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<br />FEDERAL WATER HHlHTS LEGISLATION
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<br />FEDERAL WATER RIGHTS LEGISLATION
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<br />53
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<br />the duti('<.; ill(,lllllhrnl 111'011 the Dppartmcnt of ,TUflticc in rcprC~l1till~
<br />till' inlprp:-;!s of all tllt~ pl'ople who compose the 111litrd Statt.'s.
<br />I nlll )'(':lIIind('d of (he ht':lf'ings held ahout ~ IIlOllth<.; ng'o before IL
<br />COllllllilll\c of CongTes.'":i 011 ::,evel'.1! pl'.lIdill~ hills relatpd 10 the g-Cllcr'al
<br />sllbjt'('~' of wat(.y ri~hts.3 'VitllC's'''i :IfjPl" witness ClppC':lJ"cd befOl:e.the.
<br />COJllllllt tl'C IIlnk IIW C'xt.ra vag-nnt stalt:n\l'llts abollt ad Ions and pOSItIOns
<br />of t.he ))epal"llllt'~t of .JlI~...til'e. A pil~'- o~ }{'g'islati:'c resollltiol~s was
<br />oJren~tl fOJ" t.lle n~l.:ord. ]. r01l1 t.llc !-'llllllarJty of lli('.11' la.nguage It. was
<br />perfectly appal't~l\t. fllnt. earlJOIl <.:opic:-: bad heen peddle(l nrollllcl from
<br />olle State to another by the :-;:IllW lobhyist.. To your c-rcdit, it was
<br />not. a J'l~PI'l'Sl~llt:d in' of Ihi~ l\s'<..;ot'iatioll. P,'nd.ienlly all of t.he.'-e reso-
<br />lutiolls cont.a illl.d a ;.". h('J'l',\s'~ wli it'h, \\" it h llIi nor variations, said that:
<br />. . . r('('eut dl~d!':ion!': clf the F\~tlernl ('ollrls al\(l ret"cnt rulings o! the U.S. De-
<br />partmellt of Ju!;tke h:ln~ tlcpri\'(!u St:llp.s :llLtl inrli\"itlnal pel'~on:'i of rights which
<br />said States and persons llrC\'jo\ls!y elljo;\"('tl in the regulation and control of the
<br />use of wafl'r in their re!-'lledh'C' Stlltes; '" '" ..
<br />Yct timc and aO"nin sen,'.I"al of t.lH:~SC saInC witness!?,s wer~ asked by
<br />mC'-mb:~rs of tht'. c.~llmjtt(.c, espeeiully two of the. dist.illgul!-:iheu Oon-
<br />g"ressmC'.n fl"~m t.his State,,:\ll'. Aspi1lall nnd .Mr. C~I('no,,"et..h. \\'heth~l'
<br />t.hc\' could O"I\"e the COlnnllt.tec a slIlgle example. of a pendlllg ease 11\
<br />which "rnli~gs" of tIH'. Depflrtment, of ,Tnst.iee (II" the. posit,io.lIs which
<br />it ha(l asserted hfld d~prin..-d anyone of property Without ~l1st com-
<br />pensation. And the flnswer in more than fl dor.el.1 such ~nst.allce.s,
<br />w-ithout exception to t.he contrary, was that the wlt.ness did not 111
<br />fact. k !lOW of flll)" sHeh C~lse,
<br />I am kC'enlv :1\'\':11'('. that. t.hcl'e :Ul? ('ont,J'()Ver~ie8. 'Vhile we live in
<br />this world. (doll't. StlppO~C that anyone will e\'er invent. l.~ way to
<br />avoi{l contrm'C'l':-:ic-s. 1 "':IS impl'(':-:~ctl during- t.hC' recent \'1~1t. O! 1\[1'.
<br />I\:hl'lIshchcr wit.h the f;ld that, COllt royp,rsies are one of t.he lUXUries of
<br />our W:1)" of lif{~. One of 0111' most priC'eless hel'it.flgcs is our fre.c~Oln
<br />to disafTI'P-c. The.re would !lOt. Le sueh n p:l'cat body of court dccIslOns
<br />in the Deld of wat!'l' law if indivjdnals did not hflve controversies be-
<br />twcen themsel\"r.s. or in'di,'idunls with t.heir Stflte governments, or
<br />Illullicipalit,it's \,'it,h their States, And so fort.h. .
<br />. l\lult.i-purposc de\"cloP.ll!ellt of Ollr wal or reso~Il'('es .by Its very ~at.ure
<br />lJl,'ol\"t.~s seriOUS compctltlOH LetwC'en the vnJ"I<:ms .mterest.s aflected.
