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<br />2-07 House Committee Lay Over Unamended <br /> <br />Page 7 of 49 <br /> <br />Rep. Pemy: <br /> <br />Madam Chair: <br /> <br />Male: <br /> <br />Madam Chair: <br /> <br />Russell George: <br /> <br />investigation phase two has a more refined deadline. I thought that <br />was helpful for me. You might want to - <br /> <br />Thank you, Madam Chair. My observation was only that this bill <br />is in the insipient stages. We're hopeful that it will move through <br />the process, but SWSI is the law of the state of Colorado. <br /> <br />But at the point in time it looks like this bill may actually make it <br />across the finish line, then I think we aggressively need to work to <br />make sure we integrate those efforts. <br /> <br />In terms of the distinctions between mission, there clearly is some <br />overlap. So the question is what mechanism is the best mechanism <br />to make decisions about how to meet our water needs. <br /> <br />I can tell you one of the things that I hear from people is they like <br />this approach with some amendments that you're going to hear <br />from people and talk about later because it is more bottom up in its <br />constitution than the alternative. There are lots of checks and <br />balances. <br /> <br />I mean as projects go through this process, one of the things that I <br />insisted on in the drafting of the bill was that one group of basins <br />couldn't impose its will on another basin. In other words, take its <br />water sort of forcibly. Its got to be agreement. We need to forge <br />agreement in this process. We believe with some alterations and <br />modifications going forward we'll achieve that. <br /> <br />Thank you. Would you like to start testimony now? <br /> <br />Yes. <br /> <br />Okay; then Russell George. Dr. George, thanks for joining us. <br /> <br />Thank you, Madam Chair and committee. I'm Russell George, <br />director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. <br /> <br />I wanted to use my time with you at the outset to talk about the <br />heali and spirit that underlays this effort here. We can go to detail <br />later, if you wish, in terms of questions about the bill itself. But let <br />me tell you how we get here. <br /> <br />More than anything this is an exercise in stewardship as public <br />servants for me and for you. I've had an interest in Colorado water <br />and water law virtually all of my life. In some ways I felt this time <br />last year I was given a new opportunity to exercise my <br /> <br />www.escriptionist.com <br /> <br />Page 7 of 49 <br />