Gibbons appoints Mark Amodei to Colorado River Commission

By Stephanie Tavares

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 | 3:48 p.m.

Gov. Jim Gibbons today announced the appointment of Northern Nevada state senator Mark Amodei to the Colorado River Commission.

The commission manages Southern Nevada’s Colorado River water and electrical allocations.

Amodei will take the commission seat of Logandale resident Ace Robison, whose term on the commission wasn't scheduled to end until next year. He resigned April 12, saying he wanted to spend time on an assignment for his church.

Amodei would be the only Northern Nevadan on the commission, which oversees policy that affects nearly all of Las Vegas' water supply.

It's not uncommon to have a Northern Nevadan on the commission, said Southern Nevada Water Authority spokesman J.C. Davis.

Davis added that it seemed like a sound selection, as Amodei has a solid reputation in the Legislature.

Amodei will be termed out of the state Senate at the end of the year. He served in the state Assembly before being elected to the Senate.

While in the Legislature he has served on the Public Land Committee, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Legislative Oversight Committee and the Legislature’s Western Regional Water Commission Oversight Committee.

“Mark Amodei is a Nevada native with strong ties to our precious natural resources,” Gibbons said in a statement. “His in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with public lands and water resource issues will be an asset to the Colorado River Commission.”

Amodei is best known to Southern Nevadans for his bid earlier this year to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He dropped out of the race in February because he couldn't raise enough money to support a Congressional election campaign.

On his campaign website he cites federal attempts to interfere with Nevada's jurisdiction over groundwater as the primary water concern in the state.

There is no mention on the site of any Colorado River-related issues. Senator Amodei's appointment will not be finalized until he resigns from the Senate, the governor's office said.