BOARD01284

• Board Meeting Date: 9/21/1998
• Description: Platte River Basin Issues - Status of Platte River Species Cooperative Agreement Implementation
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

AUG-26 '98 WED 10:47 AM

FAX NO.

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August 18, 1998
Page 2

Committee has spawned sub-committee after sub-committee, There must be at least six, possibly
more, Combined, they conduct so many different meetings each month that it is impossible for
farmers and ranchers to attend and defend their rights because their full attention during
irrigating season' and until harvest must be focused on their operations, Although they have the
most at stake in the process, they are virtually precluded from participating in it. It is ridiculous
and dangerous. Federal and state government representatives receive per diem, expenses and full
pay when attending meetings without input from the sector of the public which will ultimately
sacrifice the resource that is the subject of this entire process - private water rights. .

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The Cooperative Agreement seeks a major reallocation of water resoUrces that will surely cause
lasting harm to agricl\1ture in the states of Wyoming, Colorado an~ NebrRsh. The federal
government has made it abWldantly clear that any meaningful involvement and representation by
farmers and ranchers is not weicome or allowed. The ten member Governance Committee has
little agricultural representation. It is loaded with state and federal bureaucrats, environmental
groups and, for Nebraska, a power company, The cost to taxpayers for just the first increment of
the three decade process is $75 million, All this for the whooping crane which, as a species,
relies to a very minor degree on the "critical habitat" corridor and is already showing signs of
recovery while the future for farmers and ranchers deteriorates. Our priority must be to protect
and enhance their environment first, and the whooping crane habitat second.

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. A month or so ago, a request made by the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District
(CCWCD) in Greeley, Colorado, to receive cooperating agency status in the NEP A review
process, The request was denied by the head of the Environmental Impact Statement team in
Denver. This rejection occurred in spite of the District's ability to provide expertise regarding the
impact to agricultural water rights within the District and the South Platte Basin in Colorado.
The Central District's service area is comprised of over 470,000 acres in the heart of the South
Platte River from Denver to Fort Morgan, Colorado. The District's constituency is comprised of
predominately irrigators in Weld COWlty, Weld COWlty is the nations' fourth most productive
agricultural county, This rejection also occurred in spite of the following comment written to
Governor Geringer's office last August II by the Chair of the President's COWlcil on
F.nvironmentalQ\:a1lt}', Kathleen McGinty, "Regulations impI(;;iIlenting the Act at CFR 1508.5
are clear that a state or local government may, by the agreement of the lead agency, become a
cooperating agency. Frankly, considering NEP A's mandate and authority granted in federal
regulation to allow state and local cooperation through agreement, cooperator status for state and
local governments should occur routinely." It would be appropriate for your Office to react with
indignation to the denial of Central's request to serve as a cooperating agency.

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Considering the crisis farmers and ranchers are now in, we ask that you take irnmediate action to
divert the federal share of the $75 million from feeding this process which is certain to hann
agriculture, We also request that you seek an immediate moratorium of the whole Cooperative
Agreement process Wltil after harvest when fanners and ranchers can Iiave a fair chance of
participating in the process which, to date, has not received adequate representation from
agriculture and is likely to result in hann to the water users of Colorado.
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