2014 Legislative Wrap Up

The AWWA Legislative Update on February 13, 2014 provided attendees with a great opportunity to hear about the most recent developments on legislation being considered on Capitol Hill. Participants in the Update started with the opportunity to sit in on some legislative committee meetings and listen to the debate over proposed legislation. Later in the day, the following speakers presented information on topics pertinent to AWWA members:

Alan Matheson, Senior Environmental Advisor to the Governor, provided an update on the Governor’s “Your Utah, Your Future” growth initiative. This includes water strategy planning focusing on the principles of conservation, maintenance, planning, and innovation. 

Kent Jones, State Engineer, indicated that after a contentious and active legislative session in 2013, this year’s session was much quieter. Specifically, after last year’s failure of SB109 (a bill that would have continued ongoing efforts to clarify the State Engineer’s role as the “gate keeper” for water right decisions) there was little appetite in this session to address some of the more controversial issues regarding water. Without clarification on the State Engineer’s role, it looks like the State Engineer will be in limbo for another year regarding decisions on the beneficial use of water rights. 

Ken Bousfield, Division of Drinking Water, provided an updated funding plan for the Division of Drinking Water. This plan moves away from fees to water entities as proposed earlier in the year and uses funds from the State Revolving Fund. 

Representative Kay McIff and Senator Jerry Stevenson, provided overviews of water related legislation they were sponsoring. 

Tommy Holms, AWWA National Legislative Director, discussed national legislation affecting water including the Water Infrastructure Financing Act (WIFiA) and potential new regulatory issues. 

Fred Fergusen, from the Office of Representative Rob Bishop, gave an overview of national issues that could potentially affect water in Utah. This included discussion of the Bonneville Unit clean hydro project, chemical spill regulations, and the Water Resources Development Act. 

Chris Finlinson provided a final roundup of other legislative session issues, especially an update on the constantly evolving effort to define the procurement rules for public entities.

Special thanks to Nicole Baser and the Legislative Affairs Committee for planning the event. If you missed the opportunity this year, keep an eye out for the annual event next year in early February.


Keith Larson
Bowen Collins & Associates