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<br />We have reviewed the recent report of the Department of the <br /> <br />Interior on the pending legislation as submitted to the Chairman of <br /> <br />the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs on S. 520, a <br /> <br />bill which is identical to H. R. 5337. This report recommends certain <br /> <br />amendments to the legislation. As the members of this committee know, <br /> <br />hearings on the project legislation have already been held in the <br /> <br />Senate and a favorable report on the legislation was made by the <br /> <br />Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs on June 30, 1972, <br /> <br />with certain amendments. The principal effect of the amendments was <br /> <br />to strike section 8 of the bill in its entirety and to re-adjust the <br /> <br />priorities for the delivery of water specified in section 4 of the <br /> <br />bill. This latter amendment effects a higher priority for the main- <br /> <br />tenance of the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge and the Mishak <br /> <br />National Wildlife Refuge. We have no objection to those amendments. <br /> <br />With reference to the Secretary's report on the pending <br /> <br />legislation, we take considerable exception to the language contained <br /> <br />in the first page of the report which attempts to convert an obliga- <br /> <br />tion assumed by international treaty into an obligation assumed by <br /> <br />the State of Colorado under interstate compact. The required deliv- <br /> <br />eries from Colorado under the terms of the Rio Grande Compact were <br /> <br />based in part on the requirements of the Mexican Treaty. It was <br /> <br />always recognized that Elephant Butte Dam would have to rely to a <br /> <br />large extent on waters released from the State of Colorado. We do <br /> <br />-2- <br /> <br />r. .- .- ~ r- ~; <br />'J '. ................. <br />