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<br />PAGE 6 <br />SHARED A COMMON DESIRE TO SEE THAT RURAL COLORADO cormrluEs TO EXIST. <br />THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY HI COLORADO CONTRIBUTES OVER HID AriD A HALF <br />BILLION DOLLARS AtmUALLY TO THE STATE'S ECONDrW. THIS RENEWABLE <br />RESOURCE AND INDUSTRY HAS BEEN OUR rl0ST ENDURING AND SUSTAINING. AS A <br />WAY OF LIFE, OUR RURAL AGRICULTURAL POPULATION IS COMPOSED OF FIERCELY <br />INDEPENDENT, HARD-WORKING PEOPLE, WHO HAVE RESISTED BEING SWALLOWED <br />UP IN AN URBANIZED, INDUSTRIALIZED SOCIETY. AGRICULTURE IS A LAND USE- <br />WH I CH HAS BEEN HI HAR~l0NY WITH COLORADO'S ENV I RONMENT AND HAS COMPLEMErITED <br />OTHER H1PORTANT INDUSTRIES OF THE STATE. I'/ITH THE NEW ECONOMIC BASES <br />LIKELY TO DEVELOP IN WESTERN COLORADO, AGRICULTURE MUST t1AINTAIN ITS <br />STRENGTH TO INSURE DIVERSITY HI THE STATE/S ECONOMY. <br />EACH OF THESE PROJECTS IS It1PORTAtIT TO OUR AGRICULTURAL FUTURE. <br />AGRICULTURE CANNOT COMPETE POLITICALLY OR ECONOMICALLY WITH CERTAIN OTHER <br />\>JA TER USES AND rlUST RELY UPON THE ASS I ST ANCE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERfl~1ENT <br />TO CONSTRUCT THESE U1PORT AtJT PROJECTS. THE PROJECTS HI QUESTI ON ~IERE NOT <br />SELECTED HAPHAZARDLY. AFTER STUDYIf'lG SDr~E FIFTY POTENTIAL RECLAMATION <br />PROJECTS OVER A FORTY-YEAR PERIOD, THE FEDERAL GOVERtlMErIT IN CONJUNCTION <br />\>JITH HIE STATe SETTLED ON THE PROJECTS BEFORE YOU. WE HAVE flOT ATTEMPTED I <br />TO CARVE OUT NEW FRONTIERS, BUT RATHER TO PRESERVE THOSE AREAS WHERE A <br /> <br />'fr~ <br /> <br />I <br />