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<br />Questions for James S. Lochhead <br /> <br />Question: You began your presentation with the comment that Colorado <br />has and does rely on the provisions of the Compact as the ultimate <br />basis for preserving the Compact. Could you elaborate on that the <br />nature of that past and present reliance. It seems to me that Mother <br />Nature has simply provided a surplus that hasn't been used. I'm not <br />understanding the reliance to which you relate. <br /> <br />Lochhead: The real consideration for the Upper Basin in entering into <br />the Compact was this perpetual allocations, or the perpetual ability <br />to develop, whether it takes 50 years, 100 years, or 200 years. If <br />you look at the report by Delph Carpenter to the Governor of Colorado <br />when he returned from the Compact negotiations, it is very clear that <br />he viewed the allocations under the Compact as being perpetual and <br />providing a basis for the - Upper Basin states to avoid having to <br />develop water proj ects just for the sake of developing water proj ects, <br />and to avoid a race to develop water projects. That was really, I <br />think, the essence of what Delph Carpenter was trying to achieve. <br />Colorado did not have to rush towards premature development. I think <br />that one of the basis of Governor Romer's proposal is that Colorado <br />has the luxury of law and history to state that we can take our time <br />to choose when, where, if, and how we develop our waters. That <br />fu~damental reliance on the ability to take our time and do it right <br />was reflected in the joint legislative resolution. The resolution <br />affirmed the position of the legislature that the Compact and the Law <br />of the River provides a perpetual allocation to Colorado and Colorado <br />has a right to develop that entitlement, no matter how long it takes. <br /> <br />18 <br />