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<br />, Wedne$day, May 9, 1990
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<br />THED
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<br />Parr
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<br />Fish finding has project flo , ndering
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<br />WATER from Page 1A
<br />would deplete 50,1 billion gallons
<br />of river flows each year, more wa-
<br />ter tban tbe city of Denver con-
<br />sumes annually.
<br />Existing water projects in tbe
<br />San Juan River basin already have
<br />depleted up to 45 percent of tbe
<br />river's natural flows.
<br />"Depletions, along with a num-
<br />ber of other factors, have resulted
<br />in sucb drastic reductions in popu-
<br />lations of Colorado squawfisb that
<br />tbe service has listed this species
<br />as endangered," said Galen Buter-
<br />baugh, Denver regional director of
<br />tbe Fish and Wildlife Service,
<br />"Furtber flow reductions in the
<br />San Juan River are likely to jeop-
<br />ardize the continued existence of
<br />tbe Colorado squawfish,"
<br />Animas-La Plata was tbe only
<br />new water project proposed in
<br />President Bush's 1991 federal bud-
<br />get. Federal taxpayers already
<br />have spent $9.5 million on tbe proj-
<br />ect.
<br />Interior Secretary Manuel Lu-
<br />jan, who formerly supported Ani-
<br />mas-La Plata while serving as a
<br />New Mexico congressman, endors-
<br />ed the Fish and Wildlife Service's
<br />decision. Lujan's decision Hputs the
<br />project on indefinite hold, and
<br />probably dead," said spokesman
<br />Mark Stephenson.
<br />,1 Congressman Ben Nighthorse
<br />"j Campbell, whose district includes
<br />,j most of the proposed Bureau of
<br />,1 Reclatmbatidon p,:"jectF, was steamhed
<br />I" nver e eC1SlOn. or years, e
<br />, noted, state and federal wildlife
<br />\ agencies deliberately poisoned
<br />, dozens of Western rivers to kill
<br />"I, squawfish, considered by many an-
<br />glers to be "trash fish."
<br />~ "I am angry," said Campbell, an
<br />Ignacio Democrat, "Tbey used to
<br />talk about these fish like they were
<br />vermin, Now they're an endanger-
<br />! ed species, It was government stu-
<br />pidity that made them endangered
<br />in the first place."
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<br />
<br />Romer said he may ask for a re-
<br />versal by a special Endangered
<br />Species Committee. With a majori-
<br />ty vote, tbat panel, dubbed the
<br />"God Committee," can exempt an
<br />environmentally destructive proj-
<br />ect from the Endangered Species
<br />Act.
<br />"I am deeply concerned about
<br />the implications of the draft bio-
<br />logical opinion that was released
<br />on the project today," Romer said
<br />in a statement. "The V,S. Depat-
<br />ment of the Interior has responsi-
<br />bilities that should be balanced
<br />with the protection of endangered
<br />species. ..
<br />The "God-Committee," officially
<br />called the Endangered Species
<br />Committee, consists of the secre-
<br />taries of Agriculture, Army, Inte-
<br />rior, chairman of the Council of
<br />Economic Advisors, head of the
<br />National Oceanic and Atmospheric
<br />Administration, Environmental
<br />Protection Agency administrator,
<br />In addition, President Bush
<br />would appoint one representative
<br />from Colorado and New Mexico,
<br />and possibly utah.
<br />
<br />~"'",.n..qti(i;!t(i;! l'1aim Croatia victory
<br />
<br />ENDANGERED FISH
<br />;__;_.';"R'~:::? ~ I
<br />.~~~,~Q~f~/jsil1~~l\WI
<br />R___=.if.~I'F""F;1
<br />
<br />Coi.o..uhClIk..n areas: Green River between Sand Wash and the Yampa River
<br />confluence, White River between Mountain Fuel Bridge and Green River
<br />confluence, Colorado River at Colorado-Utah border.
<br />
<br />In the 17-year history of the En-
<br />dangered Species Act, the "God
<br />Committee" has overruled only
<br />one death sentence for a project,
<br />the proposed Grayrocks Reservoir
<br />in southeastern Wyoming.
<br />Environmental and whitewater
<br />rafting groups, which had threat-
<br />ened lawsuits against Animas-La
<br />Plata, applauded the Fish and
<br />Wildlife Service's decision. They
<br />also urged Romer not to ask to
<br />convene tbe Endangered Species
<br />Committee,
<br />liThe biological decision is based
<br />on many years of detailed studies.
<br />A hasty response by the state of
<br />Colorado could not possibly take
<br />into account all the facts and con-
<br />tingencies," said Lori Potter of the
<br />Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.
<br />"There's a lot more than fish at
<br />stake here,"
<br />As proposed, Animas-La Plata
<br />would significantly increase salt
<br />and heavy metal pollution in the
<br />Animas, La Plata, Mancos and San
<br />Juan rivers. It also would flood
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<br />4,700 acres used by 200 deer and
<br />2,230 acres of winter range relied
<br />upon by more than 150 elk. In ad-
<br />dition, the project 8rea is home'to
<br />more than 20 bald eagles in the
<br />winter, and at least two nesting
<br />pairs in warmer months.
<br />The project also is likely to hurt
<br />a population of 13 rare razorback
<br />suckers, a species p.,posed last
<br />year to be included on the Endan-
<br />gered Species List.
<br />Animas-La Plata's price tag bas
<br />skyrocketed 390 percent since Con-
<br />gress first approved it in 1968, A1-
<br />tbough $399 million of the project
<br />budget would be devoted to farm
<br />irrigation, the irrigators would re-
<br />pay only $21.2 million. The biggest
<br />single funding source, $214 mil-
<br />lion, would come not from sales of
<br />project water, but from hydroelec-
<br />tric sales from other federal dams
<br />at Lake Powell, Flaming Gorge
<br />and the Gunnison River.
<br />Robert Kowalski of the Denver '
<br />Post Washington bureau also con- '
<br />trlbuted to Ibis report,
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