Wayne Allard: “briefly I want to talk about the fact we have not had any hearings on this particular issue. I do not know how many…”

“briefly I want to talk about the fact we have not had any hearings on this particular issue. I do not know how many Senators who come from a different part of the country than those of us in the West have come up to me and said: We do not understand your water law. Granted, it is complicated and it varies a little bit from State to State. Due to that complexity, I don't think we are doing the Members of the Senate any service by rushing this matter through and not having proper hearings and giving everybody an opportunity to understand the full impact of this piece of legislation. The U.S. Supreme Court has clearly given the States the sovereignty in the matter of water adjudication. We are talking about a property right. My State of Colorado has recognized water as a property right. We have sometimes referred to it as the ``doctrine of prior appropriation'' or perhaps simply the ``Colorado water doctrine.'' Many Western States have followed suit and the laws have been put in place in the State of Colorado.”