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0011u7 6. The parties agreed to seek Congressional relief from the Non-Intercourse Act limitations on Congressional oversight over the use of reserved water rights. The Tribes were allowed to sell, exchange or lease water outside the Reservations, within or outside the state of Colorado, subject to state and federal law, interstate compacts and the law of the Colorado River. The Settlement Agreement specified certain contingencies that had to be met before the settlement became final. The parties agreed to submit consent decrees to the Division 7 water court for judicial approval. A stipulation setting forth this commitment was filed, but was subject to legislative enactments by the United States Congress and Colorado legislature prior to becoming final. Federal legislation was introduced, and was enacted in 1988. The Act approved the settlement and contained all the provisions contemplated by the parties, except for those relating to the interstate marketing of water. The legislation as introduced reflected the neutral nature of the Settlement Agreement concerning the legality of interstate marketing of reserved water rights under the Law of the River. However, Lower Colorado River Basin states adamately opposed the provision, and demanded that the Tribes be flatly prohibited from applying for any out of state changes in place of use. Other western states objected to the potential alienation of any federal reserved water right from the federal reservation. The final Act therefore limited use of Tribal rights in the Colorado River Basin until a final court order or agreement of all seven Colorado River Basin States has previously allowed such right for non- federal, non-Indian water rights. Moreover, the Act provides that any use of water off Reservation will result in the right being changed to a state of Colorado water right for the term of such use. The Colorado General Assembly also enacted the legislation contemplated by the Settlement Agreement. This legislation appropriated $5 million to the Tribal Development Funds, so much as needed for the Towaoc Pipeline, and $5.6 million for the Ridges Basin cost sharing. In December 1991, the Water Court approved the consent decrees that had been submitted to it based on the stipulations entered pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, and following the enactment of necessary federal and state legislation. Colorado Ute Settlement Act Amendments of 2000 The debate over construction of the Animas-La Plata Project with environmental opponents did not stop despite the 1988 Agreement and the entry of the water court decrees. A separate process, was undertaken to try and bring final closure to the Tribal claims on the Animas and La plata Rivers. The culmination of that process was the Amendments of 2000 to the 1988 Settlement Agreement which in short reduced the size of Ridges Basin Reservoir by approximately one-half and restricted the project to municipal, industrial and recreational purposes,eliminating the