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

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DAVE FREUDENTHAL } STATE CAPITOL GOVERNOR y OF WYOMING CHEYENNE, WY B2002 THE STATE . office• of the Governor February 24, 2006 The Honorable Pete V. Domenici, Chairman The Honorable Harry Reid, Ranking Member Energy and Water Development Subconunittee Committee on Appropriations United States Senate 127 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington. D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman Domenici and Senator Reid: I am writing to request your support and assistance in ensuring 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 and federal agencies, as well as water, power and environmental interests. Wyoming 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. These recover;' programs have become national models for collaboratively working towards recovering endangered species while meeting water use and development demands in compliance .vith the Endangered Species Act, state law, and interstate compacts in the Upper Colorado River Basin region of the Intermountain West. Since 1988, these programs have facilitated ESA Section 7 consultation (without litigation) for over 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 strictures on the Colorado River to provide access to hi.storic 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 TTY: 777.7860 PHONE: (307) 777 -7434 FAX: (307) 632 -3909