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,r I I' the Secretary selects the Proposal as the preferred alternative, thcn the Scven Basin States will formally cnter into the Drattl\greelllcnt. subjel,:t of course to any rcquisite moditications. Mr. Scott Halcolllh, ('ulllmissioner ror the State of ('olorado to the Upper Colorado River Commission, has particip;lted in the negotiation of the Drall Agreement on behalrofthe stale ol'Colorado and is listed on the Drali Agreement as having thc "full power and authority" to hind the State of Colorado to thc terms or the agrcement. See Drall Al.!,recmcnt, '116. Speeilically, the ()rall Agrecment states that CR.S. ~~ 2-1--1-109, 37-60-109, ('. R.S. (2005) and an Exeeutive Order li'om C;overnor Owens provide ('oll1ll1issioner Ba\eomb with the rcquisite authority. !d. at Recitals, '1 A.3. ('omlllissioner Balcomb recently contacted the Colorado River subunit and requested that the Colorado River subunit prepare an infornlalmemorandum revicwing thc Governor of the State of Colorado's authority. and the Governor's powcr to delegate that authority. to negotiate and sign the Scven Basin State's Agreement. IV. DISCUSSION. A. Does the Governor possess the authority to negotiate and sign, on hehalf of the shlte of Colorado, the Seven Basin States Agreement'? The Governor may exercise only those powers expressly provided for in the Constitution or statutes cnacted pursuant thereto. Colo/'{/do Po/rtechnic College v, State Ed ji)r COII/munity Colleges IInd Occuplltional Ed., 476 P.2d 3X, 43 (Colo, 1(70). Therc are three constitutional or statutory provisions that may provide the Governor with authority to negotiate and sign the Seven Basin States Agreement: . ~24-1-I09,eR.S. . Article IV, ~ 2 of the Colorado Constitution . ~ 37-60-109(1), eR.S. 1 I' thc act of negotiating and signing the Agreement is decmed to be within the Governor's authority to "administer" the Colorado Rivcr Compact. then eR,S, ~ 24-1-109 provides the Governor with the rcquisite authority to sign and negotiate the Agreement. If the act is not deemed to be within the Ciovcrnor's administrative powers, then Atticle 4, ~ 2 of the Colorado Constitution and eR.S. ~ 37- 60-109 constitute two othcr possible sources of authority. However, neither seems to provide the Governor wiih authority to negotiate and sign this Agreement. t. Section 24-1-109, CR.S. provides the Governor with the authority to negotiate and execute the Agreement so long as he is deemed to be "administering" the Colorado River Compact. Section 24- I -I 09, C.R,S. provides that "[i Interstate compacts authorized by law shall be administered under the direction of the oftice of the Governor." This includes the Colorado River Compact.' Insol~H as the substantive agreemcnt as well as its negotiation and execution can be characterized as being in furtherance of the administration of the Colorado River Compact, this statute provides the Governor with the requisite authority, -' The Colorado River Compact is a compact authorized by law. See C.R.S. ~ 37-61-10 \. 3