<br />The Upper Basins' Political Conundrum: A Deal is Not a Deal
<br />was essentially a civil war in which both sides labeled themselves
<br />"conservationists. " While one side campaigned for conservation for use
<br />through dams ..., the other argued for conservation through preservation of
<br />unique wilderness-areas...,ss
<br />Proponents of the CRSP eventually removed the Echo Park reservoir from the
<br />legislation and finally won its passages' With enactment of the Colorado
<br />River Storage Project Act in 1956, the Upper Division States gained the
<br />authorization of four so-called storage units (Glen Canyon Dam, the Aspinall
<br />Unit,69 Flaming Gorge Dam, and Navajo Dam) and of 11 so-called
<br />participating projects, which were primarily for irrigation.'° Further
<br />legislation in 1962 authorized two additional CRSP participating projects and
<br />one non-CRSP project71, while 19641egislation authorized three more CRSP
<br />participating projects.72
<br />Participating projects received that denomination because they "participate"
<br />in the revenues received from the sale of the hydroelectric energy generated
<br />at Glen Canyon Dam, Flaming Gorge Dam, and the dams of the Aspinall Unit
<br />in that these revenues are used to repay not only the costs allocable to the
<br />hydropower function of those three projects, but also to repay the costs of the
<br />participating units allocable to irrigation which are beyond the ability of
<br />~ Hundley, supra note 34, at 29.
<br />s' The history surrounding Congressional consideration of the legisla on to authorize the
<br />CRSP is, of course, far more extensive than indicated here. For a comple treatment, see D.
<br />MANN, G. WEATHERFORD, & P. NICHOLS, LEGAL-POLITICAL HIST RY OF WATER
<br />RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IN THE UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN 1-36 (Lake
<br />Powell Research Project Bulletin No. 4, 1974).
<br />~ Colorado River Storage Project Act, ch. 203, 70 Stat. 105 (1956) (codified as amended at
<br />43 U.S.C.A. § 620-6200 (1986)).
<br />c9 This unit was called the Curecanti Unit in the original 19561egislation. Its name was
<br />subsequently changed to the Aspinall Unit by Pub. L. No. 96-375, § 7, 94 Stat. 1507 (1980).
<br />The unit consists of Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal Dams and Reservoirs.
<br />70 The 11 participating projects were the Central Utah (initial phase), which consisted of
<br />four units (Jensen, Vernal, Upalco, and Bonneville) that were themselves physically separate
<br />projects, Emery County, Florida, Hammond, La Barge, Lyman, Paonia, Pine River Extension,
<br />Seedskadee, Silt, and Smith Fork.
<br />" The Navajo Indian Irrigation Project and the San Juan-Chama Project were authorized
<br />as CRSP participating projects by the Act of June 13, 1962, Pub. L. No. 87-483, 76 Stat. 96,
<br />while the separate, non-CRSP Fryingpan-Arkansas Project was authorized by the Act of
<br />August 15, 1962, Pub. L. No. 87-590, 76 Stat. 389.
<br />'~ The Savery-Pot Hook, Bostwick Park, and Fruitland Mesa participating projects were
<br />authorized by the Act of September 2, 1964, Pub. L. No. 88-568, 78 Stat. 852.
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