    [House Hearing, 115 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

    H.R. 4465, ``ENDANGERED FISH RECOVERY PROGRAMS EXTENSION ACT OF 2017''

    =======================================================================

                              LEGISLATIVE HEARING

                                   before the

                    SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER, POWER AND OCEANS

                                     of the

                         COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
                         U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                         ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                          Wednesday, December 6, 2017

                                   __________

                               Serial No. 115-31

                                   __________

           Printed for the use of the Committee on Natural Resources

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

            Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
                                       or
              Committee address: http://naturalresources.house.gov

                                _________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

     27-787 PDF               WASHINGTON : 2018

                         COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

                            ROB BISHOP, UT, Chairman
                RAUL M. GRIJALVA, AZ, Ranking Democratic Member

    Don Young, AK                        Grace F. Napolitano, CA
      Chairman Emeritus                  Madeleine Z. Bordallo, GU
    Louie Gohmert, TX                    Jim Costa, CA
      Vice Chairman                      Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,
    Doug Lamborn, CO                         CNMI
    Robert J. Wittman, VA                Niki Tsongas, MA
    Tom McClintock, CA                   Jared Huffman, CA
    Stevan Pearce, NM                      Vice Ranking Member
    Glenn Thompson, PA                   Alan S. Lowenthal, CA
    Paul A. Gosar, AZ                    Donald S. Beyer, Jr., VA
    Raul R. Labrador, ID                 Norma J. Torres, CA
    Scott R. Tipton, CO                  Ruben Gallego, AZ
    Doug LaMalfa, CA                     Colleen Hanabusa, HI
    Jeff Denham, CA                      Nanette Diaz Barragan, CA
    Paul Cook, CA                        Darren Soto, FL
    Bruce Westerman, AR                  A. Donald McEachin, VA
    Garret Graves, LA                    Anthony G. Brown, MD
    Jody B. Hice, GA                     Wm. Lacy Clay, MO
    Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, AS    Jimmy Gomez, CA
    Darin LaHood, IL
    Daniel Webster, FL
    Jack Bergman, MI
    Liz Cheney, WY
    Mike Johnson, LA
    Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, PR
    Greg Gianforte, MT

                          Cody Stewart, Chief of Staff
                          Lisa Pittman, Chief Counsel
                    David Watkins, Democratic Staff Director
                                     ------

                    SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER, POWER AND OCEANS

                           DOUG LAMBORN, CO, Chairman
                  JARED HUFFMAN, CA, Ranking Democratic Member

    Robert J. Wittman, VA                Grace F. Napolitano, CA
    Tom McClintock, CA                   Jim Costa, CA
    Paul A. Gosar, AZ                    Donald S. Beyer, Jr., VA
    Doug LaMalfa, CA                     Nanette Diaz Barragan, CA
    Jeff Denham, CA                      Madeleine Z. Bordallo, GU
    Garret Graves, LA                    Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,
    Jody B. Hice, GA                         CNMI
    Daniel Webster, FL                   Jimmy Gomez, CA
      Vice Chairman                      Raul M. Grijalva, AZ, ex officio
    Mike Johnson, LA
    Greg Gianforte, MT
    Rob Bishop, UT, ex officio

                                     ------

                                    CONTENTS

                                  ----------
                                                                       Page

    Hearing held on Wednesday, December 6, 2017......................     1

    Statement of Members:
        Huffman, Hon. Jared, a Representative in Congress from the
          State of California........................................     4
            Prepared statement of....................................     5
        Lamborn, Hon. Doug, a Representative in Congress from the
          State of Colorado..........................................     1
            Prepared statement of....................................     3

    Statement of Witnesses:
        Colosimo, Andrew, Government and Corporate Affairs Manager,
          Colorado Springs Utilities, Colorado Springs, Colorado.....    25
            Prepared statement of....................................    27
        Curtis, Hon. John R., a Representative in Congress from the
          State of Utah..............................................     6
            Prepared statement of....................................     7
        Hague, Jimmy, Senior Water Policy Advisor, The Nature
          Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia...........................    21
            Prepared statement of....................................    23
        Maddux, Henry, Director, Recovery Programs, Utah Department
          of Natural Resources, Salt Lake City, Utah.................     9
            Prepared statement of....................................    10

    Additional Materials Submitted for the Record:
        List of documents submitted for the record retained in the
          Committee's official files.................................    33

     LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON H.R. 4465, TO MAINTAIN ANNUAL BASE FUNDING FOR
     THE UPPER COLORADO AND SAN JUAN FISH RECOVERY PROGRAMS THROUGH FISCAL
    YEAR 2023, TO REQUIRE A REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THOSE PROGRAMS,
     AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, ``ENDANGERED FISH RECOVERY PROGRAMS EXTENSION
                                 ACT OF 2017''

                                  ----------

                          Wednesday, December 6, 2017

                         U.S. House of Representatives

                    Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans

                         Committee on Natural Resources

                                 Washington, DC

                                  ----------

        The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:00 a.m., in
    room 1324, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Doug Lamborn
    [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
        Present: Representatives Lamborn, LaMalfa, Bishop (ex
    officio); Huffman, and Barragan.
        Mr. Lamborn. The Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans
    will come to order. The Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee
    meets today to hear testimony on H.R. 4465, sponsored by
    Representative John Curtis of Utah.
        Under Committee Rule 4(f), any oral opening statements at
    hearings are limited to the Chairman, Ranking Minority Member,
    and the Vice Chair. Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that all
    other Members' opening statements be made part of the hearing
    record, if they are submitted to the Subcommittee Clerk by 5
    p.m. today. Hearing no objection, so ordered.
        We will begin with opening statements, starting with
    myself, for 5 minutes.

        STATEMENT OF THE HON. DOUG LAMBORN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
                  CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF COLORADO

        Mr. Lamborn. Today, we will consider H.R. 4465, the
    Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2017,
    sponsored by our new colleague from Utah, John Curtis, and
    joined by a bipartisan group of co-sponsors from the affected
    states, including myself.
        Authorized in 1956, the Colorado River Storage Project, or
    CRSP, paved the way for the development and utilization of the
    water resources in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and New
    Mexico. With a total storage capacity of more than 30 million
    acre-feet, and the capability to generate over 5 billion
    megawatt-hours of energy annually, the CRSP is vital to the
    economies of the Upper Basin states.
        Fourteen native fish species, including four listed as
    endangered under the Endangered Species Act, also call the
    Basin home. The threat of water and power restrictions
    resulting from these listings prompted the states to enter into
    cooperative agreements with the Federal Government, tribes, and
    other non-Federal partners, as well, to ensure the continued
    reliability of these projects. These agreements eventually led
    to the creation of the Upper Colorado and San Juan Recovery
    Implementation Programs.
        The 106th Congress enacted legislation to establish Federal
    participation and non-Federal cost share, including the
    authority to use CRSP power revenues, to support these two
    programs. These agreements continue to ensure ESA compliance
    for the more than 2,300 water and power projects in the five-
    state region, while also promoting the goals of recovery for
    the four endangered species.
        In 2012, Congress reauthorized the authorization of the
    agreement and the use of these revenues through 2019, but also
    included important reforms to reduce overhead expenses and
    agency travel in order to ensure that taxpayer dollars are
    being devoted to fish recovery, not Federal bureaucrats. This
    reauthorization continues this congressional oversight to
    ensure that the program is transparent and trending toward
    recovery of the species.
        H.R. 4465 extends the use of CRSP power revenues to be used
    through 2023, which also happens to fall in line with the
    recovery deadline for these programs. In addition, the bill
    requires a report to ensure that expenditures and actions are
    helping to recover these species.
        We must not lose fact of the end goal of this program, to
    recover and get these four species de-listed. I am hopeful that
    at the conclusion of this reauthorization, we will have
    accomplished that goal.
        Before I conclude, I would like to welcome Mr. Andy
    Colosimo back to the Committee. Andy is from my home state of
    Colorado. He has more than 30 years of experience at the local,
    state, and Federal level dealing with these issues, and worked
    on the original enacting legislation for the recovery program
    as a staffer in the Senate.
        I would also like to extend a special welcome to our new
    colleague, Congressman John Curtis of Utah. As former mayor of
    Provo, Utah, Congressman Curtis knows firsthand how these
    ground-up, collaborative programs create certainty for water
    and power users, and support local economic activity. Without
    the threat of litigation, through this program, the CRSP has
    achieved a balance between supporting species and local
    communities.
        I want to give a personal introduction to Mr. Curtis, he is
    the newest Member of Congress, as you all may know. And as been
    reported in the press, he has an extensive sock collection. In
    fact, he will go toe to toe with anyone as to who has the best
    socks around. In such a match-up, he might hose you, or you
    might just knock him back on his heels. But whatever the
    outcome, he won't lose his cool. He doesn't swear. The worst
    thing anyone has ever heard him say is ``darn it.''
        With that, I am going to thank all our witnesses for being
    here today. I look forward to hearing your testimony. Although
    the Administration is unable to be here today, I appreciate
    their willingness to submit a statement for the official
    hearing record.

