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Section 5: Approaches to Economic Activity Changes <br />From the Without Scenario <br />A. Recovery Implementation Programs and Section 7 Activities <br />Estimating the economic impacts of the proposed critical habitat designations for endangered <br />fishes poses formidable challenges because many impacts will result, not from current <br />activities but, from future activities set in motion by Section 7 Consultations. Consultation <br />with the USFWS under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act is initiated when a Federal <br />agency determines that an activity they will authorize, fund, or carry out may affect a listed <br />species or its critical habitat. USFWS then issues a biological opinion finding that the action <br />either is or is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the listed species or to <br />destroy or adversely modify its critical habitat. If the USFW5 determines that the action is <br />likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the listed species, or to destroy or adversely <br />modify its critical habitat, it develops reasonable and prudent alternatives that would avoid a <br />jeopardy, or adverse modification situation, if such alternatives are available. <br />The Upper Basin and San Juan Recovery Implementation Programs (RIPS) currently serve as <br />the reasonable and prudent alternatives to jeopardy in the Upper Basin. These have allowed <br />some water development to proceed concurrently with efforts to recover endangered fishes. <br />The Upper Basin RIP is a cooperative effort to recover the endangered fishes in the Upper <br />Basin while providing for water development to proceed in a manner compatible with <br />applicable State and Federal laws. The Recovery Program was implemented in January 1988 <br />by a Cooperative Agreement signed by the Governors of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, the <br />Secretary of the Interior, and the Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration. <br />The San Juan RIP was initiated in the biological opinion issued by the USFWS on the <br />Animas-LaPlata project in Colorado. On October 24, 1991, a Memorandum of Understanding <br />was executed by the USFWS, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the <br />States of Colorado and New Mexico, the Ute Mountain Indian Tribe, the Southern Ute Indian <br />I-20 <br />