<br />For limited illllstr;lt ion, lIood eontrnl and Ilil\"lgatlOnaI factors may
<br />be t.he functional nntithesis of irl'ignt.ioll or power factors, and, de-
<br />PClI,l,'nO" on O"coO"I'flIJh\.. irl'it~nti(}lI. and IJower develpomfmt may t.he,m-
<br />u" "" 0' " '. 1 t1. I b I
<br />selves 1>0 in conflict.. These fUllct.lOll<l eon lcts are t 1e rcc( mg
<br />rrrollllus of lerr:!1 cmlilicts, But I 5ll"""ot t.hat it is a mistake to keep
<br />rho glaro of ~ spotlight focused nl~'~ys 011 th.e idea. of COI!flict. I
<br />submit that, we will get nhead much hette.I' If \~e Cfln orIent our
<br />thinl{ing- to emphflsize the vel")' substantial areas uf ngreement and the
<br />possibilities ?f CO~pcl':lti?n. . . .
<br />III t.llne ,nt.h tIllS t.hes,s, I should IlkI' to nSSOCl:!te myself w,th the
<br />remarks of t.he dist.inguishe(l gelltlemnll from Colorado! Congrc.';.~mfln
<br />Aspinall, who said at the opening of the recent commIttee hearmgs:
<br />Tbe problem is too complex to be settled In flny such summnry fashion as
<br />saying no more, on the one hand, than "States rights" or, on the othe~, "suprema.,
<br />. Henrlnge on "Federal-State Relations In tbc Field of Water Rights", before tbe Sub-
<br />~ornmlttee on Irrlj;'fltion and Reclamation ot the Committee on Interior and Insular Atr&lrs,
<br />Housc ot Representatlves, S6tb Cong., 1st sess. Government Printing Otlice. 1D~9.
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<br />ey ~lnuse of the Constitution." N'eithpr o! these settles any questlon~. bow-
<br />c\"er attractive it may be fiS a rallying cry.4
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<br />Not.withst:l1ldin~ I~f\tllr:d ditfCl:cnces in points of view, I ","auld hope
<br />that flll m,ay r('~'o:rl1lze as an ultlll1,atC go:-t1 the establishment of pro-
<br />grams wJll~h will look to tIle uest mtel'C'sts of the Nfltion as a whole,
<br />whic.h will give recog-nition to tho legit.imate interests of the Stntes
<br />and tho peoph',. din.".t]y alred.ed by "':ltCI' development., and which
<br />lIkeWIse rpeoglllZ0 the proper nl1d nccessary concerns of the Nat.ional
<br />Government.
<br />I have no dilIil:ully in :lcccptinl!~ without. substantial illlllmument.;t
<br />great. deal of ",hat. lilY brothel' Chilson h:!5 h:ld to H:lY [0 you. Ire
<br />has: for C'.x:~mp~f', made passl1lg' ~'('-f~\I'~IlCCS to eertain provisions of the
<br />U.S. Const.ltlltlOn,.such :lS th~ )lHllclaI power lindeI' :lrticlc III,!; the
<br />supremacy clause III <\rtl::lo \',1,'; the propcrty clause in nrt.iclc IV/
<br />and t.ho cOInmt.'r~e cl;u~se III art.Jcle 1,8 ~Iy o\\'n rClll:,u'ks will soon nar-
<br />row dow11 to it dlsellsslon of SOIl1(' of t.he Jllflttel'S most directly r(']al('d
<br />to t he property da\lse. But. I wish first to sUllIlllarizc some thmwhts
<br />about t.ile COIlIlIl,cree po~\'el' as to which I think We flre in comITlet.e
<br />ag-n-'l'men.t lIot\\'It.hstalHllllg sOllie of thc less t.han objetti\"e discussions
<br />wo ~OlllPt line.;;; hear.
<br />l:']"om th('. :-,r.:Illdpoillt of gon~l"l,\I11t'.lItal 7.iO/l'CJ'. the intcrest of the
<br />Unl/cd Stales III the llow of :lll;\\'I~nbIc st.ream Ol.j'TiJl:lIl's ill the t'OIll-
<br />nw,rec C!:lIlSl'.. ;I,'hitt. clnu~e spe:l ks ill tcrllls of gon~r~llll'l\tal power, llOt.
