Laserfiche WebLink
<br />:rhe Daily: Times F"r;;;'n~...n. -'" <br /> <br />.' <br /> <br />Monday, July 6, ':'98 <br /> <br /> <br />O(cDc.. <br /> <br />EDITORIAL <br /> <br />Feds messing up the works <br /> <br />One thing to ('ume from the years of wrangling, <br />arguing and pnsturing sun'ounJing the Animas-La <br />PI.tla Pro.i~(:t W~L\ a ..:ualitioll of sorts made up of <br />l'll.lian\ ~IIlJ nun-Indians who WefC '\ccking a solu- <br />{hHI. <br />Thi,:.. coatitillf} evcntually ('ame up with Ani- <br />IIlas~La Plata Light. <br />Out jll:.1 when it st.'CITIt...J the JUl:aIs had reached <br />a point v.'here things could proceed, the Clinton <br />Admini,\tralion has stepped in saying it docs not <br />hke the deal. <br />r:ollncr State Engineer ami current Rcc].mlatiun <br />COllllniS\ioner Eluid Marrinez basically called for <br />some olher idea to take care of the Colnrado Ute <br />tribe, and completely left the non-Indians oul. <br />This all comes more than 40 years after water <br />, was ~(:t .L,;idc for the prl~jecl by New Mexico - <br />. water useJ hv Arizona and California for their <br />. dt:vclopment "'bcl':Juse it continued to nuw even <br />, though locals could not use il. <br />So, what now'! <br />Now, the Colomdo Ute tribes will undoubtedly <br />:sue fpr their water, which could take years -- if <br />'ru>( decades. - and a pile of muney to resolve. <br /> <br />The'S..Ul Juan \-Vater Cum mission. not wishing <br />to be tlwgnlten in the huotmh. has dl.'"Cidctl to sue jt' <br />some other solution is not quickly brought forth. <br />The net resull is the taxpayers will most likely <br />be stuck with a big legal bill and quite possibly <br />have it' make do \vith less water. <br />Perhaps. as \Vuter Commis~iun Chairman Mark <br />Duncan said, rvtartlnez has forgollen his roots and <br />the watl.:r needs of hi.'\ native New ~'fex ico. <br />Or perhaps h~ is living with the t~te of suur <br />gmpcs be~au....e his tenure as state engineer was cut <br />short when Gov. G,iIY Johnson took oflice. <br />Rcgardkss of the' reasons, unless som~thing h <br />done quickly. the taxpayers will be paying for <br />unnecessary legal costs because the Clinton <br />auministration - in a big~hfL)thaly sort of way- <br />has decided it knows what's best for us. <br />The auministration has been unable to deal <br />\vilh the i.:rime, slums and uther problems in <br />Wa,hington - its own hack yard. Why does it <br />think it has the answers for those living 2.000 <br />miles away? <br />The pre.,ident should telld to his OWII hnuse alld <br />h.:t us tend to ours. <br />