Laserfiche WebLink
<br />; <br />" <br /> <br />JOINT STATEMENT OF LEONARD C. BURCH, CHAIRMJU! OF THE SOUTHERN <br />UTE INDIAN TRIBE, IGNACIO, COLORADO AIID ALBERT WING, CHAIRMAN <br />OF THE UTE MOUNTAIN UTE INDIAN TRIBE, TOWAOC, COLORADO. <br />BEFORE THE <br />PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITrEE ON APPROPRIATIONS <br />Washington, D.C., May 22, 1913 <br /> <br />Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: My name is Leonard C. Burch and <br />I am here today representing the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute <br />Mountain Ute Indian Tribe of Southwestern Colorado. I have been Chairman <br />of my Tribe for six years and during that period I have appeared on many <br />occasions before the House Interior and Insular Affairs Subcommittee on <br />Irrigation and Reclamation and the Senate Interior Subcommittee on Irriga- <br />tion and Reclamation. On each occasion I appeared representing my people <br />and their interest and commitment to water resource development in South- <br />western Colorado. <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />Over the years the Ute people in cooperation with the Local water conser- <br />vancy districts have urged time and time again the cOJ7Dllittees of Congress to <br />authorize the Animas-La Plata and Dolores Water Reclamation Projects. In <br />1968 when the Colorado River Basin Project Act was enacted into law by the <br />House of Representatives, I and members of my Tribe were present on this <br />momentous occasion. At last the water resources projects so vital to the <br />Ute Indian people had been authorized for construction. Since 1968 the <br />Congress in their wisdom and in fUrtherance of their commitment contained <br />in the 1968 legislation has appropriated :funds to complete the advance final <br />planning on these projects. <br /> <br />The Executive branch through the Office of Management and Budget has with- <br />held :funds appropriated for these projects. Again the Indian Tribes of <br />Southwestern Colorado working closely and cooperatively with the Water <br />Conservancy Districts have urged the release of these :funds by the Executive <br />branch of Government. <br /> <br />This year when the 1914 Budget was proposed, the Ute people as well as the <br />non-Indian people in our area were astounded that the Executive Branch of <br />Government had not requested any additional :funds to complete the Advance <br />Planning report on the Animas-La Plata and Dolores Water Reclamation Projects. <br />The tragedy of this short-sightedness on the part of the Executive at this <br />time is compounded by the water rights claims which have been filed by the <br />Justice Department on behalf of the Ute Indian Tribes in the Federal Courts <br />in Colorado. I can assure you gentlemen that the filing of this legal action <br />was never intended to hinder or delay in any way the construction of the <br />Animas-La Plata or Dolores Water Projects. On the contrary, the only reason <br />why the Tribes requested this action on the part of the Justice Department <br />was to protect the Indian Water Claims because of the threat to those claims <br />as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision in the now famous <br />Eagle County case. Prior to the Eagle County Case the Tribes had always <br />been assured that they need not file water claims, that they would be pro- <br />tected by the Federal Government. After Eagle County, it became abundantly <br />. clear to the Tribal C01ID"i1 thai; rn'UI'Ul Wat,er Rights like "Federal reserved <br /> <br />10 <br />