Water ‘negotiators’ profiting from compact
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Editor,
Proponents of the water compact are using the threat of litigation and the money promised for improvements on the irrigation project. However, it’s pretty clear that the FJBC, the ones still sitting and the ones that are no longer there, have had a hand in the demise of the project. Gordon Wind now makes $110,000 a year with a $14,000 bonus last year when he was furloughing all of the project employees; Alan Mikkelsen, is making $90,000-plus; and Jon Metropoulos, the lobbyist/attorney, has made $125,000 for the last 10 years while giving away your water rights. Since when did Mikkelsen become an “expert” on water rights? When he re-filed your water rights in 1990 with the DNRC under the name of the FJBC? Sure, there is no money to work on project improvements; it is being used to pad the pockets of people who are guaranteeing you lose your water. Dan Salomon has made the statement that we have no water rights … who does he work for, really? Incidentally, Mikkelsen, have you read Judge McNeil’s ruling?
How about the threats that the tribe and the FJBC and CME members have been making to tribal and nontribal irrigators? What have the individuals, such as the Lakes, been promised to support the compact? More water, a new pipeline or irrigation system, or all of the above? What are you getting out of this, Susan Lake?
Really, if Chris Tweeten, Jay Wiener and their entourage were on your side, there would be no need for litigation, or if the compact commission was actually doing its job, quantifying the tribes’ water rights. At the Feb. 29, 2012, water compact commission meeting, Weiner, who is supposed to be protecting your water rights, talked to the commission about changing the “purpose” of the tribes’ water right — what, to sell water downstream to power companies? Sorry Weiner, you can’t just make the law as you go, You are forcing this to go to litigation.
Sure, lots of time and money has been put into this endeavor … all to take away your water and land. As for litigation costs, does the word RICO mean anything to you?
Ken Scott
St. Ignatius
