"02 - Blue Gold (b)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cussler Clive)

She slammed the cover down symbolically on the box.

"The first step has already been taken. As most of you know, Congress has authorized private control over the distribution of water from the Colorado River."

Kinkaid leaned forward onto the table. УAnd as you must know, Ms. Sigurd, I led the opposition to that bill."

"Fortunately you did not prevail. Had the legislation gone down, the West would have been doomed. The reservoirs hold only a two-year supply. After that ran out we would have to evacuate most of California and Arizona and a good portion of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming."

"I'll say the same thing I told those fools in Washington. Putting Hoover Dam in private hands won't increase the water supply."

"That was never at issue. The problem was not water supply but distribution. Much of the water was being misused. Ending government subsidies and putting water in the private sector means that it will not be wasted for the simplest of reasons. Waste is not profitable."

"I stand by my basic argument," Kinkaid said. "Something as important as water should not be controlled by companies that are unaccountable to the public."

"The public had its chance and failed. Now the price of water will be set by supply and demand. The marketplace will rule. Only those who can afford the water will get it."

"That's exactly what I said during the debate. The rich cities would thrive while the poor communities die of thirst."

Brynhild was unyielding. "So what of it? Consider the alter natives if the water continued to be distributed under the old publicly owned system and the rivers dried up. The West as we know it would become a dust bowl. As the man from Nevada said, L.A., Phoenix, and Denver would become ghost towns. Picture tumbleweed blowing through the empty casinos of Las Vegas. There would be economic disaster. Bond markets would dry up. Wall Street would turn its back on us. Loss in financial power means lost influence in Washington. Public works money would flow to other parts of the country."

She let the litany of disasters sink in, then went on. "Westerners would become the new 'Okies,' straight out of The Grapes of Wrath. Only instead of moving west to the Promised Land, they would pile their families into their Lexus and Mercedes SWs and head east." With irony in her rich voice, she said, УAsk yourself how the crowded eastern seaboard would react to thou sands, millions of jobless westerners moving into their neighbor hood." She paused for dramatic effect. "Wouldn't it be interesting if the people in Oklahoma refused to take us under their wing?"

"I wouldn't blame them," said a developer from Southern California. "They'd greet us the same way the Californians did my grandparents, with guns and goon squads and road blocks."

A rancher from Arizona grinned ruefully. "If you Californians weren't so damned greedy, there would be enough water for everybody."

Within minutes everyone was talking at once. Brynhild let the argument go on before rapping the table with her knuckle.

"This fruitless discussion is an example of the squabbling over water that has gone on for decades. In the old days ranchers shot each other over water rights. Today your weapons are law suits. Privatization will end this squabbling. We must end the fighting among ourselves."

The sound of clapping echoed in the hall. "Brava," said Kinkaid. "I applaud your eloquent performance, but you're wasting your time. I intend to ask Congress to reopen the whole issue."

"That might be a mistake."

Kinkaid was too agitated to detect the veiled threat. "I don't think so. I have it on good authority that the companies that have taken over the Colorado River system spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to influence this awful legislation."

"Your information is inaccurate. We spent millions."

"Millions. YouЧ?"

"Not personally. My corporation, which is the umbrella organization for those companies you mentioned."
"I'm stunned. The Colorado River is under your control?"

"Actually, under the control of an entity set up for that ex press purpose."

"Outrageous! I can't believe you're telling me this."

"Nothing that has been done is illegal."