William Redmond: “Mr. Chairman, 41 years ago, when I was 2 years old, there were Native Americans in the American Southwest who were…”

“Mr. Chairman, 41 years ago, when I was 2 years old, there were Native Americans in the American Southwest who were carrying water in buckets to their homes. Plenty of water ran through their land but there was no way to store it or transport it, and therefore, it was virtually useless. The United States Government promised them a storage and delivery system which became known as the Animas-La Plata water project. For 41 years, this promised storage system has been studied and analyzed, and today our Native American brothers still carry water in buckets to their homes. Cost concerns have been raised and addressed, and still our Native American brothers carry water in buckets to their homes. Environmental concerns have been addressed and resolved, and still our Native American brothers carry water in their buckets to their homes. In good faith, they have shared some of their water rights with their neighbors to entice this body to keep its word. Several weeks ago, Native American tribal leaders, local water officials, and members of the Colorado and New Mexico delegations came together to show their unified support for the Animas-La Plata reconciliation project. This significantly revised proposal cuts the cost of the original project by two-thirds. It satisfies the NEPA process, and it meets the requirements of the Indian Water Rights Settlement Act.”