Aspinall, Colorado's Rogers, Texas' Rogers beat back crippling Navajo-San Juan-Chama amendments

COLORADO"S ROGERS, TEXAS0

S ROGERS BEAT BA'.CK CRIPPLING NAV.JO-SAN-JUall-CHAMA AMENIMENTS From the Daily sentinel Washington Bureau

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washington--The Navajo-San Juan-chama bill esca~~nscathed in Bouse debate this week, largely thaiik~ to R e p s . ~ N. Aspinall, . D-colo., w~i•r Rogers, J>-Tex., and Byron G. Rogers, J>-Colo., when ,., .. , it came under a Southern California assault on the House floor prior to the final vote.

~ -·=---,..J-~~- The bill:,· by R~. Thomas G. Morris,,,, -N M .. ," to tie down the

water resources of '~~w Mexico, passed the; Housi/lwednesday by voice

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bill to assure that no Colorado river water diverted to the Rio Grande Basin would go to Texas. He sai that he did not want Colorado river water used to meet New Mexico's deficit to Texas under the Rio Grande Compact. He noted that a similar amendment has been adopted in the Aspinall Fryingpan-Arkansaa bill for Colorado.

Rogers of Texas and Aspinall opposed the amendment because the through the San Juan-Chama project will be utilized by

in the Bew Mexico Rio Grande Basin. Such a

ter exchang :-aoes not occur in th ,,ryingpan-Arkansas diversioll-'.,-

-Aspinall said. Rogers

z r a r

vote.

Hosmer then introduced a second amendment which would have

limit-,

ed all Colorado river diversions within the sate of New Mexico to 25 cent of its Colorado river He said that Califor

put a self-imposed ceiling on itself in the Boulder Canyon Act ~=~4 million acre feet of

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Colo-(

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avajo-San Juan-Chama amendment (Colo.) washn xx x hard

on th* amendment. Rogers of Colorado said that i t would "violate every compact on th Col rado river for the last 30 y~~r.s. It would ruin every reclamation state " i f i t was adopted, he said.

~ ogers

of Texas orotested that the Hosmer mendment amounted to federal dictation to New exico as to how to use its water. "This is at

variance with and in c o n ~ i o n of reclam tion development," be

said.

sai ~h i t would th

becau e the diversion igh't have tc go UJ? to

200,000 acre-feet nn:.ial average

div rsion provided in th project of 110,000 acre feet. Thi second Hosmer amendment likewise was rejected by voice vote.

The final ssault on the m ndment came from Rep.

bill, leaving only the Navajo irrrigation project. He said that the san Juan-Chama project had come before the Rous under a Navajo blanket." He said that i t was as .. spotted as a lfavajo pinto pony."

He noted that some peo le in the San Juan Basin w~re oppo9ed to the

iversio nd tha t r w t

the Colorado Basin anyway to provide municipal i t r. for Albuquerque. Rogers of Texas pointed out that the people

decid d to use their Colorado river w ter entitlement in this way. th t was their own bu~iness. l(yl, nd Reps. Odin 1,angen, -Sinn., and H. R. Gros, R-Iowa, attacked the San Juan-~ama project as a fiscal extravag nee. But Morris nd spinall insisted that i t would be fully repaid by ater users and through Upper Colorado pow r credits allot-ted to New Mexico • .+rd that was that. 'the l(yl amendment was rejected on a division vote, 73~. The Morris bill then passed by voice vote.

-mere-hem-,,

amebdments (Colo_ washn xx x

MOrris, as bill sponsor, deliberately st yed out of this part

. . •J-TNI of debate, leaving i t to the experts. Aspinall is chairman of

~ e ~ s .

- - ·

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the House Interior Comnubttee, Rogers)fs chairman of the House

Reclam-~~.o..t._caJ oradg _ _...,,,

ation Subco ittee and Rogersiiis a former attorney general of bis

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state. They are all familiar with reclamation law and with the Colo-rado r1v r compacts. They are experts in the ;field of water law,

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and they distinguished themselves in debate •

... _an engineer-f~rmer turned Cqngressman, ~as .. "".~;:~~eful

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-for this 'te~ of

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}i1ega1~l~alent that' beat ~f,f'ii amendments to his

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we

had the strength to bet every amendment. It was plain to see that we had the votes, 11 _{he said. Morris was busy keeping}

House Members in the chamber to keep1.al ... these votes intact while Aspinall and th two Rogers carried the pall in the technical legal debate. It was a well-oiled operation.