        [The prepared statement of Mr. Lamborn follows:]
    Prepared Statement of the Hon. Doug Lamborn, Chairman, Subcommittee on
                            Water, Power and Oceans
        Today, we will consider H.R. 4465, the ``Endangered Species Fish
    Recovery Program Extension Act of 2017'' sponsored by our new colleague
    from Utah, John Curtis, and joined by a bipartisan group of co-sponsors
    from the affected states, including myself.
        Authorized in 1956, the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP),
    paved the way for the development and utilization of the water
    resources in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. With a
    total storage capacity of more than 30 million acre-feet, and the
    capability to generate over 5 billion megawatt-hours of energy
    annually, the CRSP is vital to the economies of the Upper Basin states.
        Fourteen native fish species--including four listed as `endangered'
    under the Endangered Species Act--also call the Basin home. The threat
    of water and power restrictions resulting from these listings prompted
    the states to enter into cooperative agreements with the Federal
    Government, tribes, and other non-Federal partners to ensure the
    continued reliability of these projects. These agreements eventually
    led to the creation of the Upper Colorado and San Juan Recovery
    Implementation Programs.
        The 106th Congress enacted legislation to establish Federal
    participation and non-Federal cost share, including the authority to
    use CRSP power revenues, to support these two programs. These
    agreements continue to ensure ESA compliance for the more than 2,300
    water and power projects in the five-state region, while also promoting
    the goals of recovery for the four endangered fish species.
        In 2012, Congress reauthorized the authorization of the agreement
    and the use of these revenues through 2019, but also included important
    reforms to reduce overhead expenses and agency travel in order to
    ensure that taxpayer dollars are being devoted to fish recovery--not
    Federal bureaucrats. This reauthorization continues this congressional
    oversight to ensure that the program is transparent and trending toward
    recovery of the species.
        H.R. 4465 extends the use of CRSP power revenues to be used through
    2023, which also happens to fall in line with the recovery deadline for
    these programs. In addition, the bill requires a report to ensure that
    expenditures and actions are helping to recover these species.
        We must not lose fact of the end goal of this program: recover and
    get these four species de-listed. I am hopeful that at the conclusion
    of this reauthorization we will have accomplished that goal.
        Before I conclude, I would like to welcome Mr. Andy Colosimo back
    to the Committee. Andy is from my home state of Colorado and has more
    than 30 years of experience at the local, state and Federal level
    dealing with these issues. And he worked on the original enacting
    legislation for this recovery program as a staffer in the Senate.
        I would also like to extend a special welcome to our new colleague,
    Congressman John Curtis of Utah. As former Mayor of Provo, Utah,
    Congressman Curtis knows firsthand how these ground-up, collaborative
    programs create certainty for water and power users and support local
    economic activity. Without the threat of litigation, through this
    program the CRSP has achieved a balance between supporting species and
    local communities.
        I want to thank all of our witnesses for being with us today and I
    look forward to hearing from you all. Due to a conflict with another
    hearing that is happening on the Senate side this morning, the
    Administration is unable to be here today, but we appreciate their
    willingness to submit a statement for the official hearing record.

                                     ______

        Mr. Lamborn. I now recognize the Ranking Member for 5
    minutes for his statement.

       STATEMENT OF THE HON. JARED HUFFMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
                 CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

        Mr. Huffman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Welcome and
    congratulations, Congressman Curtis. Do you want to show us
    your socks today?
        Mr. Curtis. I would defer to the Ranking Member and
    Chairman as to whether or not you want me to put my feet up on
    this table.
        Mr. Huffman. Well, it is good to have you, and I am
    delighted to be part of a hearing that is focused on a bill
    that we can all feel good about supporting. What a great way to
    start your career in Congress, helping move forward a strongly
    bipartisan piece of consensus legislation. If only this place
    worked that way all the time, but it is a great way to start.
        And quite a contrast from what we saw in the Subcommittee
    last week where we had another piece of legislative work that
    had been carefully brought along for years. A stakeholder
    consensus involving the Yakima Basin, and unfortunately, it was
    conjoined with a very controversial piece of legislation, and
    we were prevented from moving forward in a bipartisan consensus
    way. Sometimes we get it wrong, sometimes we get it right. I
    applaud you and I applaud this Subcommittee for bringing us
    this stand-alone bill.
        We want to help support recovery of the four endangered
    species in the Upper Colorado and the San Juan Rivers. This is
    a program that brings together water users, environmental
    groups, tribes, local utilities, and the state and Federal
    agencies, that we need to work together to find ways to ensure
    water and power users needs are met in a sustainable way, that
    also accounts for species protection under the ESA. These are
    exactly the kind of partnerships that I strongly believe we
    need to support, and not the more controversial partisan
    attempts.
        Over the past few decades, these recovery programs in the
    Upper Colorado Basin have kept these unique fish alive. That is
    no small feat. I applaud the many partners who are represented
    here today, including our witnesses that work together to make
    sure that more species are not lost to extinction.
        I also want to support and recognize the work of recovery
    programs thus far, while acknowledging that we also need to
    address the underlying cause of native species lost in the
    Colorado River Basin. This is a highly altered river ecosystem,
    obviously, and a dwindling water supply. In addition to the
    important habitat it provides for a wide range of species, this
    river obviously does a lot of work. It provides water for
    nearly 40 million people across seven states, in addition to
    Mexico. It provides irrigation to millions of acres of land,
    and power for millions of people and hundreds of local
    communities. It is a valuable resource to more than 20 tribes,
    and, of course, it supports the outdoor recreation economy
    across the region.
        It is very important, I think, to recognize that the
    Colorado River Basin is experiencing an unprecedented drought
    and has been since the year 2000, the worst in the past 100
    years, some say the worst in 1,000 years, which threatens
    endangered species, the ecosystem, and roughly 1 in 10
    Americans who rely on this watershed.
        We have already seen dramatic changes in this basin as a
    result of the drought. In March 2017, we had some of the
    warmest weather in history, temperatures almost 9 degrees above
    the historic average. This has serious implications for the
    snowpack in the Upper Basin, which supplies 90 percent of the
    water for the already strained system, where more water is
    taken from the reservoirs than is replenished every year. So,
    we have some challenges in the Colorado River Basin, and they
    are reflected in the similar challenges that we face throughout
    the West because of the drier, hotter climate.
        We are going to need to support these kinds of broad
    stakeholder efforts, to come together to make compromises to
    find sustainable policies that balance interests and bring us
    to solutions that we can all support. Today is an important
    step in that direction.
        I am glad to be with everyone. Mr. Chairman, thanks for
    this hearing. I look forward to supporting this bill. Thank
    you.

