From Deseret News archives:
Trout habitat protection moves to full Senate
The Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment sent the bill along to the full senate for for consideration. Dubbed the Instream Flow to Protect Trout Habitat bill and sponsored by Rep. Stephen E. Sandstrom, R-Orem, the bill was approved by the House without a dissenting vote a week earlier.
Speaking before the committee, Sanderson said the bill is "very beneficial ... both to sportsmen and agricultural water users." It's modeled after a successful program in Montana, he said. Under the bill people with water rights can lease to nonprofit fishing organizations water that would be left in the stream to protect the trout. Species named in the bill are the Colorado cutthroat, the Bonneville cutthroat and the Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
"All water left in a stream in the instream flow is available to the call of the river for downstream users," Sandstrom said, "so it could actually benefit downstream users as well, for keeping the water in the stream."
Both questions were answered by changes to the bill, he said.
The first change was a provision saying that the measure can't impede hydropower generation. "That satisfied Garkane (power cooperative serving parts of southern Utah) and some of the rural hydroelectric power generators," he said.
As far as losing water rights to protect endangered species, Sandstrom said, "We worked directly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to come up with a solution ... Anybody who enters into this agreement will now be granted an ESA (endangered species act) safe harbor, so this ensures that no one risks losing their water for participation in this program."
Such a leasing probably would give water right owners more shelter from the act than before, "because they get safe harbor from the Endangered Species Act."
Sen. Allen M. Christensen, R-North Ogden, pressed concerning the understanding with the federal wildlife agency, "We do have the agreement with them, so we're not just passing one (law) and they can say we didn't really agree with that?"
Sandstrom assured him that the agreement was in place.
Robin Thomas, legislative liaison for the Utah Division of Wildlife resources, said the division supports the bill as a way to safeguard the state's wildlife. Any lease of a water right under the bill would have to be approved by the director of the division and the state engineer.
E-mail: bau@desnews.com
Comments
- Montreal Alouettes win Grey Cup 8:40 p.m.
- Rivalry dishes out talking points 8:32 p.m.
- Hall's pain reflects self betrayal 8:23 p.m.
- Stitt's free throws lift Clemson 8:10 p.m.
- Spurs drop slumping 76ers 8:05 p.m.
- Brooks, Landry power Rockets 7:55 p.m.
- Woods gives his side of the story 7:53 p.m.
- Senators want charges for crashers 7:38 p.m.
- Texas A&M gets unexpected lift 7:36 p.m.
- Wallace leads Pistons past Hawks 7:28 p.m.
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
- BYU is champion of the state
- Cougars beat Utes in overtime
- Credit Coug defense for win
- Field goals, penalties doomed Utes
- Cougar defense rose to occasion
- Marriage definitions vary widely
- Banged up Jazz get best of Blazers
- Jones' joy for life remembered
- Fantasy is reality for BYU professor
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
827 - Cougars beat Utes in overtime
469 - Thunder rolls by Jazz
136 - BYU is champion of the state
134 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
117 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
116 - Editorial: Poor welcome for Palin
113 - Rivalry Week is highly profane
90 - Hall's legacy measured today
79 - Y. focused on 10-win season
74
I wanted to tell them not to go. I dropped subtle hints. "My money is on...
When I was a kid, I worshipped my grandpa. He was undoubtedly my hero....
Oh,please. The only reason 69% of those surveyed approve of it is because...
You really can't blame Max for being jealous. After all, the Utes...
On the flip side, taxing the rich doesn't hurt either. Taxing the poor does.
So, you propose we go back to living without energy? This is the problem...
Iam glad byu won but I'm not happy with max there are somethings you just...
Big Deal. Game is over. Move on. It's Football! Take the religion thing...
Max, A negative 150!
we will never know who is truly #1 and #2 without a playoff system. The SEC...
You wanna start throwing football in the mix too... Austin Collie!!!!! That's...
I'm so glad Max Hall is done, can we please get a division-1 athlete to play...



You can be the first to comment on this story.