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<.::) (:~) ""lI 0") ~ F" for his work on the Colora.ao~ Big Thompson Project. Hanseq received this awardonJune 17, 1952, the'sameday the C- BT Project was dedicated; and the 50th Anniversary of President lpeodore Roosevelt's signing of the q'riginal 1902 Reclamation Act. Northeastern Colorado 'is indebted to Charles Hansen, and many bthers like him, who exercised foresight kod planning, and helped turn a half-centurY dream into reality. Ed Taylor and Harold Ickes EDWARD TAYLOR When plans for diverting ~olorado River water from West to East SI~pe were formulated and ptoposed in the' Grand Lake (C-BT) Project; Rep. Tar,lor spoke out forcefully in :opposition. Th;e plan, as proposed by the United States ~uteau of Reclamation, provided for l'adequate" compensato'ry storage for the W~st Slope. Tarl.or adamantly opposed this ~nguage, saying it was vague and misleadtng. He further accused the East Slope ofljad faith and of attemptin~ a water grab. l At that time, Taylorwasbes~known for his sponsorship. of the 1934 l~gislation passed a8the Taylor Gtaring Act. This act was the firSt attempt to regulate gr4zing on public lands in the western state.. A Division of Grazing was eetablished within theDepartmentofthe Interior. Itl,egulated six newly,establ,ished grazing distt;ic~ throug~out Colorado 'an~ issueQ eermits an~ licenses 'to stockmen seeking!,grazing allotments. The twin objectives elf the Taylor Grazing Act were to save the land from further destruction by overuJe and erosio,n and to lessen tensions betWeen sheepmen and cattlemen. Kno~ ~s the "Magna Carta of conservation," this act effectively ended homesteading in t~e U. S. Taylor's opposition to the Graqd Lake Project was perceived as a major o~stacle by irs East Slope advocates who h~d formally incorporated in January 1 ~35 as the Northern Colorado Water Users Association (NCWUA). As Chairman of the Interior Appropriations Sub~ Committee in the House, Taylor was in a position to seriously cripple the proposed project by blocking C-BT funding. On February 25, 1936, Taylor warned: "They have got to put some provision in that bill . . . to protect western Colorado. I am not going to be flimflammed. If they don't I will block Grand Lake appropriation in the House. I am chairman . . . and the boys wHl stay by me." Taylor had built a reputation during 25 years in the U.S. House of Representatives as the tough guardian of his West Slope constituency. Taylor meant what he said. He insisted that the East Slope provide acre~foot for acre~foot compensatory' storage for the West Slope. He also believed that the cost of project consttuction should be borne by, the East Slope water users, not by the federal government. The NCWUA pushed for C-BT approval by trying to persuade T ayor and the West Slope that their interests were protected in project plans. Not convinced, Taylor replied that he would not see the West Slope dried up. Final project plans were announced by the USBR in February 1937 and were subsequently approved by Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes. Meanwhile, Taylor moved into a pOSition of greater power, as he replaced the recently deceased]ames P. Buchanan as Chainnan of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. His new primary duty was to guide appropriations through Congress to finance completion of the New Deal recovery programs. In this position he could still kill the project. However, Taylor was finally convinced to withdraw his opposition after the Western Slope Protective Association (WSPA) reached an agreement with the NCWUA on June II, 1937. The WSPA was persuaded to support the project after sufficient proof was presented that they actually would be "adequately" compensated. For Taylor, evidence of tladequate" compensation was presented in the form of the proposed 'Green Mountain Reservoir. Additionally, the USBR favoxed the project and pushed for it adamantly. When Secretary Ickes voiced his own approval, ""it became' politieally expedient for Taylor to support something which would benefit the state of Colorado at).d the nation. It is also poss1ble that Taylor's opposition was softened by an illness which had hospitalized him. There can be no doubt that Taylor strongly influenced the C~BT Project's evenu;lal'-configuration. His advocacy proved valuable to West Slope interests, while mitigar'ion of Taylor's concerns provided evidence of the East Slope's willingneSs to compromise ip order to accomplish its goals of obtaining a supplemental water supply for northeastern Colorado. Green Mountain Reservoir provides compenscztory storage for West Slope 19