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Water development projects-funding. |
11LSO-0396.C2 |
FISCAL NOTE
This bill establishes the Glendo Reservoir Account (a debt service account) for the pending contract with the Bureau of Reclamation for Glendo storage water. $800,000 is being transferred to this account from part of an appropriation provided in 2002 through the water Development Commission’s agency budget (2002 session laws, Ch. 83, Section 29). One of the authorized purposes of the 2002 appropriation is to acquire water from Glendo Reservoir to meet an obligation of Wyoming under the settlement of the Nebraska v. Wyoming law suit. There will be very little, if any, revenues supplementing this debt service account.
The 2009 Legislature enacted W.S. 41-2-1301, which, in part, authorized the transfer of the water from the Wyoming Account in the Pathfinder Modification Project to the Wyoming-Nebraska state line for purposes of selling or leasing water, surplus to Wyoming’s needs, to the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program through annual temporary water use agreements approved by the Wyoming State Engineer. W.S. 41-2-1301(f) directed any revenues from such transactions to the Water Development Commission’s Miscellaneous Debt Service Account.
The 2010 Legislature enacted W.S. 99-99-1001(a)(viii) and (k), which established the Pathfinder Modification Debt Service Account for the purpose of receiving revenues from the sale or lease of water from the Wyoming Account to assist in paying for the state’s annual operation and maintenance costs.
This bill clarifies W.S. 99-99-1001(k) to ensure that the funds will be deposited into the Pathfinder Modification Debt Service Account, rather than the Miscellaneous Debt Service Account, as previous stipulated in W.S. 41-2-1301(f).
The Pathfinder Modification Debt Service Account could receive revenues ranging from $0 to $400,000 per year depending on the water available in the Wyoming Account for sale or lease to the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program.
Prepared by: Dean Temte, LSO Phone: 777-7881
(Information provided by Mike Purcell, WWDC; 777-7613)