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. . . On October 10, 2003, the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) and its related documents were signed, The QSA will provide California a transition period to implement water transfers and supply programs that will reduce California's dependence upon the Colorado River and allow it to live within its 4.4 million acre-foot basic annual apportionment when conditions on the River dictate. With execution of the QSA, California is assured of up to 75 years of stability in its Colorado River water supplies and provides for a lasting peace among Colorado River users, not only in California, but also among the seven states that share the Colorado River. Also, with this action, it is expected that the Department of the Interior will reinstated the Interim Surplus Guidelines and issue the Record of Decision on its Inadvertent Overrun and Payback Policy. Basin States Discussions As has been reported at previous Board meetings, representatives from the six other Colorado River Basin states have been extremely interested in the status of execution of the QSA and its contents. A number of meetings have been held to advise the states of the status and to obtain their input over the last few months. Colorado River Environmental Activities Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Significant progress continues to be made in the development of the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR MSCP). Final Administrative Drafts of the LCR MSCP Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Biological Assessment (BA) have been submitted to the Washington Offices of the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for internal review and comment. Additionally, the Technical Contractors have pTepared an Administrative Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Report (EIS/R) for review and comment. Members ofthe LCR MSCP Implementation Issues Subcommittee have prepared a draft of proposed federal legislation authorizing implementation of the LCR MSCP, cost-sharing, program management, fi.mds appropriations, governance, and reporting requiTements. The draft legislation is being circulated among the LCR MSCP participating agencies for review and comment and has been distributed to agency lobbyists. The intent is to have the agency Washington D.C. representatives begin to circulate the proposed legislation with staffers in Congress and identi fy potential sponsors. Mr. Harris and I, and other LCR MSCP representatives met with the Fort Yuma-Quechan Tribal Council and provided a status update and LCR MSCP program overview on October 8, 2003, at the Tribal Headquarters in Winterhaven, California. The purpose of the meeting was to update the Tribe on the status of the Program, identify potential areas of cooperation related to implementation of the LCR MSCP and the Tribes interest in implementing potential habitat restoration on Tribal lands along the lower Colorado River in the Yuma region. 4 , '