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<br />871 <br /> <br />MR. MOSES: <br /> <br />"As you will recall, a committee was <br />appointed to write the comments. May we <br />hear from that Committee." <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Dean Crawford identified himself as the Chairman <br />of the Committee on Comments and reported that they had met <br />at 9:00 o'clock that morning and considered at length Gover- <br />nor McNichols' letter to Governor Mechem~nd the reply to <br />same. He said this discussion also embraced the considera- <br />tion of the Indian status as raised by the Colorado River <br />Water Conservancy District. The Committee had agreed on com- <br />ments based upon the Governors' correspondence, and that poirts <br />of conflict would be considered by the Governors who would <br />endeavor to work th~se out through their respective Commis- <br />sioners, and Colorado would not go into detail regarding them <br />in her comments. Also, that the Committee had covered every- <br />thing except the Indian rights and they did not know if they <br />should be treated in the same manner or if a detailed comment <br />should be made on them. <br /> <br />MR. BARNARD, JR: <br /> <br />"Did we finally agree a modification <br />of that last paragraph regarding the Indian <br />rights should be made?" <br /> <br />MR. EAKES: <br /> <br />"Our area believes that it would be <br />better to leave the Indian status in a <br />general way. When we make specific com- <br />ments regarding the Indian problem, we <br />feel that if those are eliminated it <br />might put our negotiations at a disadvan- <br />tage in properly presenting our conflicts." <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Governor McNichols asked Mr. Eakes if he was satis- <br />fied with the approach given to the Indian problem. In the <br />discussion, it was pointed out that New Mexico had never been <br />officially notified of the objections of the Southwestern <br />Water Conservation District. It was also noted that New <br />Mexico could take out the Animas-La Plata Project all together. <br />Mr. Eakes said that it could be that the Animas-La Plata could <br />be constructed without the New Mexico portion but that it cer <br />tainly would make it easier to have New Mexico's support for <br />it. He also said that his Board felt there was one statement <br />in the Governor's letter to Governor Mechem that was unfor- <br />tunate, "It is understood that any such negotiation shall not <br />be used to impede, in any way, the progress you are able to <br />make with the adoption of the legislation authorizing these <br />projects in the Congress of the United States. . . .". <br />