[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 148 (Thursday, September 21, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HELPING THOSE THAT LIVE AND WORK IN THE UMATILLA BASIN

                                 ______


                            HON. WES COOLEY

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 21, 1995

  Mr. COOLEY. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation that will 
go a long way to correct unintended problems that face hard-working 
irrigators in my district. These irrigators and the communities they 
support have labored many hours and spend thousands of their own 
dollars in an attempt to address these changes through the Bureau of 
Reclamation. Unfortunately, the Bureau has been stubborn and reluctant 
to resolve the problems that the Bureau has promulgated. In light of 
this, corrective legislation is warranted--and imperative--for the 
continued viability of those that live and work in the Umatilla Basin.
  This legislation would direct the Secretary of the Interior to change 
the boundaries of the four irrigation districts in the Umatilla Basin, 
Oregon (Hermiston, Stanfield, West Extension, and Westland). This 
boundary change would include all lands receiving deliveries of Federal 
project water and/or natural flows for irrigation through their 
respective facilities prior to October 1, 1988, as specified in the 
Umatilla Basin Project Act of 1988.
  The new boundaries would not result in any additional watering of 
acreage or additional delivery of water by the districts than the 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of the act studied, addressed, or 
evaluated.
  The act was enacted after many years of evaluation, negotiation, 
planning, cooperation, and compromise by all affected entities. These 
interests include the irrigators, tribes, local business, agriculture 
community, and county and State government. This act was an historic 
precedent, but its success is not complete until the boundary changes 
are made. The irrigators were key to development of the act, based on 
the agreements struck by the multi-faceted interests involved in the 
act's development. However, the Bureau has not followed through with 
its end of the deal and has stonewalled resolution of this predicament 
for baseless reasons.
  My legislation clarifies the issues that are under attack by the 
Bureau and others that the irrigation districts, urban business 
community, agri-business community, and community leaders has 
negotiated, agreed to, and promoted in building support for the act. 
When the act was approved by Congress in 1988, there were a handful of 
water issues that had not been resolved. However, agreements were 
struck by the affected interests, the necessary studies were conducted, 
and these outstanding issues could have easily been remedied years ago 
by simply administrative action. Unfortunately, the Bureau has welched 
on its end of the agreement and the irrigators find their portion of 
water (guaranteed by law) in peril.
  It is time that the Congress hold the Bureau accountable. In order to 
accomplish the intent of the language of the act, it is necessary to 
enact corrective legislation that will direct agency action and 
disallow discretionary abuses by the Bureau, as is currently the case. 
My bill will resolve some of the more obvious problems, and I look 
forward to my colleagues' support in this endeavor.

                          ____________________