        [The prepared statement of Mr. Huffman follows:]
         Prepared Statement of the Hon. Jared Huffman, Ranking Member,
                    Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

        I appreciate that the focus of today's hearing is a bipartisan bill
    that recognizes the importance of stakeholder collaboration and
    balances the environment with water and power needs. It is a stark
    contrast from the Majority's tactics in this Subcommittee last week,
    when we discussed a one-sided bill that attacked environmental laws and
    diminished the years-long efforts that went into the Yakima Basin Plan.
        H.R. 4465 reauthorizes funding for programs to help recover four
    endangered species within the Upper Colorado and San Juan Rivers. These
    programs bring together water users, environmental groups, tribes,
    local utilities, and state and Federal agencies to find ways to ensure
    water and power needs are met in a sustainable way that accounts for
    species protected under the Endangered Species Act. We need exactly
    these types of partnerships, not so-called streamlining, so that the
    significant impacts of power generation and water supply don't lead to
    the extinction of native fish species in the Colorado River.
        Over the last few decades, the recovery programs in the Upper
    Colorado Basin have kept these unique fish alive. It is no small feat,
    and I applaud the many partners, including our witnesses here today,
    who have worked to make sure more species aren't lost to extinction. We
    face many similar challenges in California and I understand the
    significant effort and cooperation that's required from everyone
    involved. These programs in the Upper Colorado River Basin have made
    progress toward addressing some major threats to these endangered fish
    species, including mitigating non-native species and instream flow
    management.
        Although I support the bill and recognize the work of the recovery
    programs thus far, we must also address the underlying causes of native
    species loss in the Colorado River Basin: a highly altered river
    ecosystem and dwindling water supply. In addition to the important
    habitat it provides for a wide range of species, the Colorado River
    Basin supplies water to nearly 40 million people across seven states in
    addition to Mexico. It provides irrigation to millions of acres of land
    and power for millions of people and hundreds of local communities. It
    is also a valuable resource to more than 20 tribes and to the outdoor
    recreation economy across the region.
        In addition, it is especially concerning that the Colorado River
    Basin has been experiencing an unprecedented drought since 2000. It is
    the worst drought in the past 100 years and one of the worst in the
    past 1,000 years, threatening endangered species, the ecosystem, and
    the roughly 1 in 10 Americans who rely on it. We've already seen
    dramatic changes in the Colorado River Basin as a result of this
    drought. In March 2017, the warmest in history, the temperatures were
    almost 9 degrees above the historic average. This has serious
    implications for the snowpack in the Upper Basin, which supplies nearly
    90 percent of the water for the already strained system, where more
    water is taken from the reservoirs than is replenished each year.
    Unfortunately, research shows that we should prepare for a future that
    includes more frequent and extreme droughts, like the current one, as a
    result of climate change.
        A drier, hotter climate in the West will make it more difficult
    than it already is to meet user and environmental water needs in the
    future. With less water, more people, and increasingly threatened
    species, it will be critical to address ways to restore ecosystems and
    modernize water infrastructure, rather than keeping the status quo. In
    addition to this bill, we should focus on water reuse, recycling,
    removing aging and obsolete dams, and other new ways to meet the water
    needs of growing populations while ensuring a healthy environment for
    future generations. If not, our rivers may become nothing more than
    holding tanks and we'll have to keep endangered species on life support
    indefinitely. I don't think anyone here wants to see that happen.
        I am encouraged, albeit surprised, that several of my colleagues
    from the other side of the dais are co-sponsors of this bill. In the
    past, there have been endless claims from the Majority that this kind
    of species specific recovery approach does not work. I'd argue that it
    does, given that these four fish and 99 percent of all listed species
    under the ESA are still around. But it would make it much easier to
    recover species with sufficient funding and without continued attempts
    by Committee Republicans to weaken the Endangered Species Act. If the
    four endangered species addressed in this bill are important enough for
    funding, I hope we can later talk about why the rest of them are too.
        Thank you to the witnesses for being here today, and I look forward
    to hearing from you.

        I yield back.

                                     ______

        Mr. Lamborn. Thank you. I also look forward to more
    bipartisanship as you agree with us on some of our legislation.
        Mr. Huffman. Is that how bipartisanship works? We
    surrender.
        Mr. Lamborn. We will now move to our first witness panel to
    hear testimony from Mr. Curtis on his bill. As a reminder, you
    are limited to 5 minutes, but your written statement will
    appear in full in the hearing record.
        Mr. Curtis, you are now recognized for 5 minutes.

       STATEMENT OF THE HON. JOHN R. CURTIS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
                    CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF UTAH

        Mr. Curtis. Thank you, Chairman Lamborn, and Ranking Member
    Huffman, for not only considering this bill, but for your
    kindness to me as a new Member being here and your hospitality.
    Thank you very much.
        I do celebrate today my 3-week-and-2-day anniversary. And I
    bring that up primarily to emphasize that there is no way that
    I could be here with a bill of this quality without a lot of
    help, and I would like to acknowledge Chairman Bishop and his
    staff for the many years of work that have gone before me, not
    just on this bill, but on the many natural resource issues.
    Thank you for your help in preparing this bill.
        I would also like to acknowledge that this is a bipartisan
    effort, and I am pleased that it is supported by a group of
    nonpartisan Representatives from Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and
    New Mexico, who have joined me as co-sponsors on this bill, and
    I think that is very important as well.
        I would also like to acknowledge Henry Maddux. Henry is the
    Director of the Recovery Program for the Utah Department of
    Natural Resources. He has traveled to be here with us today,
    and I would like to give him a special shout-out. He will end
    his illustrious career at the end of this year and will be
    retiring. I appreciate his many years of service to the state
    of Utah.
        We all know how important water is to the vitality of any
    community, but especially for rural communities in the dry
    desert climates of the West. This bill is extremely important
    to my district, because these recovery programs ensure that
    people in our rural communities continue to have access to
    critical water resources for everything from irrigation to
    recreation. The bipartisan Endangered Fish Recovery Programs
    Extension Act extends the authorization to use Upper Colorado
    River Basin Fund revenues for annual base funding of fish
    recovery programs on the Upper Colorado River and San Juan
    Rivers.
        These recovery programs for the pikeminnow, humpback chub,
    razorback sucker, and bonytail were last authorized in 2012.
    Interestingly, I learned as I studied this, that the pikeminnow
    is not really a minnow, it is a fish that grows to 6 feet. And,
    Chairman, as you talked about our eventual goal of getting
    these off the endangered species list, imagine for recreation
    enthusiasts, the ability to fish for a 6-foot fish in these
    rivers. It is very exciting.
        My bill would extend the authorization through 2023. I
    think it is worth noting that these programs do not cost
    taxpayers any money, because they are completely funded by fees
    collected from the water users. Additionally, the bill provides
    some oversight and accountability by requiring the Interior
    Secretary to submit a report to Congress in consultation with
    the participants in the recovery implementation programs,
    describing the accomplishments and the cost of these programs.
        I recently had a chance to travel to Moab firsthand to meet
    the residents and local officials and representatives from
    Utah's Division of Natural Resources to learn more about these
    endangered fish species and the recovery programs. During my
    visit, I came to better understand that not only do these
    recovery programs help to protect these threatened and
    endangered fish species, but they also make it possible for
    Utahans and many in surrounding states and people throughout
    the region to have continual access to use these waterways.
        By being proactive about the recovery of threatened fish
    species, we ensure that important water projects can continue
    on the Upper River Colorado and San Juan Rivers.
        To close, this bill is extremely important to the economics
    of many in the rural parts of my congressional district and
    throughout the West, and I hope the Committee will report it
    favorably.
        Thank you very much. I yield my time.

