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Show ARKANSAS RIVER COMPACT (KANSAS-OKLAHOMA) 19 NOTES Congressional consent to negotiations.-By the Act of April 11,1955 (69 Stat. 631), the Congress gave its consent to the negotiation by the States of Kansas and Oklahoma of "a compact relating to the interests of such States in the development and protection from pollution of the water resources of the Arkansas River and its tributaries, and pro- viding for an equitable apportionment among them of the waters of the Arkansas River and its tributaries flowing between such States, and for matters incident thereto * * *." This consent was given "upon the condition that one qualified person appointed by the Presi- dent * * * shall participate in such negotiations as chairman, repre- senting the United States, and shall make a report to the President and to the Congress of the proceedings and of any compact entered into." It was also provided that no compact should become effective until it had been ratified by the legislature of each of the States and consented to by the Congress and that "any compact negotiated under the author- ity of this Act shall recognize the respective rights of the States of Kansas and Colorado in the waters of the Arkansas River, as estab- lished by the Arkansas River Compact [supra pp. 3ff] * * *." State ratifications.-Kansas, Act of March 4,1966 (Laws 1966 (Sp. Sess.) p. 52) Oklahoma, Act of June 2, 1965 (Sess. Laws 1965, p. 280; Okla. Stat. 1951 (Supp.), Tit. 82, sec. 1401). Congressional consent to compact.-Act of November 11, 1966, sec. 107 (80 Stat. 1409) from which the text of the compact above set out is taken. Subsection (b) of this section reads as follows: "In order to carry out the purposes of this section, and the pur- poses of article XV of this compact * * *, the congressional consent to this compact includes and expressly gives the consent of Congress to have the United States of America named and joined as a party litigant in any litigation in the United States Supreme Court, if the United States of America is an indispensable party to such litigation, and if the litigation arises out of this compact, or its application, and if a signatory State to this compact is a party litigant, in the litigation." Subsection (c) "expressly reserved" the right to "alter, amend, or repeal" the section. For legislative history, see H.R. 18233 and S. 3906, 89th Congress; House Report 2217 (Committee on Public Works) and Senate Report 1720 (Committee on Public Works), 89th Congress; 112 Cong. Bee. 26786, 27683, 27944, 28181 (1966); P.L. 89-789. The bill that was ulti- mately enacted (H.R. 18233) was an omnibus bill into which had been incorporated bills dealing specifically with this compact (H.R. 14315, S. 3885, and their companions). |