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Although Colorado law presented no obstacle to transmountain diversions, the necessity to obtain federal funds greatly strengthened the bargaining position of the West Slope whose congressional representative was powerfully situated: At the time the foregoing developments occurred, one individual representing the West Slope assumed an outstand ing role as protector of that area. Congressman Edward T. Taylor, as Chairman of the Appro- priation Committee of the House, was, by virtue of his position, able to enforce his edicts and to preclude the development of any publicly financed project which would divert water from his congressional district to the East Slope, unless the proponents of such project were willing to make such concessions as he deemed necessary. 57 The position of West Slope interests was further spelled out in 1935 in the so-called "Delaney Resolution." As summar i zed by Beise: This resolution acknowledged that all sections of Colorado concede to the area wholly dependent on the Colorado River for water, a prior right to such water then available as was reasonably necessary for the continued growth and development of the western part of the state; that there was no legal method whereby one part of the state could make a binding agreement with another portion of the state to settle the question; t hat, i nth e a b s en ceo f com pre hen s i ve surveys, it was reasonable to assume that the West Slope would ultimately use one-half of the water allocated to Colorado from the Colorado River, and, accordingly, to effectu- ate such assumption every plan for transmoun- tain diversions should incorporate as an integral part thereof at its expense compen- satory storage equal to the amount to 5 7Se i se, "Compensa tory Storage," 2 2 Rocky Mt. L. Rev. 453, 455 (1950). 24