14 



Government, this was a very key component, as were the taxpayers 

 of all of California involved in this since they paid for it. 



Mr. Fazio has pointed out the power users in our state and other 

 states pay for this project, and, in fact, there was a very, very sub- 

 stantial support within the state. We don't get to do things district 

 by district. There has been a lot of discussion over the last couple 

 of days about the agriculture bill and how urban people should join 

 in to help in the Marketing Promotion Board so that the farmers 

 can sell their crops overseas. Urban people here are asking for 

 some help in protecting the environment, protecting the Bay-Delta 

 system because that is where their residents spend their time, use, 

 and earn a living. 



Now, that is the process. It is just untenable to suggest that 

 every district would have the veto over anj^hing they did. You 

 know, the New York Stock Exchange is located in New York, but 

 with all due respect, people in all 50 states use the stock exchange 

 and expect to have protections, expect to have timely business. 



And so that is why this is, and the fact is that the business com- 

 munity, a good portion of the agriculture community, the environ- 

 mental community, the urban community of California supported 

 this legislation and pleaded — ^the major lenders to agriculture 

 pleaded with the President of the United States, a Republican at 

 that time, Mr. Bush, to sign this legislation because this was good 

 for the state. 



Mr. Thomas may have troubles with it. Mr. Herger may have 

 troubles. Mr. Dooley may have troubles with it. But the fact was 

 the consensus was that this was good for the state. There was not 

 the consensus in the Central Valley, but California is larger than 

 the Central Valley, And we will find that we will make decisions 

 on the Utah wilderness area, we will make decisions on the Grand 

 Canyon, we will make decisions on Yellowstone, on the Everglades, 

 on our coastal line that are used and in some cases belong to all 

 the people of this country, and we are not going to let the Con- 

 gressmen from Utah or from San Francisco veto what is national 

 legislation and national interest. 



Now, if these people want to finance this project all on their own 

 and they want to take it over, hey, go get them, tigers. Just give 

 us back what the people from New Jersey invested in this, and the 

 people from northern California, and the people from Nevada, and 

 the people from Idaho, and Florida. They have put up the $3 bil- 

 lion. Give them back the interest subsidies, and I guess we will call 

 it square. 



But that is not what thev were thinking. They were asking the 

 people of New Jersey for their vote to start this project 50 years 

 ago. They were asking the vote from Nevada to start this project. 

 So, you know, that is the nature of a national legislature. 



Mr. Ensign. Would you yield now? 



Mr. Miller. Yes. I would be happy to yield. 



Mr. Ensign. The first point you brought up was obviously the Ar- 

 izona-Nevada project, and that is interstate, and that is where the 

 states have to work together. But at the same time, if Nevada and 

 Arizona come up with an agreement, I would hope that the rest of 

 the states woula be willing to support that agreement. 



The second thing is we are getting 



