Staff Writer
Colorado House Bill (HB) 14-1028, legislation concerning ski area water rights, was indefinitely postponed by the Colorado Senate Committee on State, Veterans, and Military Affairs on Monday, May 5.
The bill would have forbidden the U.S. Forest Service from requiring permit holders, including ski areas, to turn over their water rights as a condition for maintaining their operating permits. This is the second year in a row that Colorado legislators have attempted to pass such a bill.
The Colorado House passed HB 14-1028 on Feb. 25 and it was introduced into the senate the following day. The senate committee’s recent action to postpone the bill means that the legislation will not be considered again by the current state congress.
A similar bill, HR 3189 sponsored by Colorado Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Cortez), was passed by the U.S. House March 13 and is still awaiting action by the U.S. Senate.
shanti.johnson@pagosasun.com
