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J,J \.0....',; . c! / TIIE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL Creekview Plaza, Suite A-201/942 East 7145 So. / Midvale, Utah 84047 / (801) 561-5300 / FAX (801) 255-9642 editor - Tony Willardson typist - Carrie curvin ENVIRONMENT Endangered Species Act-Reauthorization . House Merchant Marine Committee Chair Gerry Studds (D-MA) recently said, 'There is a misconception that the [ESA]...is somehow broken and needs fixing. Nothing could be further from the truth.' On the other hand, there is interest in exploring potential amendments to the Act. The Committee held a general oversight hearing on ESA issues on May 27. It was the first in a series. Discussions over ESA reauthorization are expected to be long and involved, with the House taking the lead in the debate. A number of House bills have been introduced, including H.R. 2043, sponsored by Studds and some 50 other House members. A companion bill (S. 931), was introduced in the Senate by Environment Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Ml) and ranking minority member John Chaffee (R-RI). H.R. 2043 would increase emphasis on species recovery, while attempting to minimize economic and social impacts, facilitate protection of Interrelated species and their habitats, Improve consuttation between government entities, and establish species conservation inducements for private land owners. . Separate iegislatioll (H.R. 1490), has been introduced by Reps. Jack Fields (R-TX) , the ranking Minority member on the Merchant Marine Committee, Billy Tauzin (D-LA) , Chairman of the Committee's Coast Guard and Navigation Subcommittee, and some 40 cosponsors. NO companion bill has been introduced in the Senate. H.R. 1490 would make a number of procedural amendments and increase the consideration given to the economic effects of species conservation efforts 'to ensure balanced consideration of all impacts of decisions implementing the Act.' It chairman - Dave Kennedy executive director - Craig Bell would require consideration of the cumulative economic impact of habitat designation and would provide compensation to property owners where ESA implementation substantially reduced property values. Other ESA bills include: H.R. 1414, introduced by Rep. Jim Hansen (R-Ul) , to require consideration of economic and social factors in listing species; H.R. 1992, introduced by Rep. Bob Smith (R-OR), to provide that species may be listed only when there are actual threats to their existence; and H.R. 2207, introduced by Rep. Bill Brewster (D-OK) , to prohibit trapping, fishing, and hunting in ESA enforcement. Also, Senator Howard Melzenbaum (D-OH) has introduced S. 74 to protect the standing of certain groups and individuals to bring suit to force the federal government to protect listed species, WATER RESOURCES Virgin River Last March, the Southern Nevada Water Authority filed permit applications to appropriate and 'divert' essentially the entire flow of the Virgin and Muddy Rivers as they enter Lake Mead. Protests or letters of concern have already been filed with the Nevada State Engineer by the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the Central Arizona Water Conservancy District, and the Colorado River Board of Calnornia. 'Wheeling' the appropriated and 'diverted' water through Lake Mead is the central issue. The authority's filings have also been protested by the Mesquite Farmstead Water Association, which supplies domestic water, and the Bunkerville Irrigation Co. Under a Nevada state court decree, some 17,000 acre-feet of water is used for irrigation along the Virgin. Lastly, the Moapa Indian Reservation has also filed a protest.