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Program Purposes <br />(5) Equitable I?istribution ofEffort: A collaborative eftort among all major water users in the <br />Basin allows for a more equitable distribution of effort than might occur under individual project <br />consultation. Individual consultations tend not to focus on issues of equity and fair share, but <br />rather focus only on offsetting the effects of the project cunently in consultation. <br />Whether or not a Basinwide, cooperative Program is implemented, Federal agencies and the projects they <br />operate, fund, or authorize (which include many State and private water projects) must comply with the <br />ESA. The alternative to a Basinwide approach to ESA compliance would be for each water project to <br />undergo separate ESA review and develop separate measures to offset loss of habitat for the target species <br />without relying upon the Program. This process is very costly for all parties and usually takes many years <br />to accomplish. <br />Volume 2, "The ESA Section 7 Consultation Process With and Without a Cooperative Program," <br />explains why a separate, project-by-project approach to ESA compliance is likely to be significantly more <br />costly for water users and less effective for offsetting impacts to the species habitat.