daily nsbraskan
onafors wade info wafer
bliss
By Paula Dittrick
The Public Works Committee waded into the stream of
proposed water legislation during a Thursday afternoon
public hearing covering four water bills.
Held for later action were three bills introduced by the
committee and another introduced by Neleigh Sen. John
DeCamp.
Committee Council Gordon Peters said LB293 would
diminish current confusion about water ownership rights
by combining two ownership systems into one.
Nebraska now observes riparian rights and appropriat
ions rights. Riparian rights give the landowner the right to
use "a reasonable amount of water" while under the
appropriations system, a landowner is permitted to with
draw a specific amount of water.
LB298 states it would "incorporate the water rights of
riparian landowners into Nebraska's existing appropriation
system." The till concerns the use of river and stream
water.
Robert Weicht of the National Audubon Society called
the bill "incomplete, misleading, and unconstitutional."
He suggested slashing several sections from the bill.
Claiming LB298 "does more to restrict and remove
benefits from the pec!e than anything else,' Weicht
urged senators to either kill or overhaul the proposed
legislation. ,
The bills dealing with groundwater, LB55, LB 299 and
LB300 were discussed simultaneously.
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Sen. DeCamp said he introduced LB55 as a "barrade
against unreasonable government interference with
water." The bill proposed a constitutional amendment
and would be subject to voter approval.
It would allow the Legislature "to regulate the reason
able and beneficial use of groundwater when it is in the
public interest."
DeCamp urged senators to hold the last three water
bills in committee and said both "the committee and the
legislature has a lot more to learn before taking any
action."
He said the Legislature does not have to pass new laws
because someone cites a problem and he suggested the
problems would be solved without hssty legislation.
Peters said LB299 declared underground water the
property of the landowner and LB300 established a
reasonable use rule allowing the state to restrict the use of
underground water during periods of water shortages.
"Neither LB299 or LB300 call for constitutional
amendment, Peters said.
Crete Mayor, Norman Behrens represented himself in
testimony against the three bills. He urged the senators to
further study the proposed legislation before approving it.
"All the bills only make sure of no unemployment
among lawyers," he said.
An NU resource economics graduate student Larry D.
Swanson, told senators they must "develop a legal frame
work providing for limited use of a limited resource."
He said developing "an overall water management plan
may mean public owned" water rights.
friday, march 4, 1977
Drinking age bill
dies in committee
The bill in the Nebraska Legislature to raisa the drink
ing age in Nebraska from 19 to 21 was killed Thursday
afternoon in an executive session of the Nebraska Legisla
ture's Miscellaneous Subjects Committee.
LB369, introduced by Grand Island Sen. Ralph Kelly,
was defeated 5-1. Senators voting to kill the bill were
Robert Clark of Sidney, Dill Brennan of Omaha, Dave
Newell of Omaha, Don Dwor&k of Columbus and Orval
Keyes of Springfield. South Sioux Qty Sen. John Murphy
voted against killing the bill. Bellevue Sen. Frank Lewis
and Hastings Sen. Richard Marvel were absent for the
vote.
dark said he thought it would be "outrageous" to try
to raise the drinking age. He also said he thought the Leg
islature would lose credibility with what he called the
Mi's "yo-yo approach to changing the drinking age.
Committee chairman Dworak said later he thinks the
students who testified at the bill's hearing had an effect
on the committee's vote.
"A lot of the senators were very impressed at the
behavior of students at the hearing, Dworak said. "Some
members felt the arguments were very mature and logi
cal." He voted for killing the bill because he thinks 19-year-olds
"have demonstrated the maturity of making the
decision of whether they should drink or not,' Dworak
said. .
He said he thinks that if the bill had passed in the
Legislature it "would have driven students back into
alleys and country roads" to drink.
J
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