9367 ‎(2)‎

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9367
• Author: Colorado Water Workshop.
• Title: Proceedings
• USFW Year: 1992.
• USFW - Doc Type: Colorado Water Workshop July 22-24, 1992.
• Copyright Material: NO

do not have it all worked out; it is not in black and white; it is a
concept. That is all it is right now. Like I say, not everyone of
the tribes in the partnership is in the position to lease water. Each
tribe has many considerations to make.
The primary concern is that when water users discuss excess
water, in reality, a majority of the time they are really discussing
Indian water. We want to sit at the table with you. We want to have
a say in how that water is used. We want you to feel that we cannot
be taken advantage of, but we are willing to sit down with you and
talk. That is all we are getting at. That is the reason why I bring
up this water issue as a marketable resource that we may consider for
use in the future.

Question: If a tribe is to market their water, what position will the
Ten Tribe Partnership take, with regards to what Mr. McElroy brought
out this morning, that Congress, perhaps, is the only one to authorize
what position you are to take if anyone of your member tribes is to
market excess water. Will the Partnership seek Congressional action,
or are you using your right to market without Congressional action?
Before you answer, I would like to make a point about the Anastazi,
who were mentioned earlier. The gentlemen from Zuni mentioned that
we did not disappear. I want to reiterate that we are still here --
Rio Grandes, including Hopis.

Scott McElroy: I think at this stage it is fair to say, in terms of
the legal issues, authorization may be among the most critical. I do
not think the tribes are coming to the table with a set agenda, which
must be accomplished. The tribes' proposal to the states was premised
on the idea that it was better to sit down and work together on these
kinds of issues. This cooperative effort would permit everyone to go
to Congress together to get the necessary authorization. On the other
hand, I think it is possible to envision a situation where if the
tribes are met with tremendous amount of resistance, on the part of
the states, that there could be a test situation, in which we find out
whether some of these various statutes that I mentioned could be used
in an authorization process. I think the initial proposal that is
being put forward is to sit down and try to work our way through those
obstacles and come up with a solution that would be capable of being
blessed by Congress. This proposal was deemed by everyone to be
necessary.

Jerald Peabody: I have a final request for the people that are
reporting for the various papers: I would like to have an opportunity
to clarify my statements before they are put it in the paper.

Fred Wetlaufer: Wouldn't we all? That concludes this segment.

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