Interior Secretary signs Platte River accord
Rocky Mountain News
Published September 28, 2006 at midnight
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne approved Interior’s participation in a $300 million Platte River Recovery Implementation Program that would improve habitat for four threatened or endangered species.
Kempthorne signed the record of decision for the final environmental impact statement and now it’s up to the governors of Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming to agree to the program.
"The Platte River Basin has seen more than two decades of conflict over water use and endangered species," Kempthorne said.
"This recovery program is an outstanding collaborative effort among interest groups to cooperatively address the needs of endangered species and ensure that current uses of basin water can continue."
He said the initiative is based on scientific research and analysis, including a review and endorsement by the National Academy of Sciences.
"By pooling resources and coordinating the restoration effort, the program provides a cost-effective way to meet each water user’s obligations under the Endangered Species Act," he said.
It is designed to remove uncertainty for water users about what will be required to comply with the Endangered Species Act for the whooping crane, interior least tern, piping plover, and pallid sturgeon.
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