OCR Text |
Show On August 16, 1965, the Upper Colorado River Commission, at an Adjourned Regular Meeting in Salt Lake City, adopted a resolution approving and supporting proposed federal participation in the future development in the Colorado River Basin provided that certain principles were to be incorporated into the authorizing legislation.* Hearings in 1965 by House of Representatives on H. R. 4671 During the week of August 23, 1965 hearings on H. R. 4671 were held in Washington by the Subcommittee on Irrigation and Reclamation of the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. For the most part testimony by representatives of the Upper Division States reflected the principles of the Commission's August 16. 1965 resolution. Simultaneously with the hearings in Washington, negotiation sessions were held by the Upper and Lower Division States. These negotiations did not result in agreement with regard to amendments to protect future interests of the Upper Colorado River Basin. Subsequent negotiations during the week of September 14 resulted in a draft of bill dated September 20, 1965. At the end of the 1965 water year this draft version of H. R. 4671 was before the States of the Upper Division of the Colorado River Basin for their analyses and consideration. Although it had been reported that this draft had been officially approved by the Colorado River Board of California and the Arizona Interstate Stream Commission, and that the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California had endorsed it in principle, it did not prove to be satisfactory to all four member States of the Upper Colorado River Commission. Negotiations Among States During December, 1965 and January, 1966, a number of negotiation sessions were held by engineers and attorneys representing the States of the Upper and Lower Divisions. On January 26, 1966 at Los Angeles tentative agreement was reached by representatives of several Colorado River Basin States (with the exception of New Mexico) relating to language to be incorporated in H. R. 4671. Wyoming also reserved judgment on certain points. A Proposed Revision of H. R. 4671, Draft of January 27, 1966, was prepared and distributed to interested parties.** At Los Angeles most of the discussion was about Section 601 *Page 50, Seventeenth Annual Report of the Upper Colorado River Commission. **Drafts of Bills dated February 1, 1966 and February 8, 1966, were also prepared by the Colorado Water Conservation Board. These two drafts were similar, although not identical, to the Los Angeles draft of January 27, 1966. 36 |