|
BILL # SB 1278 |
TITLE: NOW: department of natural resources |
|
SPONSOR: Finchem |
STATUS: Senate Engrossed |
|
PREPARED BY: Gordon Robertson |
|
The bill establishes the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to oversee the acquisition and management of all non-trust state lands acquired after the bill's enactment, excluding any lands owned by a state university or the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). The proposed DNR would have authority over any state permit relating to the extraction of natural resources.
Estimated Impact
The bill establishes a 5-person Commission on Natural Resources to serve as the administrators of DNR, along with a Director appointed by the Commission. Additional staffing for the department would depend on the total acreage of state land that DNR would eventually own and manage. We cannot estimate in advance how much state land DNR would oversee, and therefore cannot estimate total personnel and operational costs related to the new department.
The bill would also allow DNR to provide public access to state land for various uses or to sell state land. The bill could increase ongoing state revenue by an unknown magnitude through licenses or permits issued by DNR for recreation, agriculture, or resource extraction on state land. The bill could also generate one-time state revenues of an unknown magnitude through the sale of state land. The bill does not contemplate where such revenue would be deposited once collected.
Local Government Impact
None
3/31/25