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J <br />1.0d it — 3 <br />Cangre!Z of the Mnt'teb llgptfftts� <br />34oui;.e of Rrprc:antadbt� <br />91a4irt004T, �Dc 20515 <br />April 11, 199.4 <br />The Honorable Tom Be- rill, Chairman <br />House Appropriations, Subcommittee oa <br />Energy and Water Development <br />236-2 Rayburn 140B <br />Washington, DC 2 0515 <br />SUBJECT: Request for Support of the. Upper Colorado River Basin <br />Endangered -Fish Recovery Program <br />Dear Chairman Bevi11: <br />We are writing to request your support. for an appropriation- in <br />fiscal year 1995 cf - $4,77.5,00(3 to the U.S.. Bureau of Reclamation <br />(Reclamation) that would 'be specifically earmarked for activities <br />associated- with the recovery of Four - endangered fish species in <br />the Upper Colorado River Basin. This amount is included in the <br />Administration's proposed FY 95 budget for Reclamation under an <br />item labeled °Construction - Endangered Species Recovery <br />Implementation Program - Upper Colorado Region - Various' <br />totaling $5.546 million, and which includes other items. <br />In Fiscal year 2.993 -, the Recovery Program initiated specific <br />studies and actions -in preparation for construction -activities <br />necessary to recover the endangered fish. These activities <br />included restoration of fish passage to historic habitat; <br />instream flow protection on -the. Yampa River including thek <br />enlargement of the existing Elkhead Reservoir, and water <br />acquisition .on _ the Colorado - River, in`'c.luding re- operation of <br />existing projects and modifications to existing projects. <br />Activities were also initiated in 1993 on several fish habitat <br />restoration projects, including flooded bottom lands and <br />wetlands. <br />Pre -construction activities in all of these areas began in fiscal <br />year 1994- The FY 95 funds we are requesting will enable these <br />vital activities to continue and to be successfully imnlemented <br />in subsequent fiscal years. <br />The Upper Colorado River Basin - Endangered Fish Recover;, Program <br />is a mutually supported program -involving the- U.S. Ssureau of - <br />Reclarnation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Western area Power <br />Administration, the States of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, <br />environmental organizations, and water development interests. <br />This program, now in its sixth year of operation, has the <br />objective of cooperatively recovering the four endangered fish <br />while water development proceeds in compliance with the <br />Appendix A -9 <br />