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<br />4-14 Senate Committee <br />Interviewer, Interviewee <br /> <br />Page 3 of 37 <br /> <br />There have been a number of amendments on this bill from its <br />beginning and we have some more today. And that discussion will <br />help you to gain some comfort, I think, in the internal intricacies of <br />the way the process is set up. But I wanted to talk a little bit about <br />where the idea comes from and why we ask for your support today. <br /> <br />I've been involved in Colorado water issues and law for most of <br />my life and many of you, I think, can say the same thing. And <br />certainly, since time in public life, all of you have been also trying <br />to imagine, "Is there some better way to solve the hugely complex <br />problems of water supply and demand in Colorado?" And in <br />recent years, it has seemed to me certainly, that we had gotten <br />bogged down. Many interests, sort of, being locked into whatever <br />their defensive positions were and we were not really moving <br />ahead in ways that would, would promise some success in meeting <br />future water needs in this state. Driven, in the first instance, by the <br />fact that we're a semi-arid part of the country; but now, by the <br />increase level of demand that more population and all the things <br />that humans use water for is now pressing the state. <br /> <br />So, pretty clearly, we're at a water supply demand crisis. Partly <br />because nature has been less than predictable and less than <br />generous in recent years; but that's always been the case and will <br />continue to be so in the fi.lture. But, the rest of the problem is the <br />human created and adjusted supply and demand. And clearly <br />demand is now at supply and below supply in some places. And <br />for all the projects we see, unless something different happens; <br />demand will exceed supply pretty dramatically. <br /> <br />Our obligation and stewardship during our time in public service, <br />is to anticipate that while there's still time and put in motion what <br />we can. So that when, those who follow us, with otherwise be at a <br />crisis place; we will have planned for that and will have avoided <br />that crisis. Colorado Water Conservation Board has, to my <br />estimation, been very successful in addressing, educating on these <br />issues and this legislature, with CWCB, put the first really solid <br />step in a long time in place with the Statewide Water Supply <br />Initiative. And as you know, the foundation of that process has <br />been to go out into the communities, both for a fact finding <br />purpose and for an education purpose. And I think has been very <br />successful in engaging the folks out in the communities where this <br />really matters. To help us talk about, "How do we quantify supply <br />and demand, both now and for the fi.lture?" SWSI is really <br />designed to do the data, the science, the engineering part of this, as <br />well as, part of the education. But it seemed to me that we then <br />needed to step up to the final piece, which would be decision <br /> <br />www.escriptionist.com <br /> <br />Page 3 of 37 <br />