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13 <br /> to $300,000 per year, and would undertake planning for development of the Tamarack and <br /> other reregulation projects. The legislature has already planned for these potential activities <br /> by establishing an interim committee under S.B. 74 (1996). This committee is specifically <br /> charged to address Colorado's participation in programs to comply with the ESA. Water user <br /> organizations in the South Platte River Basin should also begin to explore ways to finance the <br /> implementation of proposed program activities. <br /> CONCLUSION <br /> The Cooperative Agreement and the Proposed Program offer positive solutions to contentious <br /> issues in water project compliance with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act. The <br /> Program provides a framework under which cooperative and programmatic activities can <br /> serve as the reasonable and prudent alternative under the ESA. If the Program is <br /> implemented, the three states and the Department of Interior will achieve a large measure of <br /> regulatory certainty for water users, and protect and restore valuable habitat for endangered <br /> species in the Central Platte River Valley in Nebraska. <br />