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<br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />of Energy. Reclamation will be represented there to provide the guidance <br />for the operation of the power plants and also the guidance for the <br />operation and maintenance of the power units at Curecanti. We will have <br />the operation and maintenance forces at Glen Canyon and Flaming Gorge, <br />the bulk of them. <br /> <br />Then the transmission line maintenance crews that are headquartered at <br />Hayden and Page will be Department of Energy people. <br /> <br />MR. SPARKS: Sounds like a lovely setup. But in keeping with the Carter <br />Administration philosophy, I might add. <br /> <br />MR. CRANDALL: Mr. Sparks, if it would be helpful to you; I will have <br />Mr. McPahil get in touch with you right away on all, the details. <br /> <br />MR. SPARKS: This is a matter of tremendous concern to people in Colorado <br />because of the great dependence that we have on Bureau of Reclamation <br />power. A large part of Colorado is served in part b~ Bureau of Reclama- <br />tion power. Many, many cities, as you know, particulary in Northern <br />colorado, are heavily dependent upOn the power marketing operation of <br />the Bureau of Reclamation. All of them have expressed great concern to <br />the Governor about this change. What the GovernOr is looking for is to <br />be sure that we have at least some centralized agency that the various <br />customers can deal with. We are striving to get some agency established <br />in Denver that can be a point of cOntact throughout. the State of colo- <br />rado. I really need the briefing in order to advise.the Governor and <br />his staff about what is going to happen. <br /> <br />MR. ROBBINS: Mr. Sparks, I would ask, after you have had the briefing, <br />if you would in short form memo the members of the board so we might <br />also be aware of the situation. <br /> <br />MR. SPARKS: I only learned about it through the inquiry from the <br />Governor's office. I was quite shocked. I knew about the Department of <br />Energy, but I didn't know the extent' to which it was going to grab con- <br />trol. I thought it was a planning agency. But now it is going to be <br />an operating agency as well. Of COurse, Mr. Schlessinger is very high <br />in the President's esteem, and I think he is a very capable individual. <br />But we are going to find another multi-billion dollar agency suddendly <br />created that will downgrade other federal agencies that have been in this <br />field a long time. <br /> <br />MR. ROBBINS: The concern that I would have is the one that arose earlier <br />this year that the Upper Colorado River Commission was directly involved <br />in, and that is the relationship between the cost of non-hydropower and <br />the use of Upper Basin water to produce. cheaper hydroelectric power. I <br />should keep a very close eye on the matter, because of the maybe lack of <br />familiarity on the part of the Department of Energy personnel in Washing- <br />ton. That is my observation. <br /> <br />-1.3- <br />