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UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE HIT LIST: PRESIDENT CARTER'S REVIEW OF RECLAMATION WATER PROJECTS AND HIS IMPACT ON FEDERAL WATER POLICY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By ADAM R EASTMAN Norman, Oklahoma 2013 HIT LIST: PRESIDENT CARTER'S REVIEW OF RECLAMATION WATER PROJECTS AND HIS IMPACT ON FEDERAL WATER POLICY A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY BY _______________________________ Dr. Donald J. Pisani, Co-Chair _______________________________ Dr. Sterling Evans, Co-Chair _______________________________ Dr. Ben Keppel _______________________________ Dr. Warren Metcalf _______________________________ Dr. Glen Krutz © Copyright by ADAM R. EASTMAN 2013 All Rights Reserved. For Stephanee Acknowledgements The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the financial, intellectual, and emotional support from an abundance of sources. At the risk of neglecting some of the many individuals and organizations who have provided that support, a few deserve specific acknowledgment here. First, I am thankful for the financial support that has funded extended research in archives and libraries around the country. Specifically I wish to thank the Charles Redd Center at Brigham Young University which provided summer research and travel awards; the American Heritage Center which awarded me a travel grant to make use of their extensive collections, and the generous support of Cliff Hudson for funding the Hudson Research Fellowship awarded by the University of Oklahoma Department of History. I am also grateful for travel grants and awards provided by the History Department, the Graduate Student Senate, and the generous support of the Robberson family for funding a travel grant awarded by the University of Oklahoma Graduate College. Funds from these sources allowed me to present portions of my research at annual conferences of the Western History Association and the American Historical Association. I owe a great debt to the many archivists and librarians who have helped me during these research trips. While I did not encounter a single individual at any institution who was not helpful, there were a few I feel exceeded my expectations. I am particularly grateful to Eric Hinckley at the National Archives and Record Administration’s Rocky Mountain Region Archive, Albert Nason at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Alan Virta at Boise State University’s Albertson Library, and iv David Hays, archivist at the University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries. Mark Madison, the Historian for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided access and assistance to the collections housed at the National Conservation Training Center. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Patty Limerick for her interest in my project and kind words of encouragement. She played a key role in arranging my interviews with former Secretaries of the Interior Cecil Andrus and James Watt. I thank both of these men for the time they spent answering my questions. Similarly I wish to thank Guy Martin and Daniel Beard for being gracious with their time and allowing extensive interviews. I am grateful for the exceptional opportunity offered by two summer internships at the Bureau of Reclamation working with Senior Historian Brit Storey. My time in Denver not only provided an opportunity to hone my skills as a historian, but my research on the Central Utah, Garrison Diversion and Oahe Diversion projects provided me with the inspiration for this dissertation. All three shared the notoriety of appearing on President Jimmy Carter’s Hit List. Completing official Bureau project histories on these three projects sparked the idea to take on this dissertation topic. I am also grateful to the librarians at the Bureau of Reclamation’s Denver Library— Dianne Powell, Kristi Thompson, and Cynthia Fields—always provided exceptional help in locating research materials during my time in Denver. I am similarly grateful for a similar opportunity to work as a historical consultant for two water districts in Utah affiliated with the Central Utah Project. While working for Vanguard Media Group in Salt Lake City, I completed historical research projects for both the Central Utah Water Conservancy District and the Jordan v Valley Water Conservancy District. Both provided unfettered access to archive materials, as well as granting interviews with senior staff. They also allowed the research completed for their projects to be incorporated into my Master’s thesis. This brings me to the subject of intellectual support. I am exceptionally grateful to Thomas Alexander at Brigham Young University for introducing me to and instilling a passion for environmental history. Brian Cannon’s seminar on the American West also deepened my understanding and provided opportunities to explore the historiography of water projects and policy in the West. I am grateful to Professor Alexander for his direction as the head of my thesis committee, who along with Brian Cannon, and Shawn Miller provided ideas, inspiration, encouragement and constructive criticism while completing my thesis on the Central Utah Project Completion Act of 1992, which forms the basis for chapter five of this dissertation. The encouragement of Professors Alexander and Cannon set me on a path that led to my study with the eminent scholar of water history, Donald Pisani at the University of Oklahoma. It is impossible to quantify my gratitude for the generous gift of time, conversation, inspiration as well as books and technology bestowed by Professor Pisani. He has been a true mentor and a friend. His constant encouragement to always see the importance of historical events within a broad context helped spark the recognition that the story of water projects like those mentioned above could help us understand far more about regional and national politics and the economy. While I still have a long way to go to achieve the standard he has set, I am forever grateful to him for placing me on this path. vi My time in Norman has been further enriched by Robert Griswold, a department chair dedicated to his graduate students, and the incredible support of the office staff, Barbara Million, Rhonda George and Kelly Guinn. I have been intellectually and emotionally lifted by the support of my fellow graduate students. Their friendship, criticism, and inspiration have been a boon. I have been impressed by the many faculty with whom I studied, particularly Mellissa Stockdale, Josh Piker, Ben Alpers, Ben Keppel, and Warren Metcalf. I have found it richly rewarding to work as a teaching assistant for Professors Matt Despain, Roberta Magnusson, and Norman Stillman. But, most revealing and telling of the quality of my experience at OU is the genuine interest, kindness, and friendship given by faculty who know me only outside of a classroom. My gratitude for this pervasive collegial atmosphere extends to each member of the faculty. Of course I can not begin to adequately express my appreciation for the service of my dissertation committee. At the risk of sounding repetitive, Donald Pisani has provided exceptional inspiration, guidance, and encouragement. I have also benefited immensely from the service of Sterling Evans who has served as a co-chair since Professor Pisani’s retirement. Additionally, Ben Keppel, Warren Metcalf, and Glen Krutz have provided freely of their time and their invaluable service as committee members. I am grateful to each one for making my dissertation better than it would otherwise be. It goes without saying that the faults that remain are mine. Finally, I wish to thank my family—my children, parents, and in-laws—for the love, support, and patience during this long process. My greatest appreciation and gratitude belong to my wife, Stephanee. Without her unfailing encouragement and the vii strength of her emotional support I would not have been able to see this project to completion. While we have been able to make our time in Norman, Denver, and our my many research trips an adventures, she has also quietly endured the years of long hours spent away from our family in seminars, and in the library. She has also not only endured but found joy in raising our children while dealing with the limited resources of graduate education. While it still seems like some kind of magic trick, we have not just survived, but actually thrived as a family during our time in Norman. viii Table of Contents Introduction / 1 Chapter 1: The Hit List Controversy or The Road Paved With Good Intentions / 22 Chapter 2: Dog Fight on a Political Minefield / 80 Chapter 3: Intermingled Waters or New currents in Federal Water Policy / 150 Chapter 4: River to Rebellion or Clouded Waters / 211 Chapter 5: The Ugliest Dog: The Garrison Diversion / 255 Chapter 6: From Cadillac to Chevy: The Central Utah Project / 304 Epilogue / 335 Bibliography / 344 ix List of Tables TABLE 1 PROJECTS LISTED IN 1973 “DISASTERS IN WATER DEVELOPMENT” .............................................................................................. 37 TABLE 2 THE 19 PROJECTS INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL FEBRUARY 22 LIST...................................................................................................................... 65 TABLE 3 PROJECTS INCLUDED IN DISASTERS IN WATER DEVELOPMENT II ........................................................................................................................... 83 TABLE 4 PROJECTS “ADDED” TO HIT LIST FOR FAILING TO