Platte Recovery Bill Introduced - Laserfiche WebLink

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: Sunday, March 4, 2007 S E C T 10 STATE & REGION Platte recovery bffl introduced Colorado, Nebraska team up to protect river as resource Associused Press Eager to bolster and protect one of Nebraska's major agri- cultural and wildlife resources, Nebraska's senators are co- sponsoring legislation with Col- orado's senators to fund the federai portion of the PZatte Riv er recovery program. Democrat Ben Nelson and Republican Chuck Hagel were joined Friday by Colorado Sens. Wayne Allard, a Republi- can, and Ken Salazar, a Demo- crat, as casponsors of the bi- parkisan authorization and funding measure. The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program offi- cially started on Jan. 1. Gov. Dave Heineman, along with governors from Colorado and Wyoming and the U.S. secre- tary of interior, signed the agreement last year. Work on the recovery plan began in 1997. The legislation will authorize the interior secretary to pra ceed with the program and in- cludes $157 million to fund the federal porkion. The Platte River Cooperative Agreement was designed to benefit the threatened and en- dangered species and provide water users in the Platte River Basin with coverage under the Endangered Species Act with- out giving up their access to federal water, land or funding. The four species are three birds - interior least tern, whooping crane and piping plover - and a fish - the pallid sturgeon. To pay the $317 million cost of the plan, the federal govern- ment will provide $157 million in cash. Coiorado plans to pitch in $24 million in. cash, and Wy- oming $6 million in cash. Ne- braska doesn't have to pay any cash, but could - because of a substantial increase in irrigated acres since July 1, 1997 - end up having to take thousands of irrigated acres out of produc- tion. That would carry a high price tag. The remaining $130 million for the plan is not in cash, but is being contributed through water and land credits: The three states must together con- i h-ibute 80,000 acre-feet of water at an agreed-upon value of $120 million. Nebraska's share of that water contribution will come through releases of the water in the already existing "environmental account" in Lake McConaughy. Wyoming and Nebraska also will contribute about 3,000 acres of land, a$10 million val- ue. If the program continues after 13 years, a total of 29,000 acres will be needecl to fully ac- complish the objectives of the program, but that acreage goal could change as the science is improved. Mark Czaplewski, a biologist for the Central Platte Natural Resources Dish-ict, said fecleral funding is pivotal to the pro- gram. "If it is to be successiul, and given the fact that the primary source of cash for the program is federal, passage of the legis- lation is important," he said.