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'United �tatcs ol5tnatt <br />WASHINGTON, DC 20510 <br />May 27, 1994 <br />The Honorable Robert C. Byrd, Chairman <br />Subcommittee on Interior and Related <br />Agencies <br />127 Dirksen Senate-Office Building <br />Washington, D.C. 20510 <br />SUBJECT: Request for Support of the Upper Colorado River Basin <br />Endangered Fish Recovery Program <br />Dear Chairman Byrd: <br />We are writing to request your support and assistance in ensuring <br />continued funding for the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish <br />Recovery Program. This multi - state, multi - agency_program is being <br />implemented in the Upper Colorado River Basin with the objective of <br />recovering four endangered fish species while water development <br />proceeds in compliance with the Endangered Species Act. We also <br />are requesting some additional funding for operation of facilities <br />needed to support this important program. We have four requests: <br />1. That the Subcommittee support $624,000 for recovery funds for <br />the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that is included in the <br />President's budget to meet-its funding commitment to the Upper <br />Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. <br />2. That language be included in the Subcommittee's fiscal year <br />1995 appropriations legislation to indicate that Section 6 <br />funds should be allocated to the Recovery Program before the <br />Services' formula for allocating funds among the regions is <br />applied. Currently, the money that is appropriated for the <br />recovery of endangered fish in the Upper Colorado River is <br />provided to the states of Utah and Colorado through Section 6 <br />of the Endangered Species Act. In Fiscal Year (FY) 1992 and <br />FY 1993,' the Subcommittee earmarked $200,000 pursuant to <br />Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act for the Upper Colorado <br />River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. Without this specific <br />clarification by the Subcommittee, USFWS would rely on its own <br />formula for allocating Section 6 funds. If the formula were <br />to be used, adequate funding would be available for only four <br />species in an eight-state region. This would adversely affect <br />not only species in Utah and Colorado, but also 69 species in <br />the other six states in Region 6: Wyoming, Montana, North <br />Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska. <br />Appendix A -3 <br />