        [The prepared statement of Mr. Curtis follows:]
      Prepared Statement of the Hon. John R. Curtis, a Representative in
                        Congress from the State of Utah
        Chairman Lamborn, I would like to thank you and Ranking Member
    Huffman for holding this hearing on my bill today. As many of you know,
    I was elected to Congress less than a month ago, and this bill just
    happens to be the first piece of legislation I introduced. That said, I
    would like to thank my good friend and fellow Utahn, Chairman Rob
    Bishop, and his staff for their hard work and assistance on this bill.
    I would also like to thank the bipartisan group of nine Representatives
    from Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico that have joined with me
    as co-sponsors.
        We all know how important water is to the vitality of any
    community--especially for rural communities in the dry desert climates
    of the West. This bill is extremely important to my district, because
    these recovery programs ensure that people in our rural communities
    continue to have access to critical water sources for everything from
    irrigation to recreation.
        The bipartisan Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act
    extends the authorization to use upper Colorado River Basin Fund
    Revenues for annual base funding of fish recovery programs on the Upper
    Colorado River and San Juan Rivers. These recovery programs for the
    pikeminnow, humpback chub, razorback sucker, and bonytail were last
    reauthorized in 2012 and are set to expire in 2019. My bill would
    extend the authorization through 2023. I think it is worth noting that
    these programs do not cost taxpayers any money, because they are
    completely funded by fees collected from water users.
        Additionally, the bill provides some oversight and accountability
    by requiring the Interior Secretary to submit a report to Congress, in
    consultation with the participants in the recovery implementation
    programs, describing the accomplishments and costs of these programs.
        I recently went down to Moab, Utah to meet with the residents,
    local officials, and representatives from the Utah Division of Natural
    Resources to learn more about these endangered fish species recovery
    programs. During my visit, I came to better understand that not only do
    these recovery programs help to protect these threatened and endangered
    fish species, they also make it possible for Utahns and people
    throughout this region to continue to access and use their waterways.
    By being proactive about the recovery of threatened fish species, we
    ensure that important water projects can continue on in the Upper
    Colorado and San Juan Rivers.
        To close, this bill is extremely important to the economies of many
    of the rural parts of my congressional district and throughout the
    West, and I hope that this Committee will report it favorably.

        Thank you.

                                     ______

        Mr. Lamborn. You are welcome. Thank you for your testimony.
    You are welcome to join us for the remainder of the hearing,
    but if you have to meet other obligations, we will understand
    and you will be excused.
        I now want to call forward our second panel of witnesses. I
    will introduce them as they are coming forward to take their
    seats. Our first witness is Mr. Henry Maddux, Director of
    Recovery Programs for the Utah Department of Natural Resources
    from Salt Lake City, Utah; our second witness is Mr. Jimmy
    Hague, Senior Water Policy Advisor for The Nature Conservancy
    from Arlington, Virginia; and our final witness is Mr. Andrew
    Colosimo, Government and Corporate Affairs Manager for Colorado
    Springs Utilities from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
        Thank you all for taking the time to be here. Each witness'
    written testimony will appear in full in the hearing record. I
    ask that witnesses keep their oral statements to 5 minutes, as
    outlined in our invitation letter to you, and under Committee
    Rule 4(a). I will explain how the timing lights work. Andy, I
    know you know how these work, because you testified before.
    When you are recognized, press the talk button to activate the
    microphone. Once you begin your testimony, the Clerk will start
    the timer and it will count down from 5 minutes to 0. At 4
    minutes, the yellow light comes on. I would ask that you begin
    to conclude your statement at that time, and to finish when it
    counts down to 0 and the red light comes on.
        Mr. Maddux, you are now recognized for 5 minutes.

     STATEMENT OF HENRY MADDUX, DIRECTOR, RECOVERY PROGRAMS, UTAH
         DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH

        Mr. Maddux. Thank you, Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member
    Huffman, and members of the Subcommittee for the opportunity to
    testify in support of H.R. 4465. I am Henry Maddux. I am
    Director of Recovery Programs for Utah's Department of Natural
    Resources. I also am Utah's Representative on the Upper Basin
    Colorado River Program, and serve as Chair of that Committee.
        H.R. 4465 amends Public Law 106-392 by extending the
    authorization of the use of Colorado River Storage Project,
    also known as CRSP, hydropower revenues through 2023 for annual
    funding of both the Upper Colorado River, Fish Recovery
    Program, and the San Juan River Recovery Implementation
    Program.
        As mentioned by Representative Curtis, a report is also
    required through this amendment from the Secretary of the
    Interior to the Subcommittee by the end of Fiscal Year 2021.
    Public Law 106-392 authorizes Federal cost-sharing for the two
    recovery programs for capital projects and use of CRSP
    hydropower revenues for annual funding. The law recognizes
    substantial cost-sharing by the states, power customers, and
    water users. We also have in-kind contributions by many of the
    other participants of the recovery programs. These non-Federal
    cost-sharing commitments will continue through 2023.
        CRSP hydropower revenues are a critical source of funding
    for the recovery programs. These power revenues fund
    maintenance and operation of many of our capital projects,
    including fish passages, fish screens, bottomland projects,
    hatcheries, research, and monitoring. These science-based
    activities are critical to achieving our dual goals of: Number
    one, recovering the four endangered fish; and Number two,
    continued support of development and use of water resources in
    compliance with state water law and interstate compacts.
        Both the Upper Colorado River and San Juan River fish
    programs were established to eliminate conflicts between water
    use and species recovery for Colorado pikeminnow, razorback
    sucker, humpback chub, and bonytail.
        We saw that collaboration was a better path than
    litigation. This collaboration began in the Upper Colorado
    River Basin in 1988 by a cooperative agreement between the
    Secretary of the Interior; the states of Utah, Colorado, and
    Wyoming; and the Western Area Power Administration. Other full
    members of the program include: CRSP power customers,
    represented by Colorado River Energy Distributors Association;
    water users from the three states; and environmental
    organizations represented by The Nature Conservancy and Western
    Resource Advocates. We also have other Federal members,
    including Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, and
    Fish and Wildlife Service.
        The San Juan Program, likewise, was established in 1992 by
    cooperative agreement between the Secretary, the Navajo Nation,
    Ute Mountain Ute, the Southern Ute Tribe, and the Jicarilla
    Apache Nation, along with the other Federal entities. An
    example of the effectiveness of this program can be
    demonstrated in Grand Junction, Colorado, a place commonly
    referred to as the 15-mile reach. Historically, this reach of
    river dried up due to both Federal and non-Federal irrigation
    diversions. It is considered critical habitat for the
    endangered fish, as well as an important spawning area.
        Through collaboration and voluntary contributions, over 1
    million acre-feet of water has now been delivered to that reach
    of river. It no longer goes dry, and supports the recovery of
    these fish. To date, these two recovery programs have provided
    Endangered Species Act compliance for 2,500 projects, many of
    those in my home state of Utah, that support agriculture,
    energy development, recreation, as well as diversion to the
    Wasatch Front, where the majority of our population lives.
        The program has strong support among all the participants.
    I believe I can speak on behalf of the non-Federal program
    participants in requesting the support of the Subcommittee for
    H.R. 4465. I would note that an identical bill has been
    introduced in the Senate.
        Once again, I thank the Chairman, Ranking Member, and
    Subcommittee members, for the opportunity to testify.

