PRRIP Draft Environmental Impact Statement

• Description: DRAFT EIS for Platte River Recovery Implementation Program or PRRIP
• State: CO
• State: NE
• State: WY
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 12/1/2003
• Author: U.S Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Title: Platte River Recovery Implementation Program ‎(PRRIP)‎ Draft Environmental Impact Statement
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: EIS

Platte River Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
THE NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE
Typically, the reference points against which alternatives are compared in an EIS are those future
conditions that will occur if the proposed action is not implemented. Those conditions are collectively
termed "The No Action Alternative." For reasons described below, it is not possible to quantify the
No Action conditions for the proposed action. This section briefly describes some important aspects of
the No Action scenario and the quantitative NEPA baseline that will be used for comparing alternatives.
The Future Without a Basinwide, Cooperative Program
The intent of a Basinwide, cooperative Program would be to remove or avoid jeopardy to the target
species for water projects with a Federal nexus in the Basin. Without a Basinwide, cooperative Program,
each water project would need to complete individual Section 7 consultation and develop and implement
individual measures to offset any historic or future degradation to habitat for the target species.
By achieving ESA compliance through a Basinwide, cooperative approach, the Program would reduce the
time, expense, and other costs of completing separate project -by- project consultations. Although it is not
possible to predict what form compliance with the ESA would take without a Basinwide, cooperative
Program, the following appear likely:
➢ Individually, project owners would be responsible for offsetting adverse effects on the target
species and critical habitat using a combination of water, land, and financial measures.
➢ The requirements for land restoration and riverflow enhancement would likely be higher
without a cooperative Program, where contributions for water and land can be pooled and
waterflows protected between States (see chapter 3, "Description of the Alternatives," and
attachment, The No Action Alternative, for more details).
Baseline for Comparing Alternatives
As stated above, the alternative to a Basinwide, cooperative Program (the proposed action) is separate
Section 7 consultations and offsetting measures for hundreds of individual Federal, State, and private
water projects and facilities that depend upon Federal authorization or funding. Prior to completing those
consultations, it is speculative as to what the conditions throughout the Basin would be without the
proposed action. Therefore, the present conditions (Present Condition) that exist in the Basin are used as
the quantitative NEPA baseline for comparing alternatives.
December 2003
A