Show r 1 Western Resources WRAP WRAP-UP m l K t tW X Reclamation law revision Part 2 By We Washington can defeat the Interior Departments Department's proposals on the acre limitation of oC the reclamation law Rep James P P. Johnson R R Colo declared recently This is easier said than done Members of oC Congress are discovering Chairman Morris K Udall D D-Ariz of oC the House Interior Committee and Subcommittee Chairman Lloyd Meeds D of oC the House Water and Power Resources Subcommittee have been meeting with a group of oC California Members of oC Congress to try to reach what Meeds calls an agreement on a aset aset aset set of oC principles It has been tough to get together and form Corm some consensus Meeds told Western Resources Wrap-up Wrap in inan inan inan an Interview May 15 We have agreed to continue talking We have been talking with Bernie Dernie Phillip Burton John Krebs George Miller and Bizz Dizz Johnson all Cali California Cornia Democrats About 90 percent of oC the problem with excess lands in reclamation projects is in California so sowe sowe sowe we hoped to get a consensus among the California members Meeds saidI said I 1 have hoped to achieve agreements on something to put down on paper in one or two weeks from Crom now Then I hoped we could look over what had been drafted a week later We want the Administration informally to give us their views on what they want in an acreage limitation bill We knew that there would not be unanimous agreement but unless there is substantial sub agreement the chances are not all that good that we can get a bill thru this year Meeds stated and Burton Durton in particular are far apart on what they believe should be in a bill If a bill revising the acreage limitation n n the reclamation law is to pass Congress longress this year Meeds said we would have to take action in the House louse Subcommittee by July 1 I would think Udall told substantially the same thing a couple of oC weeks ago Udall said he had hoped that Meeds could bea be bea bea a kind of oC arbitrator in working out a compromise as he has no reclamation project In his western North-western Washington Second district and he is not seeking re Hearings were held on five bills pertaining to the acreage limitation by bythe bythe bythe the Senate Public Lands and Resources Subcommittee on April 12 1213 Sen Frank Church Idaho D-Idaho honchoed the hearings but he has not asked for Cor time for up mark-up of ot the bills by the parent Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee He lie has not hOt decided when and if IC he will ask for Cor such a up mark-up Church spent so much time as a floor manager of oC the Panama Canal treaties during the recent week 10 Senate treaty debate that a lot lotof of other things piled up upon upon upon on Church including a number of out out-of- town speaking engagements Corlett said Church is ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Com Corn You First Mr Gaston There seems to be some Alphonse and Gaston posturing between the Senate and House Subcommittees on moving ahead on a bill updating the acreage limitation in the 1902 reclamation law Each would like theother the theother theother other to move first Drafting a revision to the acre limitation that will modernize the law sufficiently to satisfy Western irrigation interests and at the same time clear Congress is no easy task Members of oC Congress have made several futile Cutile efforts along this line in the past 30 years to this correspondents correspondent's knowledge and none L L Even L L L Even L has b been en successful Even a simple acreage equivalency bill to make allowance for poor soils and short growing season seaon and other factors failed in the last Congress As of this date no overall bill touching on the key points of updating the 1902 reclamation law as to acreage limitation acreage equivalency residence and leasing has been introduced in the House Yet this appears to be the year to update the 1902 law if it is to be done any time soon Western water men point out Jim T T T. Casey a reclamation expert has announced he plans to retire in February 1979 as staff consultant consultant consultant con con- on water and power to the House Subcommittee and his resignation has been accepted as of that date by Udall and Meeds The Subcommittee will also have a new chairman in 1979 So it will take months just to get it opera operating ling after the next Congress convenes next January If we are going to get anything done we have got to do it this year J J. J W. W Pat OMeara executive vice president of the National Water Resources Association told on May 16 If It updating the 1902 law Is not resolved In this session I 1 dread what we may experience next year Then there will be many new people in the Congress who have no knowledge and no background on the problem Charles L Thomson general manager of oC the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District and chairman of oC the Water Resources Congress told the Senate Subcommittee April 12 Both men are looking at Oct I 1 1979 the date when the Interior Department hopes to have its final Cinal rules and regulations out enforcing the acre limitation and residency requirement In the 1902 reclamation law |