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<br />
<br />THE DENVER POST
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<br />Thursday, October' 24, 1991. '
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<br />WIrth water-project bill jeered, cheered
<br />
<br />u.s. official says
<br />measure unneeded
<br />
<br />~y Robert Kowalski
<br />)enver Post Washington Bureau
<br />W ASIilNGTON - A bill Sen, Tim Wirth
<br />lopes will kill a controversial plan to
<br />Jump billions of gallons of water from the
<br />Ian Luis Valley was welcomed yesterday
<br />'y a Colorado state official, but criticized
<br />IS unnecessary by a top administrator of
<br />he U.S.' Interior Department.
<br />
<br />'Wirth, a Democrat, has proposed legis-
<br />~tion to prohibit approval of federal,per-
<br />
<br />mits for water projects in the valley un-
<br />less it is proved that they will not harm
<br />wildlife areas, existing water accords or '
<br />the nearby Great Sand Dnnes National
<br />Monument.
<br />The bill, Wirth said, should effectively
<br />block a plan by American Water Develop-
<br />ment Inc. to pump as much as 65 billion
<br />gallons a year from beneath the valley
<br />and send it to the Front Range and else-
<br />where,
<br />
<br />During a hearing before a panel of the
<br />Senate Energy and Natural Resources
<br />Committee yesterday, Wirth said he be-
<br />lieved the pr!lposed wal!lJ" project would
<br />harm the SaI1LUis Valley.
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<br />Ken Salazar, executive director of the
<br />Colorado Department of Natural Re-
<br />sources, testified that he too was con-
<br />cerned about the A WDI project and said
<br />Wirth's proposal, with some technical
<br />, amendments, was a welcome remedy,
<br />"We have a tremendous agricultural
<br />economy in the valley," Salazar said. Of
<br />the AWDI project, he said: "We are con-
<br />cerned about the the impact it's going to
<br />have on agriculture in the valley."
<br />
<br />But Larry Hancock, deputy ,commis-
<br />sioner of the U,S, Bureau of Reclamation,
<br />said the agency supports the intent of
<br />Wirth's measure, but is concerned that the,
<br />bill would create additional arid 1IlID.eces-
<br />
<br />sary government'regulation.
<br />
<br />"We have problems with the means by
<br />which the bill would achieve these objec-
<br />tives," Hancock said. "We believe this is
<br />inappropriate, , " We just believe we
<br />have enough regulatory process and,regu-
<br />lations currently in place."
<br />
<br />Wirth responded: "That's like the ad-
<br />ministration's attitude toward the S&Ls,
<br />too."
<br />
<br />The' A WDI project also is being con-
<br />tested in a trial under way in Alamosa.
<br />Interests in the San LUis Valley argue that
<br />the project will harm agriculture, a clahn
<br />, the project's supporters dispute.
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