Dam Battle: February 1966 press

5 Feb, Scottsdale Progress: James Kowalsky guest editorial on GCdams: Sierra Club mbr. Costs of a NJ nuclear plant less than hydro estimates. So cheap coal or nuclear or outrageously expensive hydro. Wrong choice in legislation means water project stalled since DC deluged by letters deploring dams.
(mentions a 12 Dec 65 NYTimesMag article)

11 Feb, DPost: CAP Assoc chair Mehrens in Denver speech says water import into CRBasin essential; job of convincing NW people of study of their “surplus water” is of “great magnitude”. Need 22 maf; Colorado has 15 average. Echoed by Colo gov. Love; 140 maf of Columbia wastes to sea; proud of Colorado water users unity. Colorado needs to use its allocation; 5 projects dont use all of it.
FSparks, Col water dir., import study by 1970. Mead not to be lowered just to help power generation at Glen.
  Editorial says:  Jackson in early Feb said he favors study of all Western water needs asap. So maybe he is open to diversion, but he also stated fear of Calif political power not yielding water once taken. This is same fear of upper basin about CAP using UB “surplus”. So import essential.
Colo unified position: import planning, more Upper Basin development projects, guarantee water level at Glen to meet Lower Basin commitment, put revenues at Glen on parity with Hoover to pay for more projects.

The CRB water leaders just could not stop talking about importing water. There was never any thought that they would be denied.
The Colorado unified position listed the items that the state was insisting on if there was to be a CAP at all.

20 Feb, DPost “Empire” mag: cover story on fight to save open space: About Colo Open Space Coordinating Council. Org trying to get strength through unity. Started by call of Colo Mtn Club 1964, and set up in Sep 65. Article reviewed GC fight, led by “militant, well-heeled, California-headquartered Sierra Club”. Grand Canyon Workshop formed in 65, to study data, look for alternatives. Result was widely circulated statement. Atty Lamm sent to testify at Aug 65 hearings, for 10 clubs. Spoke for coal fired, wasted water, using UB water. Remarks sent out to 1000.
Mtg in Jan: compromise seemed near at LA mtg of all seven states. Most of article about COSCC organizational dreams.

Denver was one of the early hot spots of dam opposition; they originated, I believe, the “SAVE GRAND CANYON” bumper sticker.
Lamm later became Colorado governor.
Slur of Club was common among pro-dam crowd.
27 Feb, Sentinel, editorial praising Aspinall for holding up hearings until Animas-LaPlata is cleared. Perhaps AZ & Cal pressured Bureau of Budget. Aspinall stands in way of CR being completely taken over by Lower Basin.

Animas-LaPlata was one of 5 water projects Colorado wanted in order to be sure it was using as much as possible of its share of the Colorado.
Representative Wayne Aspinall, from western Colorado, made the Colorado 5 his absolute price for cooperating, and that was important since he was chairman of the House Interior Committee that would consider the legislation.
The problem was that they were not economically very justifiable, so BuRec had to fiddle around to show their feasibility.