        [The prepared statement of Mr. Maddux follows:]
     Prepared Statement of Henry Maddux, Director, Recovery Programs, Utah
                        Department of Natural Resources
        Thank you Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member Huffman and members of
    the Subcommittee for the opportunity to testify in support of H.R.
    4465. I am Director, Recovery Programs, Utah Department of Natural
    Resources. I serve as Utah's representative on the Management
    Committee, Upper Colorado River Endangered Species Recovery Program and
    I am chairman of that committee.
        H.R. 4465 amends Public Law 106-392 by extending the authorization
    through Fiscal Year 2023 for use of hydroelectric power revenues from
    the Colorado River Storage Projects (CRSP) for annual funding of the
    Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and the San Juan
    River Basin Recovery Implementation Program. The authorization extends
    the currently authorized levels of annual funding. A report by the
    Secretary of the Interior is required to be submitted to Congress in
    Fiscal Year 2021 with recommendations for funding beyond Fiscal Year
    2023. Any funding beyond Fiscal Year 2023 requires authorization by
    Congress.
        Public Law 106-392 became law in 2000. The law authorizes Federal
    cost-sharing for the two recovery programs for capital projects and use
    of CRSP power revenues for annual funding. The law recognizes
    substantial cost-sharing by states of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and New
    Mexico, power customers, and water users. In-kind contributions are
    also made by other participants in the recovery programs. These non-
    Federal cost sharing contributions will continue through 2023. Congress
    has extended the Federal authority both in amount and time with
    amendments to P.L. 106-392 on three other occasions with strong
    bipartisan support. The authorization for expenditures on capital
    projects currently extends through 2023. Capital project expenditures
    are also cost shared.
        CRSP hydropower revenues are a critical source of cost sharing
    funds for the recovery programs. Hydropower revenues fund operation and
    maintenance of capital facilities including fish passages, fish
    screens, hatcheries, bottomland habitat, research, and monitoring.
    These activities are critical to achieving the goals of the recovery
    programs--recovery of four endangered fish species while water
    development and management proceeds in compliance with state water and
    wildlife law, interstate compacts approved by Congress, authorizations
    for Bureau of Reclamation projects approved by Congress, and the
    Endangered Species Act.
        Both the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basin Recovery Programs
    were established to eliminate potential conflicts among water
    development and management activities and protection and recovery of
    four endangered fish species--Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub,
    razorback sucker, and bonytail. The species occupy the lower warm water
    reaches of the upper Colorado River Basin.
        The Upper Colorado River Recovery Program was established in 1988
    by cooperative agreement among the Secretary the Interior, the
    governors of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and Western Area Power
    Administration. Other participants include CRSP power customers, water
    users in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and environmental organizations
    represented by The Nature Conservancy and Western Resource Advocates.
    Participating Federal agencies include Bureau of Reclamation, Western
    Area Power Administration, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and
    Wildlife Service.
        The San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program was
    established in 1992 By cooperative agreement among the Secretary of the
    Interior, the governors of Colorado and New Mexico, the Navajo Nation,
    Southern Ute Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Jicarilla Apache
    Nation. Other participants include water users in Colorado and New
    Mexico, and environmental organizations represented by The Nature
    Conservancy. Participating Federal agencies include Bureau of
    Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, and
    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
        Both programs have the objective of recovering and de-listing the
    endangered fish. Program activities address all causes of the
    endangerment including flow management, habitat development, non-native
    fish control, research and monitoring. Research and monitoring has
    resulted in the programs' recovery actions being driven by sound
    science.
        In establishing these programs, it was agreed that there will be no
    taking of water from any water user or Reclamation contractor. In turn,
    water users, the states, and Reclamation agreed to find ways to provide
    water for endangered fish species consistent with state water law,
    interstate compacts, and Reclamation project authorizations. Water is
    provided for endangered fish through reoperation of Reclamation
    projects, improving efficiency of irrigation projects with saved water
    being made available to endangered fish habitat, coordinated reservoir
    operations to enhance spring peak flows without jeopardizing reservoir
    yields, and participation in the reservoir expansion with storage
    capacity dedicated to endangered fish. These efforts to cooperatively
    and voluntarily provide water for endangered fish would not happen
    without the recovery programs.
        An example of the effectiveness of the cooperative approach to
    providing water is found on the Colorado River near Grand Junction.
    Historically, the 15-mile reach of the river was often dried up due to
    depletions by Federal and non-Federal irrigation projects holding
    senior water rights. This reach of the river is in designated critical
    habitat for the endangered fish. Since 1997, more than 1 million acre-
    feet of water has been delivered to this reach to benefit endangered
    fish. There are many other examples of significant voluntary and
    cooperative provision of water to endangered fish throughout the basin.
    The dollar value of this water, which has not been estimated, in my
    opinion very likely exceeds the total cost of the two programs.
        In evaluating impacts of existing and new water projects on the
    endangered fish as required by the Endangered Species Act, U.S. Fish
    and Wildlife Service reviews the actions taken by the recovery programs
    to protect and recover the species to determine if those actions offset
    project impacts. To date, the Service has found that program actions
    both at the impact approximately 2,500 water projects in the Upper
    Colorado and San Juan River Basins, including every Reclamation project
    upstream of Lake Powell. There have been no lawsuits filed regarding
    Endangered Species Act compliance under the recovery programs.
    Furthermore, compliance with the Endangered Species Act has been
    streamlined for Federal agencies, water users, and the Fish and
    Wildlife Service.
        The recovery programs have greatly improved the status of
    endangered fish species. Since the inception of the programs,
    populations of endangered fish have increased in the two river basins.
    The Service will prepare 5-year status reviews of three of the species
    in 2018. The status reviews may lead to down-listing of the species
    from endangered to threatened.
        The programs have strong grassroots support among all participants
    including water users, the states, tribes, power customers, and
    environmental organizations. Many of these organizations have submitted
    letters of support to the Subcommittee for H.R. 4465.
        Due to the success of the programs and strong grassroots support,
    the programs have had the support of five presidential administrations.
    P.L. 106-392 and subsequent amendments have had strong bipartisan
    support in Congress. I believe I can speak on behalf of all the non-
    Federal program participants in requesting the support of the
    Subcommittee for H.R. 4465. I would note that an identical bill (S.
    2166) has been introduced by Senator Gardner with bipartisan support.
        Once again, I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for the
    opportunity to testify. I would be happy to answer any questions
    regarding my testimony.

                                     *****

                                   ATTACHMENT

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Mr. Lamborn. Thank you. Mr. Hague, you are now recognized
    for 5 minutes.

