Laserfiche WebLink
<br />OQ2722 <br /> <br /> <br />Congressional appropriation action to do this. Valantine: If the Bureau <br /> <br /> <br />wants to claim that it has met the country's treaty obligations it will have <br /> <br /> <br />to claim ownership. Tyner: The project must be considered a demonstration <br /> <br /> <br />program, not an operational program. Kahan: In our past experience, Con- <br /> <br /> <br />gressional willingness to appropriate money for our programs has been no <br /> <br /> <br />problem. They have even added more money than we have been allowed to ask <br /> <br /> <br />for. Obtaining long-range budget approval is our problem. The argument for <br /> <br />state involvement is enlightened self interest. The administration position <br /> <br /> <br />is that if there is going to be a Federal investment of this size it should <br /> <br /> <br />not take place until the Federal return or obligation fulfillment has been <br /> <br /> <br />identified. The obligation to Mexico is 1,500,000 acre-feet of water. The <br /> <br /> <br />amount of water actually produced by cloud seeding could be more or less <br /> <br /> <br />than that. If it is more, would the States want to be in a position to claim <br /> <br /> <br />participation in the program and therefore rights to the additional water? <br /> <br /> <br />Comment from Valantine: On the evaluation of the amount of water produced, <br /> <br /> <br />this is very hard to do, the states can not even agree on the amount of flow <br /> <br />in the Colorado River now. Davis: ,According to the 1968 act and the Law of <br /> <br /> <br />the River, people share shortages regardless of whether water is given to <br /> <br /> <br />Mexico. Weather modification is politically more viable than for example <br /> <br />taking water from the Columbia River Basin, Valantine: It is by far the <br /> <br /> <br />cheapest way to go. <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />. <br />, <br />i <br />e <br />t <br />t <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />2. River Commission Viewpoint - IvaI Goslin, Upper Colorado River <br />Commission <br /> <br />I have little to add to what Bob said. Our commission is interested in <br /> <br /> <br />augmenting water supply in the Colorado by any means. \ole have supported Pro- <br /> <br /> <br />ject Skywater in the past, adding our weight to get Congress to keep funding <br /> <br /> <br />the program. Last September, we had unanimous support for a motion on the <br /> <br /> <br />continuation of,Skywater and other research programs. The commission has also <br /> <br /> <br />twice supported legislation to be sure that weather modification would be done <br /> <br /> <br />in wilderness areas and other public lands. Some of these issues could be <br /> <br /> <br />discussed further down the line after the Demonstration Project is underway. <br /> <br />I do not think the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is so difficult to <br /> <br /> <br />sway. I would hate to see the development of data and techniques lost in a <br /> <br /> <br />hassle over some of these other problems. Let uS get on with the immediate <br /> <br /> <br />job. We will lend the weight of our organization to help get it going. With <br /> <br />23 <br />