Economic Analysis of Critical Habitat Designation in the Colorado River Basin for the Razorback Sucker, Humpback Chub, Colorado Squawfish, and Bonytail April 1994

• Description: Economic Analysis of Critical Habitat Designation in the Colorado River Basin for the Razorback Sucker, Humpback Chub, Colorado Squawfish, and Bonytail April 1994
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 4/1/1994
• Title: Economic Analysis of Critical Habitat Designation in the Colorado River Basin for the Razorback Sucker, Humpback Chub, Colorado Squafish, and Bonytail April 1994
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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