<br />of I!ropcl'ty. ] hel'c Illay Lc. Vl'stcu PT'OPCl't,y il1t(,I,(-'~t~ in the use of
<br />llanga,h]~ watel', but. those int'erE-sh ::Ire lleld. alld tiince 17SU ha\"e been
<br />hel(~, sU~.lect t.o t.he exel'c-ise of the comlllerce power. C()ngl"l''''~ Ill;1\.
<br />by 1I13Ct.101.' allow.the powel' to remain c1ol'lI1:mt. or it may e,x(~n.'i.~
<br />the power III a \'al'lety of ways to le55 than its fllll'~xt('nt. ]~lIt. it C:1I1-
<br />not, snrren.del' t.he power itself. If it. cxpI'e~sly d!'c.ides to exC'reisc the
<br />}w\\"(>r to ltS f(ll~e~t ~xtellt all ~(Jll1petill,!! illtel'ests are dbpl;lccd amI
<br />t\'e flow of the l'lVer lH appropl'lilted for the deelared pllblic plll'pooe.'
<br />N.o ~1.'Lttcr how Bolemnl.y one COllgJ:C',sS may decla!'c n. pelic)" ag:l.inst the
<br />C'XC!C,lS0 of t.he power, It, canllOt. bInd a fllt.ure Cnllcrrb:':i to the s:\Il1e
<br />~{(,l'.I~JOII. ] t. ~all]lot C\'ell hind it:icl f ;lg;1 illst. COllt 1";11"y Oact ion ill the 1l!..'XL
<br />tJ ~nlll\l.tf':;. Oil ~ he other hand. fo!' so long- as it, cioe:-; !lOt. ~h:lJl!re its
<br />mlll~l el~:her ptll'tlcularl~' or g-c!lerally, .it. :an- I)l'O,.jdc COlllpeJls:lti('~l for
<br />tho lIIfl tnp-CIllC'Ilt. <;f f)l'l\"ate I"lp:hts eXlstlllg' Ullcll.'l' St.:ltc law. Thi~ is
<br />the result. reached III t.he Gcdat:ll.,lO Niaga.J'((,-J.llona:wk 11 and ot.her such
<br />ca~f':-:;, :\,Ilc1I1l11St. be flcccJ>t.ed as the Jaw, '
<br />P;L",SIIl.~ rc1"crene{>. W[lS made ill tl~c pl'evious pnper to the ':\'ast" ex-
<br />w-nt. of t.he commerce powcr cxtcntllllg to any 8t.ream which mi!!ht be
<br />.. Ihld., p. 21. ,-
<br />-Art. Ill, tiel'. 2: hThf' judicIa] Power ~hnll f'xtenrl to DIl elL d
<br />i'l~~J.~~ ~~Elt~h t~~~(lt:OI~I~~~t:l\il~~lir ~{l~ t;~~~t~. ;ut. I ~l~. Ut~I~~n~~~g}::~~1: T;'~~h~{h~~~liltt!i
<br />II !\r ~ n I oIr.t.~. ~o..Contrr:\f'rflh'" het\V~('n two or nlorr' Stllt('Q: .. .. ","
<br />.h.,', ht;. Vn'~d(l"l,Cnlplrl p,lr.l. Till!'! Lon~tltlltlon, nnd thl' L:\w~ of thf' Unlt('d Slntl'R wh\("b
<br />'. .. C In IlrSllance thereot. nnd 1111 Tre tI d hI h
<br />nWf',~~l~t~t~ tc ~fh~Jl" h~bl.~~~~" ~h~~~~;~~I~:T~7~s~li~;2~cf~~~~! tl/e L.,\hl~l; ~lIen~,~g~. j ~~~g;~
<br />t\l the Lontrary nntwithstnndlnl!"" - on or n"lJ 0 nny State
<br />r~:~alt~J: ~~:~~~~' ~~51~r~ f.1~n';f~:"ie~~f:;~~h~h7f~r~ft~~r~~e~t~~r d~~g~:rr; ~~to~~~~~ nt~'
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<br />an:o~~\~e -:~('~:r.ui'S~~~e:: .[!h~.!2'ongress shall hnve PowerJ "to regulate Commerce" . '"
<br />'lInit('11 8Irrl[II" T'r/n.' 011" Po'w~ 00 3"0 U S 22
<br />DU:bllr.Oo,. 229 U,S.!l3 (H113). r ., ~ .. 2 (19:56); Un{tedState. v. Chandl('r-
<br />u fTrl1ted StateI' v. GerlaCh. Live Stf!ck Co., 339 U.S. 72:5 (1950).
<br />Fcdcra~ Power Cornm{"10,. v. N.agara .Mohawk P01Dcr Corp., 841 U.S. 239 (1954),
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