      STATEMENT OF JIMMY HAGUE, SENIOR WATER POLICY ADVISOR, THE
                NATURE CONSERVANCY, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

        Mr. Hague. Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member Huffman, and
    members of this Committee, thank you for the opportunity to
    participate in this hearing about two important fish recovery
    programs in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
        My name is Jimmy Hague and I am the Senior Water Policy
    Advisor for the Nature Conservancy. I am here today to express
    the Conservancy's strong support for H.R. 4465, the Endangered
    Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2017. I want to thank
    Representative Curtis for his leadership in introducing this
    legislation, as well as all the bipartisan co-sponsors of the
    bill, representing each of the Upper Basin states of Wyoming,
    Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. We appreciate their support.
        In addition to this testimony, I am submitting to the
    Committee today a letter from Taylor Hawes, Director of the
    Colorado River Program at The Nature Conservancy, also
    requesting your support for H.R. 4465.
        The Conservancy is a global conservation organization
    dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life
    depends. Working in all 50 states as well as 72 countries, we
    use the collaborative approach that engages local governments,
    communities, the private sector, farmers, ranchers, and other
    landowners. In the Colorado River Basin, this means working
    collaboratively to sustain healthy river ecosystems and the
    people that depend on them.
        The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program,
    and the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program,
    are highly successful collaborative conservation partnerships
    involving the Upper Basin states, as well as Indian tribes,
    Federal agencies, water, power, and environmental interests.
    These programs are recovering four species of endangered
    Colorado River fish so that they can each be removed from the
    Federal endangered species list while still allowing water use
    and development to occur in our growing western communities.
    The Nature Conservancy is a proud partner in both programs.
        We have supported the recovery programs for more than 30
    years by providing technical and legal expertise, field project
    support, and private fundraising to match public funds. The
    programs are recovering federally-listed, warm-water native
    fish through improved management of Federal dams, river and
    floodplain habitat restoration, active native fish stocking,
    and the control of non-native fish species, among other
    activities.
        These programs are successful. They are successful because
    all 19 member organizations are fully committed to recovering
    the fish that depend on the Colorado River system. The members
    demonstrate our commitment by sharing the cost of the programs,
    and by engaging fully in the collaborative process, including
    consensus-based problem solving.
        These programs are characterized by a culture of respect,
    science-based decision making, and earnest collaboration toward
    shared objectives. The programs have recovery goals that
    provide objective measurable criteria for down-listing and de-
    listing the species, including numeric population goals, and
    the site of recovery activities. These goals allow the programs
    to monitor progress toward achieving recovery, as well as to
    assess the effectiveness of management activities, and to
    adjust recovery efforts through adaptive management.
        It is critical to both species recovery and water
    development that the authority to use Colorado River Storage
    Project hydropower revenues for annual base funding be extended
    through 2023. Without the passage of H.R. 4465, annual base
    funding for the recovery programs, which is cost-shared
    pursuant to ongoing agreements by states, tribes, and water
    users, would be cut by almost 40 percent after next fiscal
    year. A cut of this size would significantly harm our ability
    to recover the species.
        These funds support instream flow identification,
    evaluation and protection, habitat restoration and maintenance,
    management of non-native fish impacts, endangered fish
    propagation and stocking, research, monitoring and data
    management, program management, public information involvement,
    as well as operation and maintenance of millions of dollars of
    capital projects, such as fish screens, fish passage, and
    reservoir improvements.
        The substantial reduction of revenue that would occur
    without extended authorization would halt important recovery
    actions for both programs, and put at risk the substantial
    progress we have made over three decades of collaboration to
    restore healthy populations of these native fish species. It
    would also create uncertainty with respect to ESA compliance
    for millions of agricultural, industrial, and municipal water
    users who rely on steady supplies from the Colorado River and
    its tributaries.
        Because extending the programs' authorization to use these
    hydropower revenues is critical to recovery of the four
    endangered species, The Nature Conservancy strongly urges your
    support for H.R. 4465.
        Thank you, Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member Huffman,
    members of the Committee, for the opportunity to testimony. I
    look forward to your questions.

        [The prepared statement of Mr. Hague follows:]
    Prepared Statement of Jimmy Hague, Senior Water Policy Advisor for The
                               Nature Conservancy
        Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member Huffman, and members of the
    Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to participate in this
    hearing about two important fish recovery programs in the Upper
    Colorado River Basin. My name is Jimmy Hague, Senior Water Policy
    Advisor at The Nature Conservancy. I am here today to express the
    strong support of The Nature Conservancy for H.R. 4465, the Endangered
    Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2017.
        In addition to this testimony, I am submitting to the Committee a
    letter from Taylor Hawes, director of The Nature Conservancy's Colorado
    River Program, requesting your support for H.R. 4465.
        The Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to
    conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by
    science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world's
    toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We
    are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at
    unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping
    make cities more sustainable. Working in all 50 states and 72
    countries, we use a collaborative approach that engages local
    communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners,
    including farmers, ranchers, and other landowners. In the Colorado
    River Basin, this means working collaboratively to sustain healthy
    river ecosystems and the people that depend on them.
        The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and the
    San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program (the ``Programs'')
    are highly successful collaborative conservation partnerships involving
    the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as
    Indian tribes, Federal agencies, and water, power, and environmental
    interests. These Programs are recovering four species of endangered
    Colorado River fish so that they can each be removed from the Federal
    endangered species list while still allowing water use and development
    in our growing western communities. The Nature Conservancy is a proud
    partner in both Programs.
        The Nature Conservancy (the Conservancy) is a long-standing member
    of the Upper Colorado River Program's Management Committee and Biology
    Committee and the San Juan River Program's Coordination Committee and
    Biology Committee. (The Conservancy shares representation of
    environmental interests with Western Resource Advocates in the Upper
    Colorado River Program.) We have contributed more than $1.5 million in
    capital funds for habitat restoration, joining the states of New
    Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, four Indian tribes, Federal
    agencies, and water and power interests in sharing the costs of
    recovery and compliance.
        The Programs are successful because all 19 member organizations are
    fully committed to recovering the federally listed, warm-water, native
    fish species that depend on the Colorado River system: the Colorado
    pikeminnow, humpback chub, razorback sucker, and bonytail. The members
    demonstrate our commitment by sharing the costs of the Programs, and by
    engaging fully in the collaborative process, including consensus-based
    problem solving. The Programs are characterized by a culture of
    respect, science-based decision making, and earnest collaboration
    toward shared objectives. The Conservancy has supported the recovery
    Programs for more than 30 years by providing technical (biological,
    ecological, and hydrological) and legal expertise, field project
    support (for example, design and implementation of three phases of
    habitat restoration along the San Juan River), and private fundraising
    to match public funds.
        We are participants in the Programs because they support the
    recovery of endangered, native fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin
    through improved management of Federal dams, river and floodplain
    habitat restoration, active native fish stocking, and the control of
    non-native fish species. The Programs have recovery goals that provide
    objective, measurable criteria for down-listing and de-listing the
    species, including numeric population goals and a set of specific
    recovery activities. These goals allow the Programs to monitor progress
    toward achieving recovery, to assess the effectiveness of management
    actions, and to adjust recovery efforts through adaptive management.
        The collaborative Programs for endangered fish recovery enable
    water development and management to take place in the Upper Basin in
    compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA), interstate compacts,
    and state water laws. The Programs also provide ESA compliance for
    continued operation of Federal water and power projects in the Upper
    Basin. Since 1988, the two Programs have provided ESA Section 7
    compliance without litigation for over 2,500 Federal, tribal, state,
    and privately managed water projects across the Upper Colorado River
    Basin depleting more than 3.7 million acre-feet of water per year--
    including those projects that supply water to our growing western
    cities.
        It is critical to both species recovery and water development that
    the authority to use Colorado River Storage Project hydropower revenues
    for annual base funding be extended through 2023. Without the passage
    of H.R. 4465, annual base funding for the Recovery Programs--which is
    also cost-shared pursuant to ongoing agreements by states, tribes, and
    water users--would be cut by almost 40 percent starting next year.
        These funds provide for instream flow identification, evaluation,
    and protection; habitat restoration and maintenance; management of non-
    native fish impacts; endangered fish propagation and stocking;
    research, monitoring, and data management; public information and
    involvement; program management; and operation and maintenance of
    millions of dollars of capital projects, including fish screens, fish
    passages, and reservoir improvements.
        The current level of annual base funding is approximately $8.2
    million. The substantial reduction of this revenue that would occur
    without extended authorization would halt important recovery actions
    for both Programs. Such a cut would put at risk the substantial
    progress we have made over three decades of collaboration to restore
    healthy populations of these native fish species. It would also create
    uncertainty with respect to ESA compliance for the millions of
    agricultural, industrial, and municipal water users who rely on steady
    supplies from the Colorado River and its tributaries.
        Because extending the Programs' authorization to use these
    hydropower revenues is critical to recovery of the four endangered
    species, the Nature Conservancy strongly urges your support for H.R.
    4465.

