Animas-La PLata Project Environmental Impact Statement

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION, PURPOSE OF, AND NEED FOR THE PROJECT
comply with the 1996 Biological Opinion, is a connected action. Additional analysis on the operation of
Navajo Reservoir has taken place since the 1996 FSFES, and an updated discussion is included in
Chapter 4, Other Impact Considerations, (also see Attachment C, Navajo Reservoir Operation). Several
additional cumulative actions, namely, completion of the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, the Jicarilla
Apache Tribe Water Rights Settlement, the proposed Navajo - Gallup Water Supply Project, restoration of
the Hogback Project, the San Juan Basin coalbed methane gas development, and construction of several
Colorado/New Mexico transportation projects, are also discussed in Chapter 4.
1.6 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND CONSULTATION
REQUIREMENTS
Because the United States owns and operates the Navajo Reservoir and also has pervasive ESA and
Tribal responsibilities in the San Juan River Basin, the FSEIS is designed to accommodate as much as
possible these overlapping concerns. The laws and policies listed below summarize these responsibilities
and how they are affected by the ALP Project.
❑ Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
❑ National Historic Preservation Act
❑ Endangered Species Act
❑ Clean Water Act
❑ Reclamation policy regarding analysis and discussion of effects on Indian Trust Assets
❑ Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low Income
Populations
❑ Executive Orders 11988 and 11990 on Floodplain Management and Protection of Wetlands
❑ Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
❑ Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
❑ . Other environmental review laws and executive orders, including that for metric application
Development and operation of the ALP Project would require various contracts and agreements which
would be negotiated with the Colorado Ute Tribes, Colorado Water Conservation Board, ALPWCD,
SJWC, and federal, state, and local agencies. Various permits and licenses would also need to be
obtained from local, state, and federal regulatory agencies.
The permits for the approval, construction, and operation of the proposed ALP Project cover a wide
spectrum of compliance activities. This FSEIS and associated planning have supported the basis for
meeting the necessary permit conditions. The permits and licenses needed for construction and operation
of the ALP Project, and the agencies or departments that administer them, are listed in Chapter 7,
Permits, Approvals, and Regulatory Requirements.
1.6 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND 1_14
CONSULTATION REQUIREMENTS