AP telegram in support of dam building on the Green River

PMS OF MONDAY MARCH 3) NOTE RELEASE DATE

JOE KA PS

AP SPECIAL ASHINGTON ERVICE

(ADVANCE) WASHINGTON, MARCH 3-C AP >-RIDING A BOAT DO N THE GREE, RIVER, ONE OF THE ROUGHE TIN THE COUNTRY, WAS 'T TOO TOUGH FOR HARRY RATLIFF, AN ENGI TEER FROM VERNAL, UTAH. BUT TRYI G TO GET THE GOVERN

-ME T TO BUILD DAM IN THE RIVER IS OMETHING ELSE AGAIN.

RATLIFF WAS IN AN ENGINEER! G PARTY WHICH MADE A' EXPEDITION DOWN THE WILD RIVER IN 1950-51, TO GET DATA IN CONNECTION WITH DAMS PROPOSED IN COLORADO AND UTAH. 0 1_{LY ABOUT 200 PERSON HAVE NEGOTIATED THE}

RIVER'S ROUGH RAPIDS, AD ABOUT 25 D 011 ED TRYING TO DO IT.

LAST t.£1 fS. !IT t A GROUP F UM UT AH NATIONAL CAPITAL. THEY TI D GENERALLY TO PUT OME STEAM BEHIND A DRIVE FO DA,S ALONG THE UPPER COLORADO A 1_{D ITS TRI UTARIES AD SPECIFICALLY TO BEAT}

DOTJN OPPOSITION TO GREEN RIVER PROJ CTS.

THE GROUP GOT ENCOURAGEMENT FROM MEMBERS OF CO'GRESS REPRESENTING COLORADO RIVER STATES WHO FAVOR CONSTRUCTION OF A BILLION DOLLAR SERI S OF DAM K1_{0J' A THE UPPER COLORADO ASIN STORAGE PROJECT.}

BUT THE GROUP SAID IT COULDN'T GET AN AUDIENCE ITH SECRETARY OF

THE INTERIOR O CAR CHAPMA ·• THE SECRETARY HA NOT YET GI\~N PRESIDE 'T TRUMAN HIS REPORT ON THE BIG PROJECT. ALTHOUGH BASIN STATES APPROVED IT LAST Y AR.

CHAPMAN HAS GIVEN NO INDlCATIO THAT HI REPORT ILL BE MADE SOO. THI JJAS CAUSED SOME CONGRESSMEN TO DOUBT THAT A BILL AUTHORIZI G THE PROJECT COULD BE PASSED THIS YEAR

DR.-ERN;ST UNTERMANN OF VERNAL, DIRECTOR OF THE UTAH MUSEUM OF

..

.

OF THE 1950-51 TRIP DOWN THE GR I RIVER AlD TO ARGUE FOR DAMS.

SITES OF THE PROPO ED DAMS WERE D SCRIBED. THE ECHO PAK DAM I COLORADO, NEAR THE UTAH BORDER AND NEAR THE CONFLUENCE OF THE YAMPA RIVER, WOULD COST AN ESTIMATED 1 5 MILLION DOLLAR SPLIT MOUNTAI

DAM IN UTAH, DOWNSTREAM FROM ECHO PA K, UOULD COST AT LEA T 76 MILLION.

UNTERMANN AID OPPONE 1_{TS OF THE TWO DAM INCLUDE MEMBERS OF THE}

NATIONAL PARKS A~SOCIATIO, AUDUBON SOCIETY, ISAAC ALTON LEAGUE A'D OMEN'S CLUBS.

PR INC I PAL ARGUMENT AGAI. 'ST THE PROJECTS ARE THAT THEY WOULD:

FLOOD FO SIL EDS IN THE DINOSAUR NATIO AL MO UME T, YHICH COVERS PARTS OF UTAH, COLORADO AND WYOMING• DESTROY THE BEAUTY OF A GREAT WILDER

-NE S AREA; "I. VADE• THE MONUME 1_{T AND VIOLATE NATIONAL PARK RIGHTS.}

RATLIFF AND UNTERMA'N GAVE THESE ANS ERS TO THE ARGUME 1TS: THE

DINOSAUR BEDS ARE FAR FROM BOTH DAM !TES AND WOULD BE IN NO WAY AFFECTED BY THE PROJECTS• THE DAMS WOULD OT DESTROY THE BEAUTY OF

OUI.:D Al<E IT POSSIBLE FOR MORE _QPLE TO GET

E1_{JOY THE SCENERY; WHEN THE MONUMENT AS ENLARGED FROM 60}

ACRES TO MORE THAN 300 SQUARE MILES IN THE 1930'S, THE PARK SERVICE PROMI ED RE~IDENTS OF THE AREA THAT THE EXPANSION OULD OT I. TER

-FERE ITH DEVELOPME~T OF ECLAMATICN PROJECTS ALONG THE RIVER.

THE ARGUMENT AGAIN T FLOODING PART OF A NATIONAL PARK WAS U ED SUCCESSFULLY LAT YEAR TO BLOCK AUTHORIZATION FOR GLACIER VIEW DAM IN MO TANA, WHICH OULD HAVE INUNDATED OME GLACIER PARK LAND.

RATLIFF FEELS THAT THE NEED FOR IRRIGATION ATER AND HYD OELECTRIC POWER OUT ·1EIGHC: ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.

HE SAYS "THERE'S NOTHING MORE WA TEFUL THAN 5,400,000 CM> ACRE-FEET OF WATER EING PER JITTED

TO

AND I TO THE COLORADO."

( END ADVANCE FOR PM OF MONDAY, MARCH 3--MOVED MARCH 1).