Commentary
This year is the centennial anniversary of the Colorado River Commission, the “convention of states” that negotiated the Colorado River Compact.
The Colorado River Compact is familiar primarily to those living in the American West. But the Colorado River Commission was a landmark event for all Americans. It was a major triumph of state over federal power. Its negotiations served as a model for later compacts that resolved uncertainties as the states wanted them resolved, rather than how Congress might dictate.
The Colorado River Commission (also called the Colorado River Compact Commission) was one of the most successful conventions of states ever held. Its achievement debunks uninformed claims that interstate conventions are “unprecedented” or cannot follow a pre-set agenda….