        Thank you, Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member Huffman, and members of
    the Subcommittee for the opportunity to provide this testimony.

                                     *****

                                   ATTACHMENT

                                The Nature Conservancy,
                                              Boulder, Colorado

                                                       December 4, 2017

    Hon. Doug Lamborn, Chairman,
    Hon. Jared Huffman, Ranking Member,
    House Committee on Natural Resources,
    House Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans,
    1324 Longworth House Office Building,
    Washington, DC 20515.

    Re: H.R. 4465, the Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of
            2017

        Dear Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member Huffman:

        The Nature Conservancy supports the Endangered Fish Recovery
    Programs Extension Act of 2017 (H.R. 4665) because extending the
    authorization to use hydropower revenues through FY 2023 is critically
    important to keeping two vital endangered species recovery programs
    moving forward in the Upper Colorado River basin.
        H.R. 4465 amends P.L. 106-392, the authorizing legislation for the
    Recovery Programs, to provide for continued use of Colorado River
    Storage Project (CRSP) revenue for annual funding of the Upper Colorado
    River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and the San Juan River Basin
    Recovery Implementation Program through 2023 at currently authorized
    levels. Cost sharing for the programs is also provided by the States of
    Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah, water users, and CRSP power
    customers.
        The two Recovery Programs are highly successful collaborative
    conservation partnerships involving the States of New Mexico, Colorado,
    Utah, and Wyoming, as well as Indian tribes, federal agencies, and
    water, power, and environmental interests. These Programs are
    recovering four species of endangered Colorado River fish so that they
    can each be removed from the federal endangered species list while
    still allowing water use and development in our growing Western
    communities to continue in compliance with the federal Endangered
    Species Act (ESA), state law, and interstate compacts. Since 1988, the
    two Programs have provided ESA Section 7 compliance without litigation
    for over 2,500 federal, tribal, state, and privately managed water
    projects across the Upper Colorado River basin depleting more than 3.7
    million acre-feet of water per year--including those projects that
    supply water to our growing Front Range cities.
        Colorado River Storage Project revenues provide critical annual
    funding for the programs for operation and maintenance of facilities to
    recover the species, including fish screens, fish passages, bottomland
    habitat, and hatcheries, research and monitoring, and program
    management. Because extending the Programs' authorization to use these
    hydropower revenues is critical to keeping recovery of the four
    endangered species moving forward, the Nature Conservancy requests your
    support for H.R. 4465.

                Sincerely,

                                                  Taylor Hawes,
                                       Colorado River Program Director.

                                     ______

        Mr. Lamborn. Thank you. Mr. Colosimo, you are now
    recognized for 5 minutes.

    STATEMENT OF ANDREW COLOSIMO, GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE AFFAIRS
    MANAGER, COLORADO SPRINGS UTILITIES, COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

        Mr. Colosimo. Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Lamborn,
    Ranking Member Huffman, Chairman Bishop, and members of the
    House Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans, for the
    opportunity to testify in support of H.R. 4465.
        My name is Andrew Colosimo, Government Affairs Manager for
    Colorado Springs Utilities. Colorado Springs Utilities is a
    four-service municipal utility providing electric, natural gas,
    water, and wastewater services to approximately 407,000 citizen
    owners.
        Colorado Springs is not located on a major river, it must
    rely on water delivered from distant watersheds. Currently,
    between 60 and 70 percent of our water supply originates from
    first and subsequent reuse of water obtained from the Colorado
    River headwaters through four transbasin diversions. We, along
    with other Colorado Front Range water providers, including
    Denver and Aurora, serve approximately 80 percent of Colorado's
    population and economy. About 72 percent of this supply comes
    from the Colorado River Basin. As a result, Front Range water
    providers have a large stake in the future of Colorado River.
    Our water diversions from the Colorado River Basin link us to
    the Upper Colorado Recovery Endangered Fish Program.
        Colorado Springs Utilities is also linked to this program
    because we are a preference power customer of the Reclamation's
    Federal CRSP program by virtue of our firm electric service
    contract with Western Area Power Administration. Approximately
    10 percent of our power comes from this cost-based and reliable
    source of electricity.
        Colorado Springs Utilities also delivers Federal hydropower
    allocations to many of our local military installations,
    including Peterson Air Force Base, the Air Force Academy,
    Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, and Fort Carson. Ensuring
    their electric reliability and resiliency is of utmost
    importance to Colorado Springs Utilities.
        This program operates in accordance with state water laws,
    tribal laws, and interstate compact. Colorado water users have
    been involved in protecting endangered fish on the Colorado
    River since 1983, when the Colorado Water Congress established
    a special project on endangered species. The initial objective,
    as it is today, was to develop administrative solutions to
    potential conflicts between water development and management
    activities, and protection of endangered species in the
    Colorado River Basin.
        These initial efforts lead to the recovery programs that
    were established through cooperative agreements among the Upper
    Basin states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming, and
    the Federal agencies in 1988. We appreciate the support that
    Congress has provided to this program since 2000 when
    legislation, Public Law 106-392, was passed, which authorized a
    $100 million capital improvement program.
        Since passage of Public Law 106-392, CRSP power revenues
    have provided over $67 million to the Upper Colorado Recovery
    Program, and $32 million to the San Juan River Recovery
    Implementation Program. The CRSP power customers, through the
    participation of the Colorado River Energy Distributors
    Association, also continue to support this program.
        Water and power interests recognize that the recovery
    programs are an excellent model of Federal/non-Federal
    collaboration. Continuation of the annual base funding from
    CRSP hydropower revenues at the currently authorized levels is
    essential for the programs to provide continuing ESA
    compliance, and to assist in recovering the endangered fish
    species in the two basins. Water and power customers strongly
    support this legislation, and encourage timely passage of H.R.
    4465, to extend these authorities and obligations contained in
    Public Law 106-392.
        We are grateful for the past support of the Subcommittee,
    which has allowed these nationally recognized endangered
    species recovery programs to accomplish these important
    objectives. Continuing the recovery programs through Fiscal
    Year 2023 will allow our community, along with many others, the
    certainty needed to provide dependable water supply to our
    citizen owners. We are encouraged by some positive progress
    toward down- and de-listing these species, and look forward to
    continuing to work with the Federal Government, the states, and
    other partner agencies on program objectives. Thank you.

