[Awclist] AWC request to help w/ Gila legisation - what do you need us to do? - some clarification.

[R/C Southwick]

To the Adobe Whitewater Club

Celia requested more clarification on the Request to Help with the Upcoming
Gila SB 89 Bill coming up at Conservation Committee this week.

>From Norm Gaume who will be at our meeting on Tuesday is the explanation as
stated:

If you have questions please bring them to the meeting on Tuesday.

If you know of others who would like more explanation please forward.

 

From: Norm Gaume [mailto:normgaume at gmail.com] 
Sent: Sunday, February 9, 2014 9:38 PM
To: R/C Southwick
Cc: Steve Harris; Sonora Jo; Betsy Butler; Peter Coha; JoAnne Allen; Adam
Hill; Jim Brainard; Gary Schiffmiller; Richard Stoops
Subject: Re: awc request to help w/ Gila legisation - what do you need us to
do?

 

We are looking for mass numbers to show up at the Senate Conservation
Committee meeting, and would be delighted if a dozen AWC members attend. 

Norm will make a brief presentation at the Feb 11 AWC meeting regarding the
ISC's fatally flawed draft plan for the proposed Gila River Diversion.   

 

Norm has drafted the following for your consideration to email to AWC
members.  

Its long but I can't answer your questions and provide a preview of my
planned Feb 11 AWC meeting remarks with much less.  

The piece includes a few links.  

 

 

Senator Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, has introduced New Mexico State Senate Bill
89 (SB89), which if passed would direct the New Mexico Interstate Stream
Commission (ISC) to expend all federal dollars appropriated for Southwestern
New Mexico water supply improvements on water conservation alternatives and
not on diversion of Gila River water.
http://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/14%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0089.pdf    The
Senate Conservation Committee will probably hold a hearing on this bill on
Thursday, February 13.   Norm Gaume, an AWC member and former director of
the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission expects to testify in favor of
this bill (against the ISC's proposed Gila River diversion).  

 

Norm and Steve Harris request that AWC members attend the hearing.   

The audience will be asked, before the committee vote, to raise their hands
to indicate whether they support or oppose this bill.

We hope that the opponents of the diversion will far outnumber the
proponents.  

Opponents of the Gila River Diversion should support Sen. Wirth's SB89.

 

Norm will make a brief presentation at AWC's Feb 11 regular meeting
regarding the ISC's preferred alternative for a Gila River Diversion, which
was made public for the first time in January.
http://nmawsa.org/ongoing-work/diversion-and-storage-proposals/bhi-diversion
-and-storage-evaluation  

 

Norm will summarize why the ISC's preferred alternative for diverting water
from Gila River is fatally flawed: 

1.      the ISC's cost estimate is an indefensible low-ball at $350 million

2.      the project would yield little usable water if it could function,
which it can't

3.      the project would be wildly unaffordable.  

Norm says, "Implementation of the ISC's draft plan to divert Gila River
water would be a terrible mistake."  

 

Norm is not encouraging AWC members to read the draft engineering report
(link in the paragraph above) because it is voluminous, hard to read, and is
full of errors that are difficult to ferret out.  He has spent many dozens
of hours over the past two weeks reading the draft report, preparing a
professional critique, and driving to the Gila River and hiking into the
proposed diversion location this weekend to field check a few elements of
his critique.  

Norm hopes that AWC members who are interested in attending the Senate
Conservation Committee hearing on SB89 will either attend the Feb 11 AWC
meeting to learn more or contact him directly.

 

The Senate Conservation Committee meets on the second floor of the State
Capitol Building, aka the Roundhouse.  The committee will meet about 30
minutes after the full Senate adjourns.  SCON meetings normally start about
2:00 pm, but could start much later if the Senate remains in session into
the afternoon or early evening, which could happen this late in the
legislative session.    

 

It also would be helpful if AWC members who oppose a Gila River Diversion
contact Senate Conservation Committee members  to express their support for
SB89.  http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/committee_display.aspx?CommitteeCode=SCONC

 

AWC will notify its members via email with updates regarding the actual
hearing date after the hearing is officially scheduled.

 

 

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Below is sequential emails and requests to fill in the blanks for the above
note to AWClist et.al.

 

 

On Feb 7, 2014, at 4:04 PM, R/C Southwick <rsouthwick at ShamanProducts.com>
wrote:





Steve and Norm

AWC regular meeting - Tuesday Feb 11 Norm has asked for time to talk on this
matter and so we will give some time to that. 

Celia has asked for clarification to maximize the efforts.

 

 

Sent out by Steve Harris   - Steve Harris  <mailto:steve.harris39 at gmail.com>
steve.harris39 at gmail.com

 

A critical crossroads for the Gila River happens next week, as the New
Mexico Senate's Conservation Committee takes up SB 89, very likely on the
afternoon or evening of February 13 (Thursday).    I'm inviting river lovers
of all stripes to swell the galleries.  RSVP if you can join me.


Steve Harris  <mailto:steve.harris39 at gmail.com> steve.harris39 at gmail.com

 

 

Norm Gaume    <mailto:normgaume at gmail.com> normgaume at gmail.com

 

Celia and Betsy, I would like some time at AWC meeting Feb 11 to provide
overview of the awful proposal for the Gila River Diversion

ask AWC members to show up at NM Senate Conservation Committee in Santa Fe
on Feb 13 and raise their hands in favor of

 

.         spending all the money on water conservation

 

.         none on a diversion.  

 

I'll have a written article soon for email distribution, for your
consideration, of course.  

 

We need a packed house.  Only problem is, at that late stage at the session,
a person attending might have to camp out and wait for the Committee meeting
to convene.

> 

 

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