Dear HCN,
Thanks for the story of
the U.S. House of Representatives voting 221-200 to cut funding for
the Animas-La Plata Project (HCN, 8/5/95). Since the Senate then
voted to include funding, it will now go to a conference committee
for some sort of compromise. But it is clear that the dam’s days
are numbered. There is no longer support in Washington, D.C., for
mammoth Western water projects which are not economically
justified.
The successful campaign in the House
was the result of actions by a broad coalition of environmental and
taxpayer groups, helped enormously by bipartisan support. It goes
to show that when environmental issues merge with fiscal
responsibility, Republicans and Democrats can still get together
and do the right thing.
The ALP campaign is also
a textbook example of how big organizations, such as National
Wildlife Federation, U.S. PIRG, Natural Resources Defense Council
and Taxpayers for Common Sense can work closely and effectively
with local grassroots groups such as taxpayers for the Animas
River, Southern Ute Grassroots Organization and Four Corners Action
Coalition.
It is not a matter of grassroots vs.
ational. We need both in order to effect change in our United
States. We will be back in Washington, D.C., when ALP supporters
ask for $60 million-$70 million. And we will have more time to work
on the Senate. And we will be successful, if we all work
together.
Michael
Black
Durango,
Colorado
The writer belongs to
Taxpayers for the Animas River and has been opposing the Animas-La
Plata dam project for several
decades.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline This dam will die.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
