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<br />PEB-17-00 18.20 PROH,H.B.S.S.
<br />
<br />10.978 247 8827
<br />THE DURANCO HERALD
<br />Thursday, Febntary 17, 2000
<br />
<br />Utes slam opponents ,
<br />
<br />A theoretical, that the project is for a
<br />
<br />at -LP hean- ng sh~be~uJati"e Water use, which is pro-
<br />. 1 Ited by state law.
<br />"Speculating with water is ille.
<br />given now is a chalupa," he said to gal, so it look.s like the tribes had to
<br />WIdespread laughs, find some USes, It look.s like a pipe
<br />"Opponents are always going to dream that may neVer materialize,"
<br />be opposed to this project ~Vbv are Urton 5ald.
<br />we (messing) around with 'this? .Susan Kimbler, of Durango
<br />Excuse my language, but I hope Objected t? the bureau's analysi;
<br />you send ~e bulldozers ov~r there that th~re ,lS a perceived need for
<br />tomOlTOW, he told Interior Depart. recre~uon In the area, which would
<br />men! officials. be sausfied by the reservoir. "Trad.
<br />A receptive ear was given by Ing a white-water river for a shallow
<br />Carol De~gelis, the area manager lake w?en there are already six
<br />for the \~estern Colorado Area reservolTS In the area is incredible'
<br />Office for the Bureau of Reclama- she said, '
<br />tion, who nodded and smiled as the . Je;ry Swingle of Durango said it
<br />Utes ma~e their case ?idn t make sense to pump water
<br />"Treaues between non.lndians ~OO feet up and out of the Animas
<br />and Indians have been broken only to eventually let it back in
<br />throughout history, and nothina downstream. .
<br />h~ changed,' said Howard ..\zte~ City ~ommissioner jack
<br />Richards, vice chairman for the Scott sa.td Intenor Secretary Bruce
<br />Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Babbitt's public s!atements of sup-
<br />"We have a settlement from port for project legislation "ere
<br />1988 but the environmental com. l~umldating and extremel)" offen.
<br />munity has created roadblocks, We s".e.
<br />have to look at the needs of the "Babbitt is Saving that come hell
<br />tribal members not born yet Do 1 Or high water. this project is moving
<br />gIVe that up for sLx days out of the forward, and Ignoring environmen.
<br />)"e~r that rafters lose jUst to satisfy tal aspects in the process; Scott
<br />thlS need? The answer is no, We're said.
<br />sure as heck not going to give that , The meeting's tide of opinion
<br />up at any price. did move briefly into the oppo-
<br />"O,ur Ufe is being diScussed ?ents' comer when Farmington res-
<br />here, Richards said. 'We know ldent Steve Cone look the podium,
<br />what's in the best interest of the He said the supplement should
<br />Utes. Some may think otherwise, provide a factual answer to the rOOt
<br />but that's beside the point.' of the project.
<br />It was a hard act to follow, but "The question is a simple one;
<br />opponen15 did their best to assail Cone said. "What factual or tech-
<br />what they said were deficiencies in nical information forms the basi!
<br />the way the Bureau of Reclama. of che secclemenc amounts? To
<br />tion's draft emironmental impact date this remains your best.kept
<br />statement \v"3S created. secret - that the Utes' entitlemenLS
<br />The environmental statement h.,.e not been defined, and infor.
<br />analyzes the impacts of 10 altema. mation necessary to accurately
<br />tive "iays to settle the tribes" \Vater assess the tribes' reserved docuine
<br />claims in the Sanjuan River Basin, rights is being unlawfully with.
<br />including doing nothing. held.'.
<br />The water agenC}"s preferred Co~e said the best way to settie
<br />alternative is to create a 120,000- the utes' waler claims is for the
<br />acre-foot reservoir just sourliwest of bureau to select the "do nothing"
<br />Durango in Ridges Basin, and pay a1ternauve and let the dispute head
<br />the tribes $40 million to buy what to court, where the merit of the Ute
<br />remaining water rights the reser. water claims can be addressed,
<br />voir could not meet. "No federal funds should be
<br />Orion Vuon said that because expended on any A-LP alternative
<br />there is no delivery system -and the which treats and creates a special
<br />future water use bv the Utes is onlv dass of people exempt from state
<br />. , and federal laws,' he said.
<br />
<br />ByTom Slills
<br />Herald Staff Writer
<br />
<br />FAR.\IJNGTON - The Colorado
<br />Ute Indian tribes took aim at envi.
<br />ronmentalists during the ..l,nimas-
<br />La Plata Project hearing \\'ednes-
<br />day evenin~ in farmington. sa~ing
<br />they were ured of people purport-
<br />ing to speak for them and that me
<br />hearing Tuesday in Durango was
<br />offensive at times.
<br />.'We wanced to first see what the
<br />atmosphere was in Dur.>.ngo'
<br />before making a statement. said
<br />BYTon Red Sr., representing the
<br />Southern Ute Indian Tribal Coun.
<br />cil.
<br />JUSt under 100 people attended
<br />Wednesday's comparatively sub-
<br />dued meeting at the Farmington
<br />CIVIC Center, with 24 people speak.
<br />Ing to Department of Interior offi-
<br />cials. F ederaI officials are holding
<br />the hearings to seek comment on
<br />the latest proposals for the long.
<br />srailed warer project.
<br />Red said there was plenty of talk
<br />about respect and moral obligation
<br />to I~dians during Tuesday's meet.
<br />!fig m, Durango, but that project
<br />opponents still found reasons not
<br />to follow throuah
<br />C .
<br />"It sounded like a scratched i8
<br />record," he said. "This is what you
<br />are leachmg ,-our children
<br />'We have an oblig~tion to the Indi:
<br />J.ns... but ....
<br />"It was offensh'. that individuals
<br />who make these statements then
<br />take hm"s before the crowd. It
<br />rellects tile idea of 'r: Red said,
<br />..hich is not the Indian way.
<br />"Ion appreciate how evetyone
<br />feels about this, but we are the orig.
<br />inal environmentalists, We have
<br />plans for the water, but it's not like
<br />we are going to jump up and down
<br />,,"'ing our hands around sa~ing,
<br />'This is what we are going to do!"
<br />Red said.
<br />"1 asked forgiveness from the
<br />elders to speak like this, but some.
<br />times there comes a time to say
<br />these things.' .
<br />A.LP supporter Leonard Trujil.
<br />10, who lives near Navajo Dam in
<br />Ne.. Mexico, said 65 percent orVOt.
<br />ers approved the project, and that
<br />the delays were inexcusable.
<br />"\~e Wer~ promised a nice big
<br />enchllada, and what we're being
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