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EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS <br />1 36 State Capitol <br />Denve•. Colorado 80203 -1 79 1 <br />Phone 0031866-2471 <br />May 15, 1997 <br />Bruce Babbitt <br />S ersetary <br />U.S. Department of the lnteno; <br />Room 6224 <br />1844 C St., N. W <br />Wasbmgton, DC 20240 <br />ATTACHMENT 2 <br />STATE_ OF COLORADO <br />Roy Ra"W, <br />Gwe,.+« <br />In 1994, we agreed to negotiate a basin -wide program to restore and protect habitat. in <br />centrai Nebradm.of several. wildTife-species fisted as endangered :under the <br />Spedes:Ct(F.SA). Tie prog.am_jLso .would serve as;the: reasaaable and= pnideat <br />aiteruadve *imdes< 'Section -7 of--the -ESA for all �astzag °aced Xnew waief use aad <br />devdopmeatactivi* in the:basia._,.Sinoc that time, our.repzts aged n. <br />complacand sometimes dmiegotiatioits toward --thedeyd6pment 'Of tha pm-am <br />I fully support the steps we have taken_ Cooperative - approaches -to difficult inat mi <br />resource uses are the most effective ways to achieve n=ittsi and-avoid- the:conteimops, <br />expensive and time - consuming delays that too often characterize the federal•pe:mrtimg <br />oroccsses. <br />I .am pleased to inform you that I agree, in principle, with the Cooperative Agteemew <br />and Proposed Program negotiated by our representatives. Through the negotiation process, Colorado water users have been engaged with the Colorado Department of <br />Natural Resources and have bees kept advised of our progress. I am informed that <br />many of the major water providers in the South Platte basin in Colorado also support, in <br />principle, the agreements that have been reached. <br />However, because our representatives only recently agreed to many of the significant <br />elements of the agreement, the full casts and benefits of the agreement and the Proposed <br />Program have not been fully discussed in Colorado. Therefore, before I sign the <br />agreement, I am asking the Department of Natural Resources to conduct public <br />meetings, as are necessary, to receive additional input on the proposed agreement. If <br />significant issues are raised, we may need to revisit certain elements of the agreement. <br />Nevertheless, I am prepared to execute the Cooperative Agreement once any remaining <br />issues are resolved. <br />