William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry: “I think it is helpful for someone who has been involved in this project from the beginning to give a brief review of…”

“I think it is helpful for someone who has been involved in this project from the beginning to give a brief review of some of the difficulties that has made this legislation necessary. As a matter of fact, there have been 88 changes to the project over time, none of which have caused any sort of question to arise from the Bureau of Reclamation as for the authority to tie in privately financed changes into the existing project. And this project itself has been on the drawing books for at least 5 years. The Bureau knew about it every step of the way, and yet not until February of this year did they raise any questions about it. I will make part of the Record some of the letters that the Municipal Water Authority has received from the Bureau questioning whether the Bureau has even the authority to allow this project to go forward. As a matter of fact, I will quote briefly from a February 21, 1997, letter signed by Mrs. Elizabeth Cordova-Harrison, area manager, that says: The implementation of the current proposal to convey groundwater via the pipeline project would require new or amendatory legislative authority.”