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<br />. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Warren Act Legislation: A number of Colorado water user organizations are still discussing <br />potential amendments to the federal Warren Act. The Warren Act was adopted in 1911 and includes <br />provisions governing the issuance of contracts for use of excess capacity in federal projects for delivery of <br />non-project water supplies, The proposed amendments would help project sponsors (e,g" water <br />conservancy districts) by applying revenue from the sale of surplus water under Warren Act contracts <br />against project repayment and operation and maintenance costs, More importantly, the amendments are <br />also intended to allow for the storage and transportation of non-project water for M&I uses (in addition to <br />agricultural uses), where project sponsors agree that this use will not be detrimental to primary project <br />purposes, The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District is hosting a meeting to discuss the <br />latest proposals later this week (Nov, 19) in Denver. <br /> <br />Dam Safety: On October 27, the House Agriculture Committee reported S, 728, the Small <br />Watershed Rehabilitation Amendments of 1999. T]1e Small Watershed Program, authorized in the 1940- <br />50s, is overseen by the Natural Resource Conservation Service, The bill would authorize the Secretary of <br />Agriculture to spend up to $60 million a year for 10 years on over 10,000 deteriorating small dams. The <br />life expectancy for these projects was 50 years and many are already 40+ years old, The amendments <br />would establish a ranking system and set aside $5 million annual to be used to assess the progress of the <br />program. A companion Senate bill has also been introduced, <br /> <br />House Resources Committee Chair Introduces ESA Bill: On October 28, Rep. Don Young <br />introduced the "Common Sense Protections for Endangered Species Act" (H,R. 3160), Young advocates <br />the return of more authority and responsibility for wildlife protection to the states, stronger application of <br />science in the listing of species, and clear incentives for the protection of habitat on private lands. There <br />are 31 cosponsors, A press release issued by Young says the House Resources Committee has held more <br />than 25 hearings since 1995 on the effects of the ESA and that hundreds of witnesses testified about the <br />"misuse of this law for purposes that have nothing to do with protecting wildlife," He expressed <br />frustration that, while there are 1,197 species listed liS endangered or threatened, none have been <br />recovered due to actions attributable to the ESA. Young said the bill reforms the ESA process by: <br />· Involving and relying upon the expertise of states in the listing process; <br />· Improving petitions, listing investigations and public participation in the listing process; <br />· Requiring the use of peer reviewed science to support the listing of species; <br />· Establishing clear deadlines for agency decision making; <br />· Allowing affected citizens to participate in consultations and biological opinions; <br />· Preventing demands on private landowners as a condition of getting a permit and by having <br />deadlines for making permit decisions; <br />· Making conservation agreements binding on all parties; and <br />· Making recovery planning an inclusive process and allowing the Secretary to delegate <br />responsibility to the states for development and implementation of recovery plans; Designation of <br />critical habitat would become part of the recovery process; Recovery plans would result in <br />delisting of species, <br /> <br />For more information about the bill, see htto://thomas.Ioc,gov/cgi-binlbdquerv/z?dl 06:HR03160. <br /> <br />FWS Reopens Comment Period For Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Information During October: <br />The FWS reopened the comment period for 30 days on a conservation strategy for the black-tailed prairie <br />dog developed by several states, The states, including Colorado, have prairie dog habitat and worked <br /> <br />3 <br />