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<br />001125 <br /> <br />Testimony of <br />Howard D. Richards. Sr., Chairman <br />Southern Ute Indian Tribe <br /> <br />Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I am Howard D. Richards, <br />Sr., Chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. <br /> <br />On behalf of the Tribe, I want to express our appreciation to you and Senator Campbell <br />for your long-standing support for the Animas-La Plata Project ("ALP") and the settlement of <br />the Tribe's water rights claims in southwest Colorado. We are grateful for the assistance you <br />and the Committee have provided over many years. Without that support, we would be facing a <br />long and difficult court battle to obtain the water rights to which the Southern Ute Indian Tribe is <br />entitled. We believe that the construction of ALP and the settlement of the tribal claims through <br />thedevelopmentof additional water sllPplies is a much better choice for both the Tribe and its <br />neighbors in Colorado and NeW MeXIcO.. We are grateful that you bOth shilrethat view and <br />continue to work so hard to accomplish that goal. <br /> <br />Mr. Chairman, ALP is the heart of the settlement of the water rights claims of the <br />Southern Ute Indian Tribe and will provide the Tribe and our sister tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute <br />Tribe, With water to meet tribal needs, now and in the future. Since at least 1968, ALP has been <br />a critical part of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe's plans for the future. The Tribe has always <br />recognized that it needs a firm and reliable water supply to create the permanent homeland <br />which the Southern Ute Indian Reservation was meant to provide. While federal law promises <br />Indian tribes the rights to use water to meet their present and future needs, tribes often are forced <br />to resort to lengthy and bitter court cases to secure those lights. The recognition of tribal rights <br />under federal law frequently results in significant water shortages for farmers, ranchers and <br />towns in the surrounding area. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe has always sought to secure the <br />water supplies which it needs without depriving our neighbors of the water supplies that they <br />have used for many years, sometimes for many generations. <br /> <br />The Tribe has worked hard to make ALP and the settlement of the tribal water claims a <br />reality. We have been fortunate to work not only with you and Senator Campbell, but also to <br />have neighbors and state governments in New Mexico and Colorado who recognize the need for <br />additional water supplies in southwest Colorado and northwest New Mexico, and who have <br />fought equally hard for ALP. Our neighbors have acknowledged the validity of the tribal rights <br />and have made many sacrifices to ensure the recognition of the Tribe's water rights and the <br />settlement of the tribal claims. The Tribe greatly appreciates those contributions to the <br />settlement effort and the construction of ALP. <br /> <br />As this hearing demonstrates, the construction of ALP is a complex and difficult task that . <br />requires the continued . cooperation of many parties, as well as the federal government. <br />Although our interests are not always the same, all of the parties who would benefit from the <br />project have worked together to overcome many obstacles. Our interests have at times clashed, <br />but we have always managed to find a solution that we could all accept. There are some issues <br />