Chapter 1: Purpose and Need for Action

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Program Purposes ]PROGRAM PURPOSES The purpose of the action is to implement the first phase, or increment, of a program that offsets some of the impacts to the target species and their habitat located in the Central and Lower Platte River corridar caused by historic, current, and future water related activities, through the implementation of land and water management actions which result in target species habitat restoration, creation, and/or enhancement. The Program will: ? Assist in the conservation and recovery of the target species in the Basin and thereby provide ESA regulatory compliance for effects to the target species river habitats of existing and certain new water related activities that deplete water from the Platte River upstream of the Loup River confluence ? Provide a means to ensure that future water uses in the Basin do not undermine these habitat and species benefits and thereby are in compliance with the ESA ? Help prevent the need to list more species under the ESA SPECIFIC FEDERAL PURPOSES While Program purposes for the State, Federal, and private participants are similar, there are specific requirements which the Program must meet to address the responsibility of Federal agencies under the ESA. The Program must: (1) Serve as the ESA Reasonable and Prudent Alternative for Previously-Completed Consultations: Where the actions of Federal agencies have previously been the subject of ESA consultation and have received a jeopardy opinion from the Service under Section 7(a)(2) of the ESA, the Program is to serve as the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative for those actions for the target species in the Central and Lower Platte River. (2) Provide ESA Offsetting Measures: Where the ongoing operations of Federal water projects in the Basin have not yet completed ESA consultation, the Program is to provide sufficient benefits to the target species in and along the Platte River in Nebraska such that any impacts of those project's operations will be sufficiently offset to avoid the likelihood of jeopardizing the continued existence of the target species or adversely modifying or destroying designated critical habitat when consultation occurs. In accomplishing these first two requirements, the Program will also provide for a much more streamlined and efficient process for completing hundreds of existing or pending consultations on water-related activities in the Platte River Basin. (3) Focus on Federal Project Impacts: In serving as the ESA Reasonable and Prudent Alternative, or in providing offsetting measures for project impacts to the target species, the Program must offset impacts on the target species' habitats that have been adversely affected by the Federal actions, in kind and in place, especially where designated critical habitat is involved.