[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 117 (Friday, August 2, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          H.R. 3816, 1997 ENERGY AND WATER APPROPRIATIONS BILL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. SKAGGS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 1996

  Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, when the House debated the 1997 energy and 
water appropriations bill, I voted against an amendment to kill funding 
for the Animas La Plata project, in Colorado and New Mexico. I want the 
Record to reflect my reasons for that vote.
  Current law and legal agreements link the Animas La Plata project to 
settlement of longstanding Ute Indian water rights claims. These claims 
must be honored. The Federal Government must fulfill this obligation to 
native Americans. Voting now simply to kill the project would signal a 
default on that obligation, and I do not see that as a constructive or 
responsible step to take.
  I am aware of the serious environmental and other problems of the 
project. That's why both last year and again this year, I made sure the 
legislative history of the appropriations bills clearly showed that all 
environmental laws will continue to apply to the project. There's been 
no decision on the adequacy of the latest supplemental environmental 
impact statement about the project, and I believe that there almost 
certainly will be a court challenge of that decision, whichever way it 
goes. Even with continued funding for the project, the environmental 
and other questions about it have to be and will be addressed and 
resolved--one way or another--before any significant construction can 
start.
  Nonetheless, I think all parties should recognize that the House vote 
against funding Animas La Plata in 1997 clearly signals that it's 
increasingly unlikely that the project as now designed can be built or 
can assure resolution of the Indian water rights claims. The time has 
arrived for serious exploration of other ways to achieve that objective 
and to fulfill that commitment, ways that will be less problematic in 
terms of both environmental and money costs.

                          ____________________