Sen Tom Carlson of Holdrege, chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, talked to the committee about creating the Water Sustainability Fund (LB1046) with $50 million from the general fund annually, beginning on Oct. 1, 2015.
About $2 million to $3.5 million of that would go annually for administrative costs.
Sen. Ken Schilz of Ogallala put forward a bill (LB940) to fund programs, projects and activities identified by the Water Funding Task Force, with $50 million from the rainy day fund, or cash reserve.
Carlson emphasized the importance of the state's water resource and Nebraska's need to address how to keep and increase its supply for agriculture, industry and cities into the future.
"It's absolutely key to the future of the economy in the state of Nebraska," Carlson said. He quoted Ronnie Green of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln: "We are in 2014, but we've got to think like 2050."
"It takes courage," Carlson said, "because there's a lot of reasons that people would give that we can't do this. We can do this. It's a priority", he said.
The bills drew a list of support from natural resource districts, conservation groups and public power districts.
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