Feb. 24, 2010

CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY. STOP THE SNWA FIX BILL.

The Governor has caved in to the SNWA pressure campaign. The language of the special SNWA legislation is at the end of this message.

Your call or e-mail to legislators is more important than ever. Contact your legislators and the leaders of the Assembly and Senate.

PLEASE CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS to ask them to NOT consider any special water "fix" legislation (how to get phone numbers and email addresses is given below).

1) Please Say No to the Governor's request.
2) The courts will handle this.  It's working its way through and they're not done. The bill is premature.
3) Such complex issues should be dealt with in a regular session.
4) The language undermines the Supreme Court ruling and appears to be favoritism for SNWA.

You can find your legislators and get phone numbers and e-mail addresses:

• http://www.leg.state.nv.us/26th2010Special/legislators/ (or click the link below)

Special Session Senate contacts:

• http://www.leg.state.nv.us/26th2010Special/legislators/Senators/slist.cfm

Special Session Assembly contacts:

• http://www.leg.state.nv.us/26th2010Special/legislators/Assembly/alist.cfm

Please send copies of your e-mail to your legislator and, if you can, all the legislators given below. (Just copy and paste the email addresses into your message)

NEVADA SENATE Democrats:
Breeden, Shirley A. <sbreeden@sen.state.nv.us>,
Care, Terry <tcare@sen.state.nv.us>,
Carlton, Maggie <mcarlton@sen.state.nv.us>,
Coffin, Bob <bcoffin@sen.state.nv.us>,
Copening, Allison <acopening@sen.state.nv.us>,
Horsford, Steven A. <shorsford@sen.state.nv.us>,
Lee, John J <jlee@sen.state.nv.us>,
Mathews, Bernice <bmathews@sen.state.nv.us>,
Parks, David R. <dparks@sen.state.nv.us>,
Schneider, Michael A. <mschneider@sen.state.nv.us>,
Wiener, Valerie <vwiener@sen.state.nv.us>,
Woodhouse, Joyce <jwoodhouse@sen.state.nv.us>,

NEVADA SENATE Republicans
AModei, Mark E. <mamodei@sen.state.nv.us>,
Cegavske, Barbara K. <bcegavske@sen.state.nv.us>,
McGinness, Mike <mmcginness@sen.state.nv.us>,
Nolan, Dennis <dnolan@sen.state.nv.us>,
Olsen, Stan R. <solsen@sen.state.nv.us>,
Raggio, William J. <wraggio@sen.state.nv.us>,
Rhoads, Dean A. <drhoads@sen.state.nv.us>,
Townsend, Randolph <rtownsend@sen.state.nv.us>,
Washington, Maurice E. <mwashington@sen.state.nv.us>,


NV ASSEMBLY DEMOCRATS
Paul Aizley" <paizley@asm.state.nv.us>
Bernie Anderson" <banderson@asm.state.nv.us>
Morse Arberry Jr. " <marberry@asm.state.nv.us>
Kelvin Atkinson" <katkinson@asm.state.nv.us>
David Bobzien" <dbobzien@asm.state.nv.us>
Barbara Buckley" <bbuckley@asm.state.nv.us>
Jerry D. Claborn" <jclaborn@asm.state.nv.us>
Marcus Conklin" <mconklin@asm.state.nv.us>
Mo Denis" <mdenis@asm.state.nv.us>
Loop Dondero" <mdonderoloop@asm.state.nv.us>
Joseph M. Hogan" <sanjoe@embarqmail.com>
William Horne" <whorne@asm.state.nv.us>
Ruben Kihuen" <rkihuen@asm.state.nv.us>
Marilyn Kirkpatrick" <mkirkpatrick@asm.state.nv.us>
Ellen M. Koivisto" <ekoivisto@asm.state.nv.us>
Sheila Leslie" <sleslie@asm.state.nv.us>
Mark A. Manendo" <mmanendo@asm.state.nv.us>
April Mastroluca" <amastroluca@asm.state.nv.us>
Kathy McClain" <kmcclain@asm.state.nv.us>
Harry Mortenson" <hmortenson@asm.state.nv.us>
Harvey J. Munford" <hmunford@asm.state.nv.us>
John Oceguera" <joceguera@asm.state.nv.us>
James Ohrenschall" <johrenschall@asm.state.nv.us>
Bonnie Parnell" <bparnell@asm.state.nv.us>
Peggy Pierce" <ppierce@asm.state.nv.us>
Tick Segerblom" <rsegerblom@lvcoxmail.com>
Debbie Smith" <dsmith@asm.state.nv.us>
Ellen B. Spiegel" <Ellen@EllenSpiegel.com>

