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<br />be fulfilled. This board would be derelict in its duty if it believed <br />the further promises made' to. us here today. I've heard : them _new:',fer <br />fifteen consecutive years. <br /> <br />Fer each preject there are three requirements befere we get into con- <br />structien status. One is the completien of the definite plan report; <br />second is the filing of a completed environmental impact statement; I <br />third is executionef a repayment contract. There are seven projects <br />now in Western Celerade dating back from eight to. twelve years since <br />authorizatien. Fer the seven prejects, that's twenty-ene requirements. <br />Net a damn ene o'f those requirements' has been completed in the last <br />twelve years -- net -ene. But wait. Maybe they have -- maybe. Maybe <br />the' definite plan report prepared in 1967 fer Fruitland Mesa and maybe <br />the repayment centract executed by the people there in 1969 -- maybe <br />they are still goed, with some revision. <br /> <br />Should this delay have happened to enly ene or two Celerade projects, <br />we could understand it. But this is a theme which is being applied to. <br />all seven ef the Colorado projects fer which there is no. parallel in the <br />history ef reclamation in the United States. <br /> <br />While this has been going en, the Central Arizona complex and the Central <br />Utah preject are. moving ahead. Every day that gees by is now critical <br />to. Ce1erado. We are faced with the growing oppesition of other states <br />which weu1d like to enjey the use of water allocated to Celorado. We have <br />a leg~timate concern about the endless delays. <br /> <br />And conditiens change. We may have a new natienal administratien. The <br />fact remains that it's extremely doubtful -that any of these projects <br />will be in constructien status anytime during the next fiscal year. If <br />so, it will 'be the first time in recent histery that a schedule pro- <br />jected'by the' Upper Colorado River Region office for Colorado has been <br />carried out. One can understand the bitter frustratiens of the many' . <br />censervancy districts in this area, who now in every case have been <br />ergariized.te spenser these projects for ever twenty years. <br /> <br />New, Mr. Chairman, this all came as a shock to. me, and to. yeu also. and <br />to the members of this board. I feund eut about the new delays enly the <br />day before yesterday, net frem the Bureau but frem the conservancy dis- <br />tricts invelved. <br /> <br />I don't think we can wait any lenger. There are critical decisiens that <br />we must face. In 1956, Congress enacted the Celerade River Storage <br />Project Act. Since that time, Colerado has received little.mere than <br />passing attentien in the development of its water resources, while other I <br />states have been moving ahead. It would be derelict of this beard not <br />to. suggest some drastic actien to correct this great inequiti" The <br />beard has had no oppertunity to. study the recent preblem. I ve had very <br />"tt'e oppOttun'ty, elthough I've atayed up moat of the night attempting - <br />to. determine the reasen for the sudden change and the philesephy that <br />affected all four prejects simultaneously. <br /> <br />Had the change eccurred fer only ene preject, we ceuld understand it. <br /> <br />-32- <br />