BOARD01799

• Board Meeting Date: 9/8/1961
• Description: Minutes and Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

I

since the sale of Colorado River Storage
Project electric energy must underwrite the
development of irrigation in this basin, its
direct importance cannot be passed over routinely
by the Upper colorado River Commission or by an
individual Commissioner. The adequacy and in-
tegrity of the Basin Fund, out of which assist-
ance to the participating irrigation projects
will make many of them feasible, must be pro-
tected and nurtured.

This is and has been my objective. I have
kept my mind on this one ball. Perhaps in doing
so I have offended. But this is my conception
of my d~ty and my responsibility and I have been
faithful to it, Nor have I been backward about
expressing it. There is no basis for the ele-
ment of surprise in anything that I have said
or done.

On August 2, 1961, I attended the special
meeting of this Board. You may recall that I
was asked to speak. As the Colorado River Com-
missioner I tried to make it crystal clear then!
that my official interest was neither in private
nor public power but was centered in partici-
pating project revenue. I was disappointed
that there appeared to be little or no interest
in this angle and no interest whatever in the
views of the upper Colorado River Commission as
such.

I

~1hile I thought your action was premature
and inconsiderate and that you should have
sought a conference with the Upper Colorado
River Commission, to iron out any misunder-
standings, it appeared to me that the all-federal
system as presented by Felix Sparks would put
more money in the Basin Fund annually after
about 70 years. Therefore, had I been called
upon to vote on the proposition as then pre-
sented, my interest in the Basin Fund would
have caused me to vote with the majority.

In this meeting Mr. Sparks made the very
strong point that the wheeling charges as pro-
posed by the utilities would be out of line