Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 2005-2006

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LION M. HUNTSMAN, JR. GOVERNOR OF Th° ! .��d, 004 1898 I STATE OF UTAH OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84114-2220 February 17, 2006 The Honorable David L. Hobson, Chair The Honorable Peter J. Visclosky, Ranking Member Energy and Water Development Subcommittee Committee on Appropriations U. S. House of Representatives 2362 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairman Hobson and Ranking Member Visclosky: GARY R. HERBERT LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR As Governor of Utah, I am writing to request your support and assistance to ensure continued funding for the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program. These two successful ongoing cooperative partnership programs involve the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, Indian tribes, federal agencies and water, power and environmental interests. Utah and the other participating states request your support for an appropriation in the President's recommended budget for FY 2007 of $4,594,000 to the Bureau of Reclamation within the budget line item entitled "Endangered Species Recovery Implementation Program" for the Upper Colorado Region. The funding designation we seek is as follows: $3,104,000 for construction activities for the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program; $1,090,000 for the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program and $400,000 for activities to avoid jeopardy. Since 1988, these programs have facilitated ESA Section 7 consultation (without litigation) for more than 1,000 federal, tribal, state and privately managed water projects depleting approximately 2.9 million acre -feet of water per year. The requested FY 2007 appropriation will allow the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Program to proceed with construction of additional fish passage structures on the Colorado River to provide access to historic habitat upstream of existing diversion dams, a fish screen on a major diversion on the Green River to avoid entrainment of endangered fish, and construction of the Elkhead Project to provide low flow augmentation water on the Yampa River. The requested funding for the San Juan River Recovery Program will be used for construction of a fish screen and fish passage in critical habitat on the San Juan River.