Plain English Breakdown
Checked against official source text during the last sync.
Groundwater Withdrawal Fee on State Land Leases
This bill requires lessees of agricultural state land outside active management or irrigation non-expansion areas to pay an annual fee for using groundwater and report their usage.
What This Bill Does
- Creates a new law that allows the department to set rules for collecting an annual fee from people who lease agricultural state land for using groundwater.
- Requires lessees to submit reports each year about where they took water, how much they used, and what it was used for.
- Specifies that fees collected must go into the fund of the appropriate beneficiary.
Who It Names or Affects
- People who lease agricultural state land outside active management or irrigation non-expansion areas
- The department responsible for collecting fees
Terms To Know
- Active Management Area
- A specific area where the state controls groundwater use to prevent overuse.
- Irrigation Non-Expansion Area
- An area where new irrigation projects are not allowed to expand.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill does not specify how much the fee will be or what happens if someone doesn't pay.
- It is unclear who exactly benefits from the fund that collects these fees.