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, '" '''~'~''"l!{,.t,:n~'~~, . ", .,', ,0 D2 ~ 9 9 But it wasn't these speeches that got the headlines. It was an announcement by Douglas J. Wall, chairman of the Arizona Inters!at.e Stream Commi:,sion, o~ a new policy adopted by the comm~ssIOn. The new pol1cy consisted of three points: (I) All com~l1Itments 0; guarantees. made, by Arizona in negotiations lea?-mg. to and mcon~orated III the Colorado River development le?lslatIOn were considered null and void; (2) no further com- mitments touching upon Arizona's entitlement to Colorado River water should be made without the express approval of the Commission, and (3) a license should be sought from the Federal Power Commission to build Marble Canyon Dam. In effect, therefore, Arizona was now withdrawing support from any federal approach to regional water development. . 'Seri~us Impasse' Feared This was not the only sombre note struckat the Albuquerque meeting. The director of the Western States Water Council, Wright Hiatt, Portland, Ore., told the reclamation association that he saw little hope of compromise on the Northwest water diversion issue. The situation. he said, had "all the earmarks of a very serious political impasse." He thought there might be one ray of hope-a national water commission, to assess national problems and suggest solutions. Sen. .Henry Jackson (D-Wash.), chairman of the Senate Interior Committee, had proposed the creation. of such a commission. Mr. Hiatt said he had heard effective. arguments from Northwesterners "as to why they are reluctant to support a study aimed at diverting their most vital natural resources to a distant region." "The fact that a distant region-the, Southwest-is a rapidly growing, robust area of these United States which will certainly wither and revert to desert if not watered," said Mr. Hiatt, "elicits sympathy in the Northwest but nothing more." . Also on hand at the Albuquerque meeting was the Sierra . Club's executive director, David Brower. It was obvious that the gulf existing between Mr. Brower and the reclamationists had, if anything, widened since Congress adjourned. He ap- peared in a panel discussion with Congressman Udall. and when the latter Quoted Mrs. Ly'ndon B. Johnson as calling the lake formed by Glen Canyon Dam "the most beautiful body of water in the world," Mr. Brower said, "What Lake Powell destroyed was some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. I know what was under that water that is permanently gone. Mrs. Johm\on doesn't know the beauty beneath it." The two men also differed sharply on whether nuclear,fueled power plants were prefer- able to hydroelectric. Mr. Udall said dams had not been out- dated by nuclear plants while Mr. Brower contended that nuclear power was now competitive and thus preferable. An Arizona Interstate Stream Commission study, done by the Ralph M. Parsons Co., comparing hydro with nuclear electric power gen- eration, had proved the superiority of hydroelectric generation . in connection with the project bill that was before the Congress. -28-