Why does Western feel like it's necessary to pursue an administrative allocation now, when the allocation has traditionally been done by Congress?

Are you comfortable that that can be done in a way that ensures environmental safeguards?

Do you have any other recommendations for the sponsors and the project proponents on how to get safe, clean drinking waters for their communities?

As I said to him, many of the, particularly the bills that we're going to be hearing today, affect the West much more than the East, so his perspective will be very important.

During his recent testimony to the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, Commissioner Connor described a set of funding criteria for the Rural Water Program that are under development.

As I understand your testimony, Mr. Murillo, Reclamation does not question the need for a rural water system in the area of eastern Montana that's covered currently under the bill, but part of the reason that you're unable to support the…

Good afternoon. I want to call this hearing to order, of the, the first hearing for this year of the Water and Power Subcommittee.

Is there anything that can be done now to get a head start on this process?

The Jobs Act was a very important effort to help small businesses that create two thirds of the jobs in this country.

Although S. 201 specifies that Reclamation and the local water districts should have the responsibility for compliance with all environmental laws that are applicable, will Reclamation coordinate with the Forest Service if necessary during…

How will the environmental impacts of a future hydroelectric project be addressed?

I also want to address Ukraine because Freedom House just downgraded Ukraine from free to partly free and warned that the country is headed down a path toward autocracy and kleptocracy.

But that is a segue into what I referred to in my opening comments about the extent to which the fiscal crisis we are having in the United States drives what our spending looks like and our budget priorities.

I am particularly excited about James Foley because he is a native of Rochester, NH.

So perhaps they could model what we need to do here.

Well, I certainly agree with what you have said about the importance of reinforcing for Kosovo and Serbia and the other countries in the western Balkans that are looking at the potential for EU membership down the road, to see that as a…

Last week, Senator Lindsay Graham and I introduced a resolution supporting the territorial integrity of Georgia and calling on the Government of Russia to fulfill its cease-fire agreement and return its military forces to prewar positions.

I think it is very encouraging that they are beginning to talk, and I think both countries deserve credit for that.