NV ASSEMBLY REPUBLICANS
John C. Carpenter" jcarpenter@asm.state.nv.us>
Chad Christensen" <cchristensen@asm.state.nv.us>
Ty Cobb" <tcobb@asm.state.nv.us> "Heidi S. Gansert" hgansert@asm.state.nv.us>
Ed Goedhart" <egoedhart@asm.state.nv.us>
Pete Goicoechea" <pgoicoechea@asm.state.nv.us>
Tom Grady" <tgrady@asm.state.nv.us>
Don Gustavson" <dgustavson@asm.state.nv.us>
John Hambrick" <jhambrick@asm.state.nv.us>
Joe Hardy, M.D." <jhardy@asm.state.nv.us>
Richard McArthur" <rmcarthur@asm.state.nv.us>
James Settelmeyer " <jsettelmeyer@asm.state.nv.us>
Lynn D. Stewart" <lynnstewart@cox.net>
Melissa Woodbury" <melissa@melissawoodbury.com>

Thank you!

________________________________________________
BACKGROUND INFO ON WHY "FIX" IS NOT NEEDED

• THIS CASE IS TOO COMPLEX FOR A SHORT SPECIAL SESSION: The case involves major Constitutional due process problems, as expressly noted in the Supreme Court’s Opinion. These issues cannot be legislated away. Trying to do so will only create a more complicated mess for every branch of Nevada’s government.

• THE COURT'S RULING ALREADY HAS A NARROW SCOPE: The Court’s Opinion is clearly focused on the extraordinary circumstances created by SNWA’s long-term manipulation of Nevada’s water rights application process. So, the ruling already is designed to be construed narrowly by the courts and the State Engineer, and to apply only to an extremely limited group of water rights applications.

• THE COURTS HAVE NOT EVEN FINISHED RESOLVING THE CASE YET: It is premature for the Legislature to interfere because the Supreme Court still has to decide what to do about SNWA’s and the State Engineer’s motions and petitions for rehearing. And all the Court has ordered is that the District Court re-examine the special facts of this case and determine what new public notice and protest process is required. That additional process will not even truly delay SNWA’s Pipeline Project, which will not be built for many years anyway – if ever.

• THE CLAIMS THAT THIS RULING WILL CREATE A DISASTER ARE INCONSISTENT WITH SNWA'S STATEMENTS TO THE CONTRARY: A year ago SNWA told the Legislature that it did not need and would not build the Pipeline anytime soon, and might never build it at all.1 After the Supreme Court’s ruling in this case came down, SNWA publicly stated that the ruling would not affect the Project’s timing or prospects.2 So, SNWA’s sudden new line that any delay spells disaster for southern Nevada is simply not credible. As much as SNWA wants you to believe it, the sky is not falling because of this case.

______________________
The Governor's modified proclamation now asks that the Legislature pass a law " ... concerning the time in which the State Engineer must act upon a water rights application so that [it] applies RETROACTIVELY to all applications filed with the State Engineer between July 1, 1947 and July 1, 2003 and so that provisions … apply retroactively to pending applications and applications/permits under appeal involving certain transfers of groundwater.” Effectively, it grants to SNWA and other high-powered water applicants a delay to hearings until all their opposition has died or otherwise disposed of and effectively erases the NV Supreme Court decision to grant protestants their opportunity to be heard.

http://www.leg.state.nv.us/26th2010Special/legislators/