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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The Honorable William J. Clinton <br />July 8, 1998 <br />Page 3 <br /> <br />S. 1771 was introduced on March 17, 1998. The legislation carries forth the concepts that had <br />been developed in the alternative supported by the parties to the 1988 settlement. It has the strong <br />backing of Governor Romer and Lt. Governor Scboettler. It is supported in editorials by major <br />newspapers throughout Colorado, as well as the local papers in the Four Comers area. Many in <br />Congress recognize that our labors and the sacrifices of our neighbors produced an environ- <br />mentally and fiscally responsible compromise that would allow the United States to proceed with <br />construction of the Project and meet its obligation~ to the two Ute Tribes. <br /> <br />Despite our repeated requests, no one from the Administration ever responded to tribal inquiries <br />about the Tribes' intent to implement the 1988 Settlement Act by reducing the scope of the Project <br />required to complete the settlement. Until the day of the hearing, we expected that the <br />Administration would support the compromises that had been made, although we understood that <br />some of the details of the proposed legislation were likely to be unacceptable to the <br />Administration. <br /> <br />We leamed of the Administration's vehement opposition to our position from the staff of the <br />Indian Affair~ Committee late in the morning on the day of the hearing. No one from the <br />Administration discussed with us or any tribal representative the Administration's plan to destroy <br />the years of hard work that led to the compromises contained in S. 1771. No one from the <br />Administration told us or any tribal representative that they would only support a settlement that <br />ignored the needs of our neighbors with whom the Tribes have worked for over 40 years to <br />develop a reliable water supply from the Animas River. Nor did anyone from the Administration <br />tell us or any tribal representative that after years of claiming to support the ALP and the 1988 <br />Settlement Act, the Administration was now arguing that a search for new alternatives was <br />required that would necessitate years of additional study. <br /> <br />Testimony which told the Tribes "that Congress and the Administration can identify a better way <br />to provide water" is an affront to the Tribes' decision making process as well as your stated <br />support of tribal self-determination and sovereignty. The tribes have made their decision and the <br />Administration has had every opportunity to show us a "better way" . You have not. There is no <br />better way. <br /> <br />The Administration's opposition to S. 1771 is a tragic betrayal of the Southern Ute and Ute <br />Mountain Ute Indian Tribes who have worked for decades to settle their water rights claims in a <br />way that provided the Tribes with a finn supply of water to meet their needs now and in the future <br />without taking water away from their neighbors. The Administration's opposition and the way <br />that it was announced makes ajoke of the government-to-government relationship between our <br />Tribes and the United States, which you so elegantly described in the Rose Garden when you <br />signed the President's Memorandum of April 29, 1994 requiring federal agencies to consult with <br />tribal governments. We should also point out that the Administration's position and its belated <br />announcement resulted in antagonism toward the Administration from those senators who <br />attended the hearing. <br />