Laserfiche WebLink
<br />001750 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRIBAL CHAIRMEN, MR, <br />LEONARD BURCH AND MR, ERNEST HOUSE, WHO WILL APPEAR <br />SUBSEQUENTLY. WITHOUT THEIR LEADERSHIP AND THAT OF BOTH TRIBAL <br />COUNCILS, WE WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY, <br /> <br />GOVERNOR ROMER'S AND MY WRITTEN STATEMENTS HAVE ALREADY <br />BEEN SUBMITTED. I WOULD APPRECIATE THEIR INCLUSION IN THE <br />HEARING RECORD. <br /> <br />WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY SINCE DECEMBER OF 1984 WHEN I FIRST <br />MET WITH THE CHAIRMEN OF THE TWO UTE TRIBES TO PROPOSE THAT WE <br />ATTEMPT TO NEGOTIATE A SETTLEMENT OF THE TRIBES' RESERVED WATER <br />RIGHTS CLAIMS. WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE TRIBES, I SUBSEQUENTLY <br />MET WITH THE SOLICITOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND <br />WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO INQUIRE AS TO THE INTEREST OF <br />THE UNITED STATES IN COMMENCING NEGOTIATIONS, IN APRIL, 1985, <br />THE PARTIES FORMALLY CONVENED THEMSELVES TO INITIATE THE LONG <br />AND ARDUOUS TASK WHICH LAY BEFORE US, <br /> <br />WE ARE UNITED IN PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY A SOLUTION, NOT A <br />PROBLEM. THE RESERVED WATER RIGHTS CLAIMS OF THE TWO TRIBES <br />WOULD HAVE DISRUPTED THE ESTABLISHED ECONOMY OF THE NON-INDIAN <br />WATER USERS IN SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO HAD THEY BEEN LITIGATED, <br />INSTEAD OF YEARS OF BITTER AND DIVISIVE LITIGATION, HOWEVER, WE <br />HAVE ACHIEVED THROUGH COMPROMISE AND ACCOMMODATION A LASTING <br /> <br />-2- <br /> <br />, <br />,1; ;'" <br />