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.J ,,',... J. 'i", ,. lEGISLATION The Colorado River Board staff monitors legislative activities of concern to Califor- nia's interests in the Colorado River System. The major legislation considered during 1970 is as follows: California Environmental Quality Legislation The Assembly Select Committee on Envi- ronmental <l!!ality, appointed by California Assembly Speaker Bob Monagan, prepared a report entitled "Environmental Bill of Rights," dared March 1970. The report in- cluded a plan of action for the Assembly that proposed to safeguard the quality of the sta- te's environment. A new State Policy Development Office was recommended in the report as an inde- pendent unit reporting directly to the gover- nor, The new office would prepare a biennial report to be forwarded to the Legislature, with the first report due during the 1971 ses- sion, The report also recommended that the Legislature ad,,:>t an Environmental Bill of Rights as a constitutional amendment. Two proposals which affected the Colo- rado River Board were a proposed change in board membership and state policy on the Bureau of Reclamation's Lower Colorado River Management Program. The report stated that the highest priority should be given to establishing public-at-Iarge member- ship on those boards and commissions which are composed entirely of "special interest" groups, and included the Colorado River Board as one of the agencies. The report also stated that channelization of the lower Colorado River by the Bureau of Reclamation has become a matter of concern because of its effect on the environment and proposed that an environmental impact re- port on the program be made by the federal government and submitted to the Legisla- ture, and that no final action be taken prior to submission of the impact report, On April 3, 1970, Assemblyman Milias, Chairman of the Select Committee, intro- duced AB 2433 which would add members to several boards in state government, includ- ing the Colorado River Board, with the new members having an interest in and knowl- edge of the environment of the state. As final- ly enacted in September 1970, the provisions concerning the Colorado River Board had been deleted. Another bill, AB 2045, the State Environ- mental <l!!ality Act, was enacted during 1970. A review of this bill to determine its applicability to the Colorado River Board in- dicated that there was no conflict with the statutes under which the Board operates. Federal Environmental Protection Agency During 1970, President Nixon reorganized the Executive Branch by creating a new inde- pendent agency to handle all of the federal government's pollution control activities. The Environmental Protection Agency, which became operative on December 2, 1970, now includes, amongtlher federal pol- lution control agencies, the former Federal Water <l!!ality Administration of the Depart- ment of the Interior, Indian Trust Counsel Authority During 1970, S. 4165 and H.R. 18727 were introduced in Congress. This proposed legis- lation would do the following: establish the Indian Trust Counsel Authority as an inde- pendent agency in the executive branch to provide independent legal counsel and repre- sentation for the preservation and protection of the natural resources rights of the Ameri- can Indians and the Alaska Natives (Indi- ans); establish a Board of Directors to govern the Authority, composed of three members, two of which shall be Indians, to be appoint- ed by the president, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; transfer to the Au- 45