Press talking points and statement

• Title: Press Talking Points and Statement
• Date: 5/9/2007
• Interbasin CC - Doc Type: News/Press

Press Talking Points and Statement
IBCC Meeting
May 9, 2007

Overview Messaging and Statement

Overarching Strategy

?
Remind participants of the purpose and need : While the discussion at the May
th
9 IBCC meeting will get deep into the weeds on the future of the Colorado
River, the challenges Colorado faces with a call by the lower states, and other
issues, it is important to continuously focus the IBCC members, the press and
the stakeholders on the importance and need of the IBCC process.
?
Set and manage expectations : These are tough issues; they will not get
resolved in one meeting. Do not be discouraged by the complexity of the
issues; expect them to be extraordinarily tough. Do not be discouraged if we
don’t arrive at a consensus about what to do ab out these issues. The purpose
of today’s discussion is not to resolve them but have a dialogue about them.
The value of today is as much about the participants sitting around the table
discussing these issues as it is about what comes out of the discussi ons.

General Talking Points

?
Colorado’s water issues are some of the most complex and difficult of all the
natural resources issues we face in the state. Tackling these tough issues is just
what the Interbasin Compact Committee was designed to do. What you see here
today are a lot of committed individuals taking on the tough conversations that
Coloradans expect their leadership to take on.

?
The individual basins that make up Colorado’s water future are inextricably
linked. That’s why the Interbasin Com pact Committee was formed. And that’s
why the committee is taking on these tough issues.

?
For the last year, the IBCC has been working to put some fundamental pieces in
place -- helping the nine basins define their individual needs and developing
systems to assist them in getting funding for necessary projects. Now we are
transitioning to the next phase – facilitating conversations between the basins on
some very tough issues. This is a challenging phase, and is the next logical step
in the path to solving Colorado’s thorniest water issues.

?
We need to remind ourselves that the IBCC process is a new way of addressing
our water challenges in this state. We are having discussions that, as a state, we
have never had before. We should expect this to be a toug h process – the
issues themselves are some of the toughest this state faces.