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1. The Secretary restated the Department's position that the Department retains <br />authority to adjust release amounts from Glen Canyon Dam. <br />2. Based on this year's hydrology, an adjustment to the planned release amount of <br />8.23 million acre -feet was not warranted. <br />3. Due the potential for the drought to continue, Reclamation will propose that the <br />2006 AOP also contain a provision for a mid -year review. <br />The fourth point in the Secretary's decision, was her direction to Reclamation to begin a <br />public process to address the challenges of low storage in the Colorado's reservoirs. <br />This process, at a minimum, will address: <br />1. Development of shortage guidelines for the Lower Basin. <br />2. Development of Conjunctive Management Guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake <br />Mead. <br />The Secretary set an aggressive 45 day timetable for Reclamation to begin this public <br />process. The Secretary set an equally aggressive goal of completing this process by December <br />2007. <br />The drought has highlighted the need for all users within the Basin to work together. In <br />this effort, I will tell you that our Secretary was very clear in articulating her vision for the work <br />that Reclamation is to embark on immediately: <br />"The Department intends to develop operational tools that can continue to assure <br />productive use of the Colorado River into the future, while avoiding unnecessary, <br />protracted or destabilizing litigation." <br />Reclamation's first step in this process will be to convene a public meeting of the <br />Colorado River Management Work Group, scheduled for a week from today here in Las Vegas, <br />to receive input on the most appropriate processes and approaches to address the impacts of low <br />storage in the Colorado's reservoirs. <br />IV. Developing Operational Rules to Address Low Reservoir Conditions <br />As we go into this consultation, Reclamation has been hard at work to begin to analyze <br />potential management approaches to dealing with drought. Both Don Ostler and Larry Dozier's <br />materials address some of the operational concepts that are out there for consideration. <br />Here are some of the key questions that have been identified when thinking about future <br />management of droughts on the Colorado. <br />Do we protect power generation? Where? At Glen Canyon? At Hoover? At both? <br />Prepared Remarks - Keynote Address 8 <br />Law of the Colorado River <br />