        [The prepared statement of Mr. Colosimo follows:]
      Prepared Statement of Andrew J. Colosimo, Colorado Springs Utilities
        Thank you Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member Huffman, and members of
    the House Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans for the opportunity
    to testify in support of H.R. 4465 the ``Endangered Fish Recovery
    Programs Extension Act of 2017.'' I would also like to thank
    Representative Curtis for introducing this important piece of
    legislation.
        My name is Andrew Colosimo, the Government Affairs Manager for
    Colorado Springs Utilities. As a community-owned, four service
    municipal utility, our focus is providing safe, reliable,
    competitively-priced electric, natural gas, water and wastewater
    services to our citizen owners and customers.
        The Colorado Springs Utilities water system serves over 470,000
    people across a 200-square mile service area. The water system includes
    25 reservoirs, 38 storage tanks, 6 water treatment facilities, and over
    2,000 miles of water mains. Source water is diverted from over 100
    miles outside the city.
        Colorado Springs is not located on a major river, it must rely on
    water delivered from distant watersheds. Currently, between 60 and 70
    percent of the Utilities' water supply originates from the first use
    and subsequent reuse of water obtained from Colorado River headwaters
    through four transbasin diversions. These supplies are transported into
    the Arkansas River Basin and delivered to storage and treatment
    facilities via four raw water pipeline systems.
        We, along with other Colorado Front Range water providers including
    Denver and Aurora, serve about 80 percent of Colorado's population and
    economy. About 72 percent of this supply comes from the Colorado River
    Basin. As a result, Front Range water providers have a large stake in
    the future of the Colorado River. Our water diversions from the
    Colorado River Basin link us to the Upper Colorado Endangered Fish
    Recovery Program.
        Colorado Springs Utilities is also linked to this program because
    we are a preference power customer of the Reclamation's Federal
    Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP) by virtue of our firm electric
    service contract with the Western Area Power Administration.
    Approximately 10 percent of our power comes from this cost-based and
    reliable source of energy. The remainder of our power comes from local
    generation including coal, natural gas, local hydropower generation and
    renewable energy sources. Colorado Springs Utilities delivers Federal
    hydropower allocations to many of our local military installations
    including Peterson Air Force Base, the Air Force Academy, Cheyenne
    Mountain Air Force Station and Fort Carson. Ensuring electric
    reliability and resiliency for our military customers is of utmost
    importance to Colorado Springs Utilities.
        The Recovery Programs are a proven Federal/non-Federal
    collaborative program that provide Endangered Species Act (ESA)
    compliance for over 2,320 water projects that withdraw about 3.7
    million acre-feet annually, including those belonging to Colorado
    Springs. The goals of the programs are to recover four endangered fish
    species--the humpback chub, razorback sucker, bonytail chub and the
    Colorado pikeminnow--while continuing operations and development of
    water projects in the Upper Colorado River and San Juan River Basins,
    and operation of the Flaming Gorge Dam and Aspinall Unit facilities of
    the CRSP.
        The programs operate in accordance with state water laws, tribal
    laws, and interstate compacts. There has been no taking of water from
    any water user or Reclamation contractor. The programs allow the
    Federal Government to fulfill its Indian trust responsibilities in
    compliance with the Endangered Species Act. It is also important to
    note that no lawsuits have been filed on ESA compliance for any water
    project under the programs.
        Colorado water users have been involved in protecting endangered
    fish on the Colorado River since 1983 when the Colorado Water Congress
    established the Special Project on Endangered Species. The initial
    objective was to develop administrative solutions to potential
    conflicts between water development/management activities and
    protection of endangered species in the Colorado River Basins.
        These initial efforts led to the Recovery Programs that were
    established through Cooperative Agreements among the Upper Basin states
    of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming and Federal agencies in 1988
    for an initial 15-year period to recover four species of endangered
    fish in the Colorado and San Juan River Basins. In August 2009, the
    Cooperative Agreements were extended through 2023. The Colorado Water
    Congress continues to support this program today.
        We appreciate the support that Congress has provided to this
    program since 2000 when legislation (P.L. 106-392) was passed which
    authorized a $100 million capital improvement program. The legislation
    required ``matching funds'' for the capital program so that, in the
    event state funding for the program ceased, so too would power revenue
    funding. CRSP power revenues funded $17 million of the Program capital
    features.
        The 2000 law also authorized the use of CRSP power revenue for
    ``base funding'' of activities including operation and maintenance of
    capital features, and recovery actions other than capital projects,
    including monitoring and research, and program management.
        Since passage of P.L. 106-392, CRSP power revenues have provided
    over $67 million to the Upper Colorado Recovery Implementation Program
    and $32 million to the San Juan River Recovery Implementation Program.
    The CRSP power customers through the participation of the Colorado
    River Energy Distributors Association (CREDA) also continue to support
    this program.
        Water and power interests recognize that the Recovery Programs are
    an excellent model of Federal/non-Federal collaboration. Continuation
    of annual base funding from CRSP hydroelectric power revenues at
    currently authorized levels is essential for the programs to provide
    continuing ESA compliance and to assist in recovering the endangered
    fish species in the two basins.
        Water and power customers strongly support this legislation and
    encourage timely passage of H.R. 4465 that will extend authorities and
    obligations contained in Public Law 106-392. We are grateful for the
    past support of the Subcommittee which has allowed these nationally-
    recognized endangered species recovery programs to accomplish their
    important objectives.
        Continuing the Recovery Programs through Fiscal Year 2023 will
    allow our community along with many others the certainty needed to
    provide dependable water supply to our citizen owners. We are
    encouraged by some positive progress toward down- and de-listing
    species and look forward to continuing to work with the Federal
    Government, the states, and other partner agencies on Program
    objectives.

                                     ______

        Mr. Lamborn. Thank you. We will now begin questions for
    witnesses. To allow all of our Members to participate, and to
    ensure that we can hear from all of our witnesses today, under
    Committee Rule 3(d), Members are limited to 5 minutes for their
    questions. I will save my questions for the end.
        At this point, we will recognize Representative LaMalfa of
    California.
        Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The bill being
    discussed today, obviously, will have great impact on the
    supply and hydropower. The issues being talked about on the
    Colorado River with this program are very similar to what we
    face in Northern California with the Sacramento River Basin,
    with the program there known as the Sacramento Valley Salmon
    Recovery Program, which is an agreement between Federal, state
    and local stakeholders. A lot of good work has been done,
    hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on fish
    screens, water efficiency, habitat restoration, things that
    have been done with a good bipartisan spirit, and a lot of
    cooperation. But for quite a few years, not all the input from
    the stakeholders, particularly the water users, has been as
    strong as it should be. So, I am hoping from this legislation
    we can take some lessons from that and apply it at home in
    California.
        Mr. Colosimo?
        Mr. Colosimo. Colosimo.
        Mr. LaMalfa. I should know better as an Italian. Colosimo.
    What do you see for the fish that are being listed under ESA,
    the prospects for being de-listed, how soon, how simple, what
    needs to happen in order to get to a de-listing?
        Mr. Colosimo. Congressman LaMalfa, thank you for the
    opportunity to talk about this program. I think we are on track
    toward down- and de-listing some of these fish, and really are
    working closely with the Federal agencies to come out with some
    additional analysis on their progress. Recovering these species
    is difficult and it is time-consuming, and we would all like to
    see things done more quickly.
        Mr. LaMalfa. Are there structural issues within the ESA
    that make it more challenging than maybe it needs to be?
        Mr. Colosimo. I believe that there are certainly
    opportunities that the Endangered Species Act could be
    streamlined to make some of these decisions more quickly. But I
    think in the case of this program, I think we are on track.
        Mr. Maddux may be able to provide a little more specificity
    on exact timing and recovery issues. But I believe that we are
    on track to making significant progress toward down- and de-
    listing these species in the next few years.
        Mr. LaMalfa. So, you are feeling fairly optimistic about
    that timeline?
        Mr. Colosimo. Yes, sir.
        Mr. LaMalfa. Mr. Maddux, I will throw that right back to
    you.
        Mr. Maddux. Thank you for the question. Currently, the U.S.
    Fish and Wildlife Service is working on species status
    assessments for three of the species: the Colorado pikeminnow,
    razorback sucker, and humpback chub. That is the first step in
    the process of evaluating whether they are ready to be down-
    listed. Those evaluations will be completed in 2018.
        The humpback chub is the first one, it is already at the
    level now where it is being discussed in senior management,
    official wildlife, between the three regions: California
    region; the Southwest, basically, Arizona and New Mexico; and
    the Region 6 that