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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />co-hosted a one-day symposiwn and two-day workshop at the Mission Inn in Riverside, California <br />on the Colorado River Delta and associated Mexican environmental issues. The conference was well <br />attended with representatives from federal and state agencies, tribal, academia, and non- <br />governmental organizations from the United States and Mexico. Board staff, including Messrs. <br />Zimmennan, Spencer and Harris, attended the Friday plenary session. Representatives of Coach ell a <br />VaHey Water District, Imperial Irrigation District and Metropolitan Water District also attended, <br />with some remaining for the weekend workshop sessions. <br /> <br />There were presentations associated with the legal and regulatory management framework <br />for the Colorado River on both sides of the international boundary. Several presenters discussed the <br />ecological, conservation and habitat requirements for species and habitats in the Colorado River <br />Delta and upper Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). <br /> <br />Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes briefly described the recent Joint Declaration which <br />was signed by Secretary Babbitt and his Mexican counterpart, M. Julia Carabias. The U.S. <br />Department of the Interior is currently developing a process for implementing the Joint Declaration <br />and addressing binational issues through policy-level dialogue with the Republic of Mexico, Basin <br />States, and other interested parties. <br /> <br />Deputy Secretary Hayes expressed the hope that infonnation, suggestions and any potential <br />recommendations developed at the Riverside conference could be incorporated in the one-day <br />workshop to be hosted by the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, <br />October I 1,2000. As mentioned earlier, the Board's Executive Director and the Director of the <br />California Department of Water Resources attended the October 11 'h meeting with representatives <br />of the other Colorado River Basin States. . <br /> <br />Lower Colorado River Operation Program <br /> <br />At the August Board meeting we discussed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Biological Opinion <br />that was issued on the Lower Colorado River operations and the role and responsibilities it has <br />placed on Reclamation in regard to implementing reasonable and prudent alternatives and reasonable <br />and prudent measures. Funding for this work flows through the Lower Colorado River Operations <br />Program (LCROP). Reclamation had submitted a budget request for $13,729,000 to Congress. The <br />House authorized the full amount. The Senate, however, authorized a little over one-half of <br />Reclamation's request. I am glad to report that after working with members of the House/Senate <br />conference committee, it included $ I 1,729,000 for LCROP as part of Reclamation's total funding <br />authorization, and forwarded Reclamation' s budget to the President. <br /> <br />The President, however, vetoed the authorization due to a project on the Missouri River by <br />the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The President's concerns are expected to be resolved sometime <br />this week, and the authorization request will be resubmitted to him with the expectation that he will <br /> <br />6 <br />