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<br />'"" " <br />'i:,o).V <br /> <br />28 <br /> <br />FRYING PAN-ARKANSAS PROJECT, COLORADO <br /> <br />administration and I welcome t.he opport.unity of presenting the <br />unqualified sup'port. of this a(~mini~tratio~l .for the Yl'oj.ect. 'Ve recoI!l- <br />mend enactment of appl'oprJ:1.t.e a.uthul'lzmg legIslation us stated In <br />our report. of Mav !, 1%l. <br />May I add, Mi.. Chairman, I do not.1mow of anythinl; that would <br />O"ive this administ.ratIOn more satlsfactlOn than to see tlllS legislatIOn <br />~n"cted into law. This is one of t.he oldest of the old ret.reads in t.he <br />reclamat.ion field. I certainly agree wit.h Chairman Aspillall in his <br />statement that this leaislntion in its present fornl and as presently <br />conceived hns eliminated many of the past objections and. indeed, I <br />think that it. meet.s every possible basic requirement. I think the most <br />recent changes that have ben made in the interest rate and the Ruedi <br />Reservoir and the faet t.hat the people of Colorado have takeR fmother <br />steps to compose their differences put this legislation in a much <br />stronger position that it has been in heretofore. <br />I had the privilege about. 2 weeks ago, in company with the Com- <br />Inissioner of Reclamation, }'fr. Dominy, to fly over this high mountain <br />country where the Illain works of this transmountain project will be <br />built a.nd to look at it from the air. Any translllollntain project, be- <br />cause of the engineering feat involved, always excites me and I was <br />part.icularl.y pleased to see this part.ie-ubr area because this is, I think, <br />the very soundest. type of thing in reclamation planning. <br />This project has been t'-l'itized in the past by some who do Hot <br />realize the statesmanship and the enginering involved in any trans- <br />mountain project. I remember on the floor transmotintain diversion <br />was referred t.o as a. Rube Goldberg affair, but we have a lot of <br />t,rnllsmountain diyersions-this is not the first one---and they have <br />alWll}S proven, I think, to be one of t.he mo:;t creative type of concepts <br />where YOll are taking watcr out of one basin where the need may not <br />be as great and putting it into another basin where you can use these <br />waters to S(~r\'e the greater use that is available. <br />As hn~ been said, thiH proje-et as presently conceived meets all of <br />t.he l'eqlllrements of l'ccbmation bw and all the precedents of Con- <br />gress have been followed in proc(~sing' this le.gislation. <br />I am vel'y hopeful that t.his will be the Congress that will enact <br />this legisbt.ion. I have t.he vel'Y highest regard, having worked with <br />him on mOl'e dillicult problems than t.his, for the ability of t.he chair- <br />man of the committee as n. quarterback on matters of this kind and <br />when this legisln.t.ion is taken to the floor and when tactics are followed, <br />I think t.hat. he has t.he insillht t.hat. is needed. <br />I w~nt t.o.sa): th~t we in our Department-and my presence here <br />todn.y IS n.n lIld.catlOn of that-are yel',V deeply cancel'ned about t.his <br />legislation because we think it l'epresents-standing as it does-a <br />project constructed in one Congressman~s district, but with benefits <br />flowing intQ anot,her nrea, a t.rn.nsmonntain project nil example of <br />reelamat.ioll :It. its best. imd wheJ'P, we han> the t.rue bipartisnn appronch. <br />And I would eveR say to my collen!!"e from t,Jw eastem slope of Colo- <br />rado, Congressman Chenoweth, that I nlll prepared to make pholle <br />calls, if he wants them, on behalf of this bill. [Laughter,] <br />But I ~o think t.hat the present draft. of t.he legislation meets many <br />of the obJections that ha\"e been made heretofore. <br />Let me comment on one ot.her problem and that is th~ proble.m rni::::ed <br />by Congressman Saund, of Californin, wit.h regard to these studie~ <br />