Congresswoman Boebert's Bipartisan Bill to Protect Endangered Fish and Support 1,200 Colorado Water and Power Passes Committee!
Today, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Reauthorization Act passed the House Committee on Natural Resources with unanimous bipartisan consent. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-03) said, “Big win today as my fish bill passed the Natural Resources Committee with unanimous, bipartisan support. This crucial step brings us closer to safeguarding four endangered fish species and providing long-term certainty for 2,500 water and power users that benefit from the program and would have to perform extremely burdensome Section 7 consultations for all 2,500 individual projects without it. These projects, serve various needs, utilizing over 3.69 million acre-feet of water each year. With strong bicameral, bipartisan momentum and significant stakeholder support, I'm confident that this bill will become law and this important program will be reauthorized.” House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) said, “The reauthorization of the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Endangered Fish Recovery Programs in H.R. 4596 is a commonsense measure to continue a program that’s worked for more than 30 years. The program has so far been successful in protecting and recovering four federally listed fish species in the region, but the work remains and so we’re advancing legislation to maintain these restoration efforts. I applaud Representative Boebert for her leadership on this issue.” Background: Congresswoman Boebert’s bicameral and bipartisan bill provides a clean, seven-year reauthorization of the Upper Colorado and San Juan Recovery Programs that protect four threatened and endangered native fish species in the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins by extending conservation programs at current funding levels for seven additional fiscal years. The Upper Colorado and San Juan Recovery Programs were established in 1988 to achieve full recovery of four federally listed endangered fish species including the humpback chub, bonytail, Colorado pikeminnow, and razorback sucker. Those designations led to the threat of significant water and power-use restrictions. The recovery programs facilitate water delivery from the Navajo, Flaming Gorge, and Aspinall Unit reservoirs which collectively can store more than 6.5 million acre-feet of water as part of the Colorado River Storage Project. For over three decades, states, tribes, local communities, environmental groups, energy users, and water users, have partnered to help recover four threatened and endangered fish species while continuing water and power facility development and operations in the Upper Colorado River Basin and the San Juan River Basin. Non-federal partners contribute $11 million per year in water contributions, plus another $750,000 in staffing and in-kind contributions. Participating states contribute $500,000 to base funding each year in cash equivalents for recovery actions, including for fish hatcheries and non-native fish removal. The Fish and Wildlife Service contributes $1.56 million per year in base funding. The Bureau of Reclamation provides cost-shared contributions to both base and capital funding. Reclamation’s capital funding supports major infrastructure projects at reservoirs, diversion dams, canals, and floodplains across the basin. Without these programs, these 2,500 water and power users would have to perform extremely burdensome Section 7 consultations for all 2,500 individual projects. Because of the success of these programs, the humpback chub and the razorback sucker are success stories with the chub been downlisted from endangered to threatened and the razorback being recommended for downlisting. Last Congress, Rep. Boebert worked closely with the gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Neguse on a short-term extension to reauthorize these programs until September 30, 2024. Rep. Boebert’s bill is the result of months of hard work with local stakeholders, the Bureau of Reclamation, Senator Hickenlooper, and others to provide a long-term solution by reauthorizing these vital programs until 2031. Groups supporting Congresswoman Boebert’s Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Reauthorization Act include: Aurora Water, Central Utah Water Conservancy District, Clifton Water District, Colorado River District, Colorado River Energy Distributors Association, Colorado Springs Utilities, Colorado Water Congress, Delta County Commissioners, Denver Water, Dolores County Commissioners, Dolores Water Conservancy District, Grand Valley Water Users, Huerfano County Commissioners, LaPlata Water Conservation District, Mesa County Farm Bureau, Montezuma County, Municipal Subdistrict, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Pueblo Water, Purgatoire River Water Conservancy District, Rio Blanco Board of Commissioners, Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District, Rio Grande Water Conservation District, San Juan Water Commission, Southern Ute Tribe, Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Southwestern Water Conservation District, Tri-County Water Conservancy District, Utah Waters Users Association, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Ute Water Conservancy District.
Cosponsors of Congresswoman Boebert’s Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Reauthorization Act include Rep. Ken Buck (CO-04), Rep. John Duarte (CA-13), Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ-09), Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Rep. Harriet Hageman (WY-AL), Rep. Troy Nehls (TX-22), and Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04).
To read the full bill click here. |