TO: Toledo Bend Friends:

From: Dianne Lampman

RE: Very Important Legislation and trying to keep you informed

________________________________________

I just found amendments posted from Senator Long’s bill – SB436 that the Senate Committee on Natural Resources heard on 4-12-12 and made these (below toward bottom) changes in blue to SB436 (see PDF SB436 Amendments 1 & 2):

Long completely removed the Police Jury and inserted the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment. They have the authority to approve water sales with the Governor’s concurrence.

The Speaker of the House and President of the Senate choose who is going to serve on these two (2) committees and I would bet on them favoring the Governor’s wishes and vote his preference for water sales out of state. The State caufers need the money, along with the SRA LA. Thus, we could have out of state water sales from Toledo Bend with no representation of any authority figure within the Sabine watershed agreeing to any out of state water sales just the SRA LA getting approval to move forward.

Members of both committees follows:

TWO THAT I KNOW OF — LONG AND MORRISH HAVE ANY INTEREST IN TOLEDO BEND AND POSSIBLY WOULD VOTE NO AGAINST WATER SALES

FOUR THAT I KNOW OF — KLECKLEY, MONTOUCET, GEYMANN AND ARMES WOULD HAVE AN INTEREST IN TOLEDO BEND AND POSSIBLY VOTE NO FOR WATER SALES

I just spoke with Rep. Frankie Howard at 4:00 pm 4-13-12 and he understood from Senator Long that the Police Jury would stay in SB 436 with the addition of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment. This would have been an additional vote before it would be sent to the Governor.

Should you wish to speak to Senator Long or Rep.Frankie Howard in regard to SB436 and its new wording or your thoughts on the matter, their numbers are below:

SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS made at Senate Committee on Natural Resources on April 12, 2012
Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Natural Resources to Original Senate Bill
No. 436 by Senator Long

AMENDMENT NO. 1

2 On page 2, line 6, delete “Authority” and insert “authority”

3 AMENDMENT NO. 2

4 On page 2, delete lines 7 through 14 and insert:
5 “(c) The written concurrence of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources
6 and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment shall be
7 required for any contracts and other agreements which provide for the sale,
8 utilization, distribution, or consumption, outside of the boundaries of the state
9 of Louisiana, of the waters overwhich the authority has jurisdiction or control.”

IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE BILL

WHAT A GAME CHANGER IF THIS HB954 WERE TO PASS AND BE MADE LAW:
While researching bills this morning that have been introduced I have found that HB954 introduced by:
REPRESENTATIVE DANAHAY- CALCASIEU PARISH

( History as follows BELOW). Is presently assigned to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs and has not been heard yet or scheduled to be heard yet. WE NEED TO FOLLOW UP ON THIS ONE, SINCE IF THIS BILL GETS APPROVED IT IS CHANGING THE SABINE RIVER AUTHORITY AND PLACING IT BACK UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT. WHAT A GAME CHANGER THIS WOULD BE IF PASSED.

The Department of Transportation and Development are over dams within the State of Louisiana, that is why SRA LA was under the DOTD in the first place. They did not have authority back then to sell the water. It was only after Joe Salter introduced the bill to let them sell water out of state with the governor’s approval and then the other bill removed them from under DOTD and gave the La. Diversion Canal to SRA LA and forgave $8,000,000 plus in debt that we have been fighting to keep Louisiana water in Toledo Bend.

Public Works & Water Resources Div
1201 Capital Access Rd.
Baton Rouge, LA. 70802 Phone # 225-379-3000

SEE PAGE 39 OF HB 954 LINES 16 THRU 21.

16 O. The Sabine River Authority, state of Louisiana (Article XIV, Section 45
17 of 1921 Louisiana Constitution, made statutory by Article XIV, Section 16(A)(10)
18 of 1974 Louisiana Constitution; R.S. 38:2321 – 2337 et seq.) is placed within the
19 Department of Transportation and Development and shall perform and exercise its
20 powers, duties, functions, and responsibilities in the manner provided for agencies
21 transferred in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 36:801.1.