In the words of Juab County rancher Cecil Garland, the state House of Representatives had a choice to make: "crops or craps."

By that, he meant crops grown by residents of his arid Western region, or a Nevada groundwater project that they fear could pipe their water to Las Vegas.

When the dice rolled Wednesday, Las Vegas crapped out.

The House unanimously approved, 73-0, HJR1, which calls for caution on making an agreement to facilitate the Clark, Lincoln and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project. The resolution now moves to the Senate.

The Nevada project is intended to extract about 160,000 acre-feet of water yearly from seven areas of that state, piping the water to Las Vegas and Lincoln County.

Spring Valley, which is entirely within Nevada, is to provide 91,000 acre-feet of water, while Snake Valley could provide up to another 27,000 acre-feet, according to the project's concept plan, dated March 2006.

Snake Valley straddles the Utah-Nevada border, and its aquifer may be connected to Spring Valley. The U.S. Geological Survey is studying groundwater resources of the area. The study should be finished late this year.

The Nevada project has drawn vehement objections from Utah and Nevada ranchers and environmentalists, among others. They fear the region on both sides of the border may be dried out by the massive project.

The resolution notifies the governors and officials of Utah and Nevada and the people of the area that the Legislature wants Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr. to carefully assess the project's "potential economic, social and environmental consequences in Utah."

It calls for public participation in developing any agreement with Nevada on the water project. Finally, it urges Huntsman "to refrain from entering into an agreement with Nevada until scientific studies are complete to ensure that there is an adequate scientific basis on which to form an agreement."

Rep. Kerry Gibson, R-Ogden, noted during floor debate Wednesday that a group of legislators traveled to the region. "We saw a very important and fragile ecosystem ... that is almost totally, completely dependent on access to that water," he said.

It would be easy for someone to say Las Vegas needs the water "more than a few of those individuals out in Snake Valley," he said. But "we have the right and the responsibility to protect water rights that are owned by our state, to protect the fragile resources of this state."

If sound science backs up the water scheme, "we'll sign an agreement," Gibson said. "But at this point, there's still much to be learned about exactly what that effect will be. I guarantee there'll be some effect."