some people call many different things, whether that's brine or wastewater, produced water
  • House Bill 4316 modernizes outdated language related to rural water districts. Move for adoption.
  • It would become more valuable if it was developed or not developed?
  • That is a recent development. I don't remember the date and time. It is recent.
  • House Bill 2440 is a request from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/10/2026 - House Natural Resources, Energy & Water

Natural Resources, Energy & Water

Transcript Highlights:
  • The Committee on Natural Resources, Energy and Water is called to order. Can you guys hear me?
  • I'm a water attorney, and I work regularly with recharge topics.
  • to be recovered is Colorado River water?
  • This essentially creates a water mound in the aquifer, saying there's more water here because it's been
  • , whether that's surface water effluent.
Summary: The Committee on Natural Resources, Energy and Water held a brief meeting and considered several water and energy measures. Senate Bill 1202, which would require the Arizona Department of Water Resources director to include additional information about each groundwater basin in the five-year water supply and demand assessment, was described as similar to a bill vetoed in a prior session. After a motion for a do pass recommendation, the committee approved it on a 6-3 vote with one absence. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1418, which limits county regulation of small modular nuclear reactors in certain circumstances, expands the definition of “plant” for siting purposes, and allows replacement of existing thermal units with SMRs without a new certificate of environmental compatibility in specified cases. Members noted that parts of the bill were similar to previously vetoed measures. The committee passed the bill 6-3 with one absence, with some members explaining their votes and one member saying they would support it for now but might reconsider on the floor. Senate Concurrent Memorial 1007 urged Congress to divest the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the San Carlos Irrigation Project Electric System and fund a system study and improvements. Supporters said the system is old, unreliable, and difficult for the federal government to manage, and that local public power entities could do a better job if divestiture were authorized. The memorial passed unanimously, 9-0 with one absence. Finally, Senate Bill 1785, which would codify a one-mile area-of-impact safe harbor for certain recovered stored water wells unless a separate hydrologic study is submitted, received testimony from a water attorney and an ADWR representative describing it as a codification of long-standing department policy. The committee passed SB 1785 on a do pass recommendation by a 9-3 vote with one absence.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/17/2026 - House Natural Resources, Energy & Water

Natural Resources, Energy & Water

Transcript Highlights:
  • It's an irrigation water storage lake that stores water that supplies the irrigation system, which waters
  • To your point, in many cases the treated water is less contaminated than lake water or river water."
  • effluent water, and that water went down the Santa Cruz Wash.
  • In 2022, under the creation of the modern WIFA, funding was appropriated to the Water Supply Development
  • Through the process of administering the Water Supply Development Revolving Fund, we came to learn that
Summary: The committee heard several water and energy-related measures. SB 1200, as amended, addressed Arizona Department of Water Resources treatment of certain “conduit lakes” in active management areas, allowing some existing lake systems to continue using groundwater mixed with effluent for irrigation or landscaping purposes. ADWR testified in opposition to the amendment’s policy implications and enforcement concerns, while HOA, homebuilder, and resident witnesses argued the bill would grandfather existing communities, avoid costly system redesigns, and reflect prior agency practice. The committee adopted the strike-everything amendment and then passed SB 1200 on a 6-3 vote. SB 1419, dealing with residential rooftop solar installations, was amended to add consumer-protection and disclosure requirements, including roof inspection and installation standards, clearer contract disclosures, and contractor responsibilities. County and industry witnesses said the bill was the product of a lengthy stakeholder process aimed at addressing misleading sales practices and installation problems, though some technical issues were still to be resolved on the floor. The committee adopted the amendment and passed SB 1419 on a 6-1 vote with two members present and one absent. SB 1447, which extends Pinal AMA groundwater withdrawal fee provisions and related fund deadlines, was supported by irrigation and agricultural interests as a way to finance local infrastructure and conservation during Colorado River uncertainty; it passed 7-1 with one present and one absent. SB 1560 raised the maximum single loan amount from the Water Supply Development Revolving Fund from $3 million to $20 million. WIFA said the current cap was too low for larger rural water projects and that the change would better match demand without harming the fund’s revolving nature; the bill passed 8-1 with one absent. The committee also approved SCM 1004, urging Congress to clearly define EPA powers and duties, despite some members saying it was unnecessary or backward-looking; it passed 6-2 with one absent. The meeting then adjourned.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • I mean, they're measuring their water use is on target.
  • You recognize, so again, is this bill going to require people to put meters on their water wells?
  • We just keep on letting water flow.
  • Their water appropriately and going from there. Letauffre, recognize, ask a question on the bill.
  • Representative, you mentioned the conservation commission developing a plan.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • This bill appropriates prep funds to three programs: $250,000 to an economic development organization
  • that I am concerned about the use of this money for something that is not specifically for the development
  • House Bill 4046 supports future economic development projects that will help BRAC-proof our military
  • Members in the Commerce and Economic Development Oversight, either on the committee or presenting, we
  • We'll be in 450 for Commerce and Economic Development Oversight. Thank you so much.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • developments in this state.
  • This is just a master development district.
  • legally vests development rights such as permitted uses, densities, phasing schedules, development standards
  • It's not a modest public works bill or local development.
  • We better not trust developers to know how to make the math work on a development.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • achievement is a reflection of their hard work and the high school program's continued commitment to developing
  • continued conversations on mental health in Oklahoma with state legislators and partnered with me to help develop
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Capital Investment Committee 3/4/25

Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:
  • :09:27.399> water and provide clean water replace water and provide clean water replace water
  • One of which is supplied by Maple Grove Water; the other two systems are Dayton Water.
  • by Dayton Water.
  • treatment and water towers.
  • <01:21:00.560> water that the project of the water water that the project of the water water
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Natural Resources May 7th, 2025

Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • Water, I think everybody here knows how important it is, but some of us are more water abundant and others
  • So how do you talk about water that's not cheap water?
  • Now we have water, but it's still expensive water.
  • Yes. water is no longer something we can take for granted, and water's going to cost, you know, water
  • Cyberattacks on the city of Muleshoe's water system and other water systems in West Texas demonstrate
Summary: The Committee on Natural Resources heard testimony on a series of water, utility, and groundwater-related bills. Early items included HB 5693, which would let Drainage District 7 hold board elections in November of odd-numbered years when a countywide election is occurring, and HB 5671, which would update the Johnson County Special Utility District by clarifying board eligibility, allowing bond issuance, and removing redundant TCEQ approval language to reduce costs and delays. Both bills were left pending after brief testimony from bill sponsors and local witnesses. The committee also heard SB 1504, which would update the Gulf Coast Authority to allow video-conference participation in meetings, and SB 1302, aimed at closing a TCEQ permitting loophole that allowed dischargers with prior denials or suspensions to reapply through an automated process without meaningful review. SB 2692 drew substantial discussion: it would change the signature threshold for outside-city-limits customers appealing municipal utility rates to the PUC by customer class. Valero supported the bill as a way to avoid requiring large-volume users to gather signatures from unrelated residential customers, while the City of Corpus Christi opposed it, arguing that lowering the threshold to one customer could trigger expensive appeals costing $500,000 to $1 million. A PUC witness said such cases are increasing and that the agency would need additional staff under the fiscal note. SB 790, creating a simplified PUC complaint process for small water and wastewater billing disputes, and SB 1663, expanding TCEQ notice requirements for nearby residents when groundwater contamination is discovered, were also heard and left pending. Additional bills included HB 3115, clarifying that the Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District cannot require meters on exempt domestic or livestock wells; SB 1055, raising the Southeast Texas Groundwater Conservation District’s production fee cap from 1 cent to 7 cents per 1,000 gallons; and SB 1625, requiring private water and wastewater utilities to report cybersecurity incidents to TCEQ and DIR. The committee then took up pending business and adopted a substitute for SB 7, which made several changes to water fund use, eminent domain coordination, and EDAP-related provisions, and voted 10-0 to report it favorably. The committee also adopted a substitute for HB 2347, a county water conservation program bill, and reported it favorably 9-1. HB 5675 and SB 2476 were each reported favorably 10-0. The meeting concluded with adjournment.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • We do have the Texas Water Development Board as a... resource witness.
  • Any questions for those folks at the Texas Water Development Board? All right, appreciate it.
  • . water production zones as designated by the Texas Water Development Board under existing law.
  • First, the Water Development Board currently sets pumpage limits for BGPZ zones.
  • development. the government here, which includes the provision that the development of brackish water
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • State water is water that the state owns.
  • be paid for that water.
  • People need the water; you've got to send the water." And that's what you just pointed to.
  • Water District was created.
  • As a partner with TCEQ and the Water Development Board in the development model DCPs.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs (Part II) Apr 14th, 2025

Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • They're pumping that water.
  • That's water the state owns. We're talking about water that the landowner owns, not the district.
  • paid for that water.
  • People need the water, you got to in the water. And that's what you just pointed to.
  • Development Board in the development model DCPs.