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<br />26, 1968, contains the three major elements essen-
<br />tial to California's accept:lnce:
<br />I. Adetluatc protection of the rights of existing
<br />Color:l.do Ri\'er projects.
<br />~. Initiation of steps which willlcad to augmen-
<br />tation of the l.olorado Rinr.
<br />3. Estahlishment of a means of llnancing such
<br />augmentation,
<br />\\'ith these neCCSS3rv features in the bill, C11i-
<br />fornia can support the other key provisions of
<br />lfR. 3300: 3uthorization of the Central Arizona
<br />Project; authori"'..3tion of seven projects in the
<br />states of Colorado, ~ew .\-Iexico, and Utah; the
<br />criteria for operation of Lake .'Iead and Lake
<br />Powell; and p:tymel1ts to the L'pper Color:tdo
<br />River Basin Fund,
<br />On April 4, a meeting of Colorado River
<br />Basin Congressmen was held in \Vashington
<br />with Congressmen Johnson and Udall of Ari-
<br />zOlla acting as co-chairmen. Assignments were
<br />made and it was agreed that the Congressmen
<br />would work as a unit to defc:u am' amendments
<br />to the hill. At the request of Chai;'nan Aspinall,
<br />state representatives from California, Arizona,
<br />Colorado, utah .1lld ~('w ,\1c:o.;ico met in Los
<br />Angeles on April 16 to establish :1 unified organi-
<br />zation in \\'ashington to support the bill. Felix
<br />L. Sparks. Executive Director of the Colorado
<br />\ V:1ter C()[lscf\"ation Board was designated as
<br />Chainn:1n of the Steering Comminee, with hal
<br />V. Goslin, E:o.;ecuti\'e Director of the Upper
<br />Colorado Rinr Cot11mi5-<;ion 35 his alternate;
<br />Rohert P. \Vill, Legislative RepresCl1tatin:, The
<br />;'lctropolitan \Vater District of Southern Cali-
<br />fornia, and Frank Scussd, Chairman of Arizona
<br />Task Force in "':1shington, were designated
<br />vice-chaimlen
<br />In mid-April, the Chief Engineer, in response
<br />to a request b~' Congressman Johnson and other
<br />California members of the Interior Conunittee,
<br />wem to "'ashington to assist in the preparation
<br />of the House Interior Committee report on this
<br />legislation. House Report ~o. 1312, together
<br />with minority \'iews, was ordered to be primed
<br />on April 24, 196B, .\Iembcrs of the Colorado
<br />Rinr Board, its Chief Engineer, and the Direc-
<br />tor of the Department of 'Vater Resources met
<br />with the California Congressional Delegation
<br />and discussed the objective of securing passage
<br />of H.R, HOO b.,- the House of Representatives.
<br />In .'lay, H.lt HOO was gramed a rule and
<br />after tWO dan of debate on the floor of the
<br />House of Representatives the bill, with only one
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<br />amendment, was passed by a \'oice vote of the
<br />House on ,'Iav 16, 196B, Immediately thereaf-
<br />ter, the House l110nd to substitute the text of
<br />B.R. 3300 after the enacting clause of S. lOG..",
<br />Thus the legislation was returned to the Senate
<br />as an amendment to S. 1004. which had been
<br />approved by the Senate in August, 1967.
<br />
<br />IAH)king to the Senate-House conference on
<br />S. 1004, the Chief Engineer, the Director of
<br />\Vater Resources and \\~1.ter officials of Califor-
<br />nia met in Sacramento to consider the State's
<br />position relative to senrJI areas in which con-
<br />ces,,,iolls might be necessary during the confer-
<br />ence committee action on the Colorado River
<br />Basin Project legislation. :\'orthcutt Ely and
<br />\Vesle~' Sreiner (Department of \Vater Re-
<br />sources) suhsequenth- conferred with Congress-
<br />men Johnson, Hosnler and others with regard
<br />to the pending conference committee action.
<br />The Senate-House conferees considered S,
<br />100+ from July 23 through August I, 1968.
<br />The Senate conferees were: Chairman Jackson,
<br />\Vashil1~on; Anderson, :\'ew ,'lexico; Church.
<br />Idaho; Gruenim~, Alaska; Ha\'den, Arizona;
<br />Kuchel, Califonl'ia; Allott. Col~r.ldo; :md Jor-
<br />dan, Idaho. The House conferees were: Chair-
<br />man Aspinall, Colorado; Edmondson, Okla-
<br />homa; Johnson, C1.lifornia; Udall, Arizona;
<br />Sador, Pennsdnnia; Hosmer, California; and
<br />Burton, Utah: The California conferees met
<br />dail\' widl .\lcssrs. Holburt and Eh- hefore and
<br />afte'r the conference meetings to decide on posi-
<br />tions {() take relative to proposed compromises.
<br />The Chief Engineer was in daily telephone con-
<br />tact with the Director of 'Yater Resources in
<br />order to maintain state-wide unin' and coordi-
<br />nate strategy. The major disagree~lent bennen
<br />the conferees concerned Section 20t of the bill
<br />p:1ssed by the House which included direction
<br />to the Secretar\' of dlC Interior to stud." wavs
<br />of augmenting the Colorado River. The ':\'orth-
<br />west conferees led by Senator Jackson opposed
<br />any studies of importation of Columbia River
<br />water into the Colorado. A compromise was
<br />finalh- arriHd in the fOflll of a re\-ised Section
<br />20 1 ,~"hich directed the Secretarv'of the Interior
<br />to make a reconnaissance study'of water supply
<br />and requirements and dc\'elop a general plan to
<br />meet the future water needs of westcrn United
<br />States (stares west of the Continental Di\'ide)
<br />and effecti\'ely precluded the Secretary for a
<br />period of to years from studying any plan for
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