New Water Bill Rushed Through Committee as Lobbyists Eliminate Public Oversight
HB 297 would create a new water agency to advance climate change denial, Lake Powell Pipeline, and backroom dealmaking
House Bill 297 was introduced at the Utah Legislature to advance the $2.4 billion Lake Powell Pipeline by creating a shadowy new state agency, with controls built-in to evade public meeting laws and public access to government records. The massive 53-page bill was introduced and passed committee in just 28 hours, to keep the public from knowing about this special interest gravy train. The bill avoids transparency and conflicts of interest laws to keep its Lake Powell Pipeline advancement moving forward.
Pipeline lobbyists have falsely told legislators that Utah has unused Colorado River rights and should spend billions on the Lake Powell Pipeline because other states are taking Utah’s water. This claim conveniently ignores climate change’s flow reductions in this megadrought era. The Colorado River has dropped 20% over the past two decades, depleting Utah’s Colorado River rights. The new agency would only further this willful ignorance of climate change to build the Lake Powell Pipeline.
The new water agency would have extreme powers to conduct its business behind closed doors, and would be funded by an initial $9 million, with $600,000 every year thereafter. How much of this money will go to Lake Powell Pipeline lobbyists? The bill even exempts the agency members and staff from conflict of interest controls.
Feel free to use the info in the two documents below to help create your message.
CLIMATE CHANGE ONE SHEET // GOOD GOVERNANCE ONE SHEET
Contact your House member and Senator and tell them to OPPOSE HB 297.
Other Bills at the Utah Legislature
The Utah Rivers Council has kept a watchful eye on the many other bills that could also impact water in our rivers and streams. Many changes have been made to the session’s format due to the global pandemic, including allowing members of the public to join committee meetings remotely, which we highly encourage you to do.
Join a remote meeting by following the INSTRUCTIONS HERE.
Follow the LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR HERE.
Current bills on our Watch List can be found below. For the most up-to-date information and the names and contact information for all legislators, check the Utah Legislature’s website at www.le.utah.gov. We will do our best to update this list as often as possible, but will continue to prioritize actual “on-the-ground” efforts on water legislation first.
