MINUTES OF THE
NEBRASKA NATURAL
RESOURCES COMMISSION MEETING
September 27, 2005
Holiday Inn Convention
Center
Kearney, Nebraska
Those
in attendance were:
Jim Van Marter, Chair Joe
Hergott, Member
Roger Korell, Member Richard
Jiskra, Member
Wayne Madsen, Member Arlond Garratt, Member
Keith Rexroth, Member John
Burkholder, Member
Myron Lembke, Member Dave
Clabaugh
Wayne Davis, Member Scott Sobotka
Garry Anderson, Member Robert Mohler
Richard Hadenfeldt, Member Don Roberts
Vince Kramper, Member Doug Gahn
Dan Watermeier, Member Tom Pesek, Staff
Clinton Johannes, Member Gayle Starr Staff
The
meeting was called to order in the conference room at the Holiday Inn in Kearney,
Nebraska by Commission Chair Jim Van Marter at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Notice of the meeting
was placed in the LINCOLN JOURNAL & STAR and the KEARNEY HUB on
Sept. 20, 2005. .
The
following items of informational material were distributed during the course of
the meeting and a copy of each is attached to the file copy of the
minutes:
1.
Nebraska
Resources Development Fund Present Financial Status.
2.
Nebraska
Resources Development Fund Quarterly Report.
3.
Recommendation
of the Acting Director on the Lower Turkey Creek Watershed Project.
4.
Letter
from Lower Loup NRD on Lake Ericson Dam Improvement Project.
5.
Policy
Statements V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, and XII.
6.
Status
of Small Watersheds Flood Control Fund.
7.
Soil
& Water Conservation Fund – Expenditures by Month, 1998-2006.
8.
Republican
River Basin Water Meter Program Status Report and Summary.
9.
Natural
Resources Water Quality Fund Status.
10.
Water
Well Decommissioning Fund Status.
11.
Republican
Basin EQIP & Platte – Republican CREP.
12.
DNR
Fund Expenditures for July & August, 2005.
13.
NRCS
Report.
MINUTES
It was noted that the minutes
distributed to Commission members had incorrectly stated that the September
Commission meeting would be on September 28 instead of September 27 but that
the official file copy indicated September 27.
Motion was
made by Kramper and seconded by Jiskra to approve the minutes with the above
noted correction. Motion carried.
Aye: Davis, Kramper, Lembke, Rexroth, Garratt,
Johannes, Hadenfeldt, Anderson, Burkholder, Hergott, Jiskra, Watermeier, Korell,
Van Marter
Nay: Madsen
Not Present: Donaldson
Gayle Starr noted that the
expenditures for July and August, 2005, had been distributed to Commission
members. He explained that July 1 is
the beginning of the two year state budget biennium period and that the
information in the expenditure report reflects that.
ACTING DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Jim Van Marter indicated that
Ann Bleed had advised him that she would be unable to attend the meeting
because of some other commitments and that Gayle Starr would be providing some
information. Starr briefly reviewed the
status of staff work on the LB 962 process.
Starr also briefly reviewed water administration work during the
irrigation season and noted some staff changes that had occurred.
Vince Kramper noted that the
Trust had received over 100 requests for in excess of $30 million dollars for
this funding cycle. He added that the
Trust had approximately nine million dollars available to award but about three
million of that total is reserved for the second and third year of grants that
have been approved in previous years.
He added that he is on the Grants Committee that will be reviewing all
of the applications and making a recommendation to the full Board at a future
meeting.
WATER POLICY TASK FORCE
Clint Johannes explained that
the Task Force would be meeting on October 6 in Kearney and that their main
task will be to discuss alternatives for funding the work of LB 962 and
arriving at some recommendation regarding that issue.
Clint Johannes called on Tom
Pesek who provided the Resources Development Fund status report and reviewed
the status of each active project as included in the quarterly report provided
to Commission members.
Pesek distributed the Acting
Director’s recommendation on the Lower Turkey Creek Resources Development Fund
Project application and reviewed several points of the recommendation. He noted that Commission procedure provides
for a tour of the project prior to the next Commission meeting and action on
the recommendation at that next Commission meeting. He explained that the tour is tentatively scheduled to begin at
about 11:00 a.m. on November 16 and should take no more than four hours total. Clabaugh and Sobotka gave a brief
presentation regarding the project.
Pesek explained that the
Lower Loup NRD was requesting a transfer of funds between components of the Lake
Ericson Resources Development Fund project.
Robert Mohler, representing the Lower Loup NRD, explained the reasons
for the need to transfer funds and noted that it was not necessary to increase
any funding but rather shift funds between components and that when the total
of all bills is completed that there will be some funds returned. Motion was made by Davis and seconded by
Kramper to approve the transfer of $9,891.09 from Component No. 2 (Final
Engineering Design) and $37,870.31 from Component No. 5
(Construction-Recreation) to Component No. 4 (Construction-Structural) of the
Lake Ericson Project. Motion carried.
Aye: Kramper,
Lembke, Rexroth, Garratt, Johannes, Hadenfeldt, Anderson, Burkholder,
Hergott,
Davis, Jiskra, Watermeier, Korell, Madsen, Van Marter
Nay: None
Not Present: Donaldson
Tom Pesek explained that over
the years the Commission has adopted several policy statements regarding the
operation of the Resources Development Fund and the conduct of the Commission
responsibilities to the fund. He
distributed copies of the policy statements and reviewed the background and
purpose of each of them. He added that
input from project sponsors would be solicited and that further discussion of
the policy statements could take place at the Program Committee in connection
with the November 16-17 meeting.
Pesek distributed the Status
Report of the Small Watersheds Flood Control Fund and briefly reviewed the
status of the fund.
Gayle Starr distributed the
status reports of the Soil and Water Conservation Fund, Natural Resources Water
Quality Fund, Water Well Decommissioning Fund, and reviewed each of them. He also distributed a status report on the
Environmental Quality Incentives Program being operated in partnership with the
Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Platte-Republican Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program being operated in partnership with the Farm
Services Agency.
NRCS REPORT
Doug Gahn, representing the
Natural Resources Conservation Service, noted that he was filling in as Acting
State Conservationist while Steve Chick is fulfilling a 60 day assignment at
the NRCS headquarters in Washington, DC.
Gahn distributed a report from NRCS and reviewed a number of issues and
responded to questions from Commission members.
.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the
Commission will be November 16 & 17 in Lincoln. Gayle Starr noted that lodging and the meeting will be at the
Hampton Inn in Lincoln which is located at the airport exit off
I-80.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 4:30
p.m.
____________________________________ _____________________________________
Chair Director of Natural Resources