The act appropriates the following amounts from the Colorado water conservation board (CWCB) construction fund to the CWCB or the division of water resources in the department of natural resources for the following projects: Continuation of the satellite monitoring system operation and maintenance, $380,000 (section 1 of the act); Continuation of the Colorado floodplain map modernization program, $500,000 (section 2); Continuation of the weather modification permitting program, $350,000 (section 3); Continuation of the Colorado Mesonet project, $150,000 (section 4); Acquisition of LIDAR data, $200,000 (section 5); Continuation of the Arkansas river decision support system, $500,000 (section 6); Continuation of the Colorado decision support system operation and maintenance, $500,000 (section 7); Continuation of the water forecasting partnership project, $350,000 (section 8); Creation of the Colorado water loss control initiative, $1,000,000 (section 9); Continuation of the watershed restoration program, $4,000,000 (section 10); and Continuation of the alternative agricultural transfer methods grant program, $750,000 (section 11). The state treasurer will make the following transfers from the CWCB construction fund: Up to $2,000,000 on July 1, 2020, to the litigation fund (section 12); and $1,000,000 on July 1, 2020, to the fish and wildlife resources fund (section 13). Section 14 appropriates $7,500,000 to the CWCB to continue implementation of the state water plan from the CWCB construction fund to be used as follows: Up to $3,000,000 to facilitate the development of additional storage, artificial recharge into aquifers, and dredging existing reservoirs; Up to $1,000,000 for grant funding to implement long-term strategies for conservation, land use, and drought planning; Up to $500,000 for grants for water education, outreach, and innovation efforts; Up to $1,500,000 for agricultural projects; and Up to $1,500,000 for environmental and recreational projects. The CWCB is authorized to make loans from the severance tax perpetual base fund or the CWCB construction fund: In an amount up to $23,230,000 to the Pueblo conservancy district to bring levees up to federal emergency management agency standards (section 15); In an amount up to $17,250,800 to the Tunnel Water Company to rehabilitate the Laramie-Poudre tunnel (section 16); and In an amount up to $90,000,000 to the southeastern Colorado water conservancy district to provide nonfederal cost-sharing funding for the Frying Pan-Arkansas project. $10,000,000 is also transferred from the severance tax perpetual base fund to the CWCB construction fund and then appropriated from the CWCB construction fund for the 2020-21 state fiscal year to the CWCB to grant money to the southeastern Colorado water conservancy district for the Frying Pan-Arkansas project (section 17). Current law prohibits the CWCB from recommending treated water distribution systems to the general assembly, and section 18 removes the prohibition. Section 19 extends the CWCB's water efficiency grant program to June 30, 2030. Section 20 reduces the $1,700,000 appropriation made to the CWCB in the 2019-20 state fiscal year for stakeholder outreach and technical analysis regarding the development of a water resources demand management program to $833,258, which amount is available to the CWCB through the 2020-21 state fiscal year. Current law authorizes an annual, continuous appropriation of $150,000 from the CWCB construction fund to the Colorado water conservation board for the ongoing operations of a water education foundation, which is currently known as Water Education Colorado. Section 21 repeals the continuous appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The bill requires the center of excellence for advanced technology aerial firefighting (center of excellence) in the division of fire prevention and control in the department of public safety to establish a remote camera technology pilot program. The center of excellence must acquire or contract for a system of remote pan-tilt-zoom cameras and associated tools to provide a live feed of information that can detect, locate, and confirm ignition in the wildland-urban interface. The center of excellence must report to the wildfire matters review committee on the system's effectiveness and potential for more widespread use in the state.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under existing law, there is a presumptive range of fines for traffic misdemeanors and traffic infractions (traffic offenses) and there are specified fines and surcharges for certain traffic offenses. The bill increases the presumptive ranges of fines for traffic offenses and increases specified fines and surcharges for certain traffic offenses. The bill requires that 25% of the fine collected for a traffic misdemeanor and 50% of the fine collected for a traffic infraction be transmitted to the county in which the violation occurs. Counties are permitted to use the money for traffic safety improvements, traffic enforcement, prosecution of traffic violations, or any other use consistent with the state constitution. Under existing law, driving without a valid driver's license or instruction permit or driving a vehicle for which a person has not been issued the correct type or class of license is a class 2 traffic misdemeanor. The bill reclassifies those offenses as class A traffic infractions. Under existing law, operating or permitting the operation of a motor vehicle or low-power scooter without an insurance policy in effect or failing to present evidence of insurance following an accident or when asked to do so by a peace officer is a class 1 traffic misdemeanor. The bill reclassifies a first violation of each of those offenses as a class A traffic infraction punishable by a $500 fine. A court must reduce the fine to $250 upon a showing that the person has appropriate insurance. A second or subsequent violation within 5 years remains a class 1 traffic misdemeanor and is punishable by a $1,000 fine that may not be reduced by the court. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill creates a sales tax exemption for fencing material used in a farm operation. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires the public utilities commission to adopt by rule, no later than July 31, 2021, renewable natural gas programs for large natural gas utilities (those that have at least 200,000 250,000 customer accounts in Colorado) and small natural gas utilities (those that have fewer than 200,000 250,000 customer accounts in Colorado). Municipally owned natural gas utilities may, but need not, participate in a renewable natural gas program. The rules must include reporting requirements and a process for natural gas utilities to fully recover prudently incurred costs associated with the large and small renewable natural gas programs. "Renewable natural gas" is defined to mean any of the following products processed to meet pipeline quality standards or transportation fuel-grade requirements or delivered by an alternative energy carrier : Biogas that is blended with, or substituted for, geologic natural gas; Hydrogen gas derived from renewable energy sources; or Methane gas derived from any combination of biogas; hydrogen gas or carbon oxides derived from renewable energy sources; waste carbon dioxide; coalbed methane resulting from human activity; naturally occurring coalbed deposits; a municipal solid waste landfill; waste tire or municipal solid waste pyrolysis; or biogas recovery from manure management systems and anaerobic digesters ; or the decomposition of organic food waste . If a large natural gas utility's total incremental annual cost to meet the targets of the large renewable natural gas program exceeds 5% 2% of the large natural gas utility's total revenue requirement for a particular year, the large natural gas utility shall not make additional qualified investments under the large renewable natural gas program for that year without approval from the commission. The bill establishes the following portfolio targets for the percentage of gas purchased by large natural gas utilities that is renewable natural gas: By January 1, 2025, at least 5% must be renewable natural gas; By January 1, 2030, at least 10% must be renewable natural gas; and On and after January 1, 2035, at least 15% must be renewable natural gas. Small natural gas utilities may opt in to the small renewable natural gas program as established by the commission by rule. The rule must include tradeable credits and a rate cap limiting the small natural gas utility's costs of procuring renewable natural gas from third parties and qualified investments in renewable natural gas infrastructure. The bill appropriates $83,555 from the fixed utilities cash fund to the department of regulatory agencies for use by the public utilities commission to implement the bill. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Currently, a truck or truck tractor may be registered as a farm vehicle if the vehicle is owned by a farmer or rancher and: Is only commercially used to transport to market or place of storage raw agricultural products actually produced or livestock actually raised by the farmer or rancher; or Is used to transport commodities and livestock purchased by the farmer or rancher for personal use and used in the person's farming or ranching operations. The bill allows a farmer or rancher to register a surplus military vehicle if the vehicle meets the same requirements as a truck or truck tractor. The surplus military vehicle will be issued a title as an on-highway vehicle for the purpose of being registered as a farm vehicle, but the title will be reissued as an off-highway vehicle when transferred to another person. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Current law specifies that the Colorado water conservation board's appropriation of water for instream flow purposes is subject to existing uses and exchanges of water. The act directs the state engineer, in administering current law, to confirm a claim of an existing use or exchange if the use or exchange has not previously been confirmed by court order or decree. The person making the claim may also seek confirmation by the water judge. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act: Declares that the jurisdiction of the Colorado public utilities commission (commission) does and traditionally has always been understood to extend to the determination of just and reasonable rates by all public utilities; Explicitly states that the terms and conditions imposed by one cooperative electric association on another regarding the installation, interconnection, and use of energy storage systems must be just and reasonable; and Declares that if a retail cooperative electric association withdraws from membership in a wholesale electric cooperative, the withdrawal is a matter of statewide concern for which the commission has authority to adjudicate complaints regarding such withdrawal. In relation to a retail cooperative electric association's withdrawal from membership, the wholesale electric cooperative must act in good faith and fair dealing, cannot impose unreasonable contractual terms in relation to the withdrawal, and must facilitate maintaining the retail cooperative electric association's native electric load priority for accessing firm transmission capacity.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act authorizes a port of entry officer to direct traffic in addition to existing enforcement powers. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law specifies that an appropriation of water cannot be based on speculation. Speculation may be evidenced by either of the following: The applicant for an appropriation of water does not have either a legally vested interest or a reasonable expectation of procuring such an interest in the lands or facilities to be served by the appropriation, unless the appropriator is a governmental agency or an agent in fact for the persons proposed to be benefitted by the appropriation; or The applicant does not have a specific plan and intent to divert, store, or otherwise capture, possess, and control a specific quantity of water for specific beneficial uses. The act requires the executive director of the department of natural resources to convene a work group to explore ways to strengthen current anti-speculation law and to report to the water resources review committee by August 15, 2021, regarding any recommended changes. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)