With President Carter’s signature on the public works bill, the appropriation for the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project apparently is secure for another year.
The news brought relief to a lot of people here in arid Utah who would second this brief statement issued to the press by Rep. Gunn McKay, D-Utah: “I’m glad he signed it. Hoop-hooray!”
Members of Utah’s congressional delegation – Sens. Jake Garn and Orrin Hatch and Reps. McKay and Dan Marriott- and a lot of other people deserve a great deal of credit for their determined fight in saving the Bonneville Unit in Congress after President Carter placed it on his “hit list” of 18 water projects.
Utah, which needs this water development program, can breathe easier now – but it’s still scary to contemplate what “might have been” when you realize that nine other projects on Carter’s original list were deleted.
Congress, in clearing the Bonneville Unit while sacrificing some other projects to avoid a Carter veto, demonstrated from the first a knowledge of the Utah unit and a recognition of its merits.
Justice has been done in the thwarting of the administration’s proposal that would have unilaterally breached the contract of long standing that CUP counties have with the government.
The Central Utah Project was first approved by Congress 21 years ago – and it has been supported through five administrations. The repayment contract was approved by public vote. The project is well-advanced.
To have cancelled the project now would have been even more unjust inasmuch as the people the users of the water – are contracted to repay something like 90 per cent of the cost. In other words, this is no government handout; rather, it’s an investment that will pay big dividends in providing water for future growth that is sure to come.
Unfortunately, the CUP will have to be championed each year to get the necessary appropriations to push it to completion. We hope the annual task will be easier than it was this crucial year. We’d hope also that the pattern will be changed. Instead of Utahns having to defend the merits of an established project in hearings, debates, etc- the burden should be on the critics to disprove them.
In conclusion, we think the time has come. after all these years, for foes of the project to aim their efforts elsewhere. Already, delays have boosted the costs tremendously. If legislation were passed requiring those who stop established projects to assume financial liability for their actions, then we’d undoubtedly see less interference and faster progress.