HomeMy WebLinkAbout20063147.tiff KEN SALAZAR WASHINGTON,DC;
COLORADO 702 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASNwGTON,DC 20510
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AGRICULTURE,NUTRITION,AND FORESTRY 'United *tate$ *enate 230015TH STREET
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ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES DENVER,co 80202
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VETERANS'AFFAIRS EOp:M.ww.sal...r senete.0ov
November 2, 2006
Commissioner Mike Geile, Chair
Commissioner David Long, District I
Commissioner Glenn Vaad, District 2
Commissioner Rob Masden, District 3
Commissioner Bill Jerke, At-Large
Weld County Board of County Commissioners
P.O. Box 758
Greeley, CO 80632
Dear Commissioners Geile, Long, Vaad, Masden, and Jerke:
Thank you for sharing your Resolution of support for the Water Supply and
Storage Company (WSSC) in connection with wilderness designation for Rocky
Mountain National Park. I too support WSSC and am continuing to work with them on
this important legislation.
In July 2005, I introduced S.1510, the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness
Act. This bill was the culmination of many years of work with the towns of Estes Park
and Grand Lake, the Larimer County and Grand County Commissioners, the National
Park Service, the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, and numerous other
stakeholders to craft appropriate wilderness legislation for Rocky Mountain National
Park. I am proud to say that this bill has been endorsed by each of the counties and
communities bordering the Park.
In June of this year, WSSC officials contacted me expressing some concerns with
S.1510, and I immediately agreed to work with them to address their issues. I have
personally met with the Company's President, Tom Moore, and General Manager, Denis
Hannon, along with Fred Walker, former president of the Board. I plan to meet with
them again next week. As a farmer and a rancher, I understand and am sympathetic to
their issues and want to do all I can to address them.
Since first hearing from the WSSC, I have made two modifications to my bill
which satisfy the purpose of your Resolution, to "express support for the Water Supply
and Storage Company to continue to use, operate, maintain and repair the Grand River
Ditch...." First, I have expanded the wilderness buffer around the ditch to 200 feet,
(equal to the wilderness buffer around Trail Ridge Road), and I have included language,
which is similar to that used for the Colorado Big-Thompson project, which explicitly
Oc niaivirM`eWY PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER 2006-3147
November 2, 2006
Page 2
states that the wilderness designation will have no effect on the operation or maintenance
of the Grand Ditch. In my continuing discussions with WSSC, other issues may well
arise; I am committed to working them out.
I appreciate your interest in the issues raised by the WSSC and applaud your
attention to the needs of water users in Weld County. We all share the same goal of
protecting WSSC's operations in the Park, and I will continue to work closely with the
company to craft language for the wilderness bill to address their concerns. I will also
continue to work in good faith with my colleagues in the U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives to ensure we pass wilderness legislation that protects both Rocky
Mountain National Park and the water users who operate within the park.
Sincerely,
Sai
ntA
Ken Salazar
United States Senator
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