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Show / / 2561 Valley View Ave. Salt Lake City, Utah 84117 April 20, 1978 Mohammed El Ashry Brent Blackwelder Pat Parenteau Gentlemen: I have enclosed information on the meeting I have set up with Bob Sanchez, Missouri Basin Representative for Secretary Andrus, for purposes of discussing the C.U.P. with Utah citizens. If you have any suggestions for me for the meeting, itself, or for recommendations for Tollow-up of this meeting, please inform me. While I am asking for your advice, I would prefer that you not contact Sanchez or Andrus yourselves or bring pressure to bear anywhere on the issue at this time. I believe that I am being listened to, because I am a private citizen who is representing resource concerns, specifically, rather than environmental groups, on the C.U.P. developments. I have very carefully selected the participants for the meeting in order to present broad concerns with the specialists who can represent these. We are hopeful that we can initiate productive follow-up measures. However, there will be differences of opinion on the part of the participants, as to specific as well as long range objectives for handling Utah water storage development. Some of us will be more radical in our proposals than others. Some will appraise the political realities, both in Utah and in Washington, in different light. It is my belief that this has value, at this point in time, and with this particular group, so I have made no attempt to bring about a group opinion. Most of these participants have had a far longer interest in the C.U.P. than have I and most have far greater expertise from which to address their concern. However, from the point of view of MY value in this proceedings, I would appreciate having from any of you, some kind of idea of the possible objectives you see existing in the political arena on this issue in Utah. To my knowledge, no one yet has come up with adequate grounds for a suit but this may not be necessary if we can lay the groundwork for review and reformulation of the Project - providing it can even be justified. One key point I see, is whether the Ute Indian Tribe can get its water demands provided through wafer storage projects ON INDIAN LANDS so as to not infringe on either Rock Creek and its Canyon and Whiterocks River and its Canyon. Steve Boyden,attorney for the Ute Tribe,(or one segment of the Tribe), has pursuaded them that they better accept the C.U.P. as a bird in hand - since projects have been authorized by Congress and some funded. In other words, the tribe is being told that it would be difficult, and maybe |
