Water Warriors,
Legislation backed by publicly traded water developer Vidler could move through the Nevada Legislature without your assistance. Today is a major deadline day, and we need this bill to perish. Help us by sending a message to lawmakers before the proposal moves any further.
The legislation, even if amended, will fast-track water rights approvals by regulators and create a system with less transparency — where regulators and entities proposing water projects get to meet behind closed doors without public notice to discuss water projects and decision-making on those projects. The proposal throws new roadblocks in front of concerned citizens and communities that seek to defend their rights during water permitting procedures. The fiscal note is massive, potentially costing taxpayers millions to have companies take more of our water with less meaningful oversight during permitting.
The legislation is coming from Vidler, which is now owned by behemoth home developer DR Horton. The company has had its hands in some of the most controversial water projects in the west, including the Vegas Pipeline, Honey Lake Pipeline and Coyote Springs. The principal sponsor is Assemblyman Rich DeLong.
At a hearing on Wednesday, GBWN, other NGOs, rural counties, and more all opposed AB419. The only entities to support the bill were Vidler and its affiliates. But, due to some good ol’ fashioned legislative shenanigans, the proposal has legs. That’s why we need your help to stop it as we come to an important deadline in the Nevada Legislature.
Currently, the state engineer has the discretion to hold off on quickly approving an application if members of the public, existing rights holders, government entities and others protest a water rights application, among other considerations in NRS 533.370(4) and (5). The proponents of this bill want to subvert that discretion and create a system where state regulators are approving more water faster with more barriers for the public to engage.
Your outreach and support are paramount for keeping intact the parts of water law that give us voice. This legislation, as initially drafted or amended, will be good for water developers and bad for citizens who believe that transparency and regulator impartiality are paramount for the management of our most precious resource.
Click to Oppose AB419 (see opinions tab)
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION ABOUT AB419
- Gives water applicants more control in the permitting process — potentially leading to more appropriations of water.
- Creates a system that favors fast-tracking water rights approvals.
- Takes power away from the state to oversee its water and forces the state engineer to make final decisions — leading to a likelihood of more appropriations, more litigation, and more costs imposed on the state.
- Raises questions about public participation, creating new burdens for existing water rights holders and public interest advocates.
Click to Oppose AB419 (see opinions tab)
