Senate committe kills Laramie aquifer legislation

After hours of testimony, the Senate Minerals committee killed a bill that would have allowed the City of Laramie to acquire a parcel of land to protect the community’s water supply. The city said it wanted the state to spend 15 million dollars to buy the land, but members of the committee questioned city and county officials over whether they had considered other options.  In the end the bill died when Senator Chris Rothfuss of Laramie offered a due pass motion that failed to get a second. Committee Chairman Eli Bebout told community members he’s sympathetic, but urged them to look into other funding options. “This is not over," Bebout said. "You really have a serious issue and I think we recognize that.  I think that the problem we are having as a committee is with all the testimony we heard today, we just don’t think its gone far enough for us to be able to move forward on $15 million dollars on a stretched budget on something we just don’t understand all the opportunities that are available to you.” City and County officials said they will move forward with their aquifer protection plan despite the bill’s defeat.  They say they will also look at some loan options to purchase the land.