Bruce F. Vento: “I think it is a pretty well understood fact that some western States have in some cases overappropriated the water, for…”

“I think it is a pretty well understood fact that some western States have in some cases overappropriated the water, for instance, as in the Colorado Basin. If I can continue for a minute, I realize we are in a Colorado debate here, but the point is when we have overappropriated in these cases and the Federal Government has somehow become involved in this, either by being present or by being the Federal Government, even in terms of where there are compacts and other agreements between States, the suggestion is that insofar as the shortfall would occur in terms of somebody finally in getting their 10 percent, that the Federal Government would then be liable to pay the difference. And we would be paying for nonexisting, nonexistent water actually under this, because somehow we have been compliant in terms of inaccurately describing and quantifying the amount of water, even though it is generally appropriated by these States as it is, unless we are dealing with the McCarran Act; we would have to then make up the shortfall and in the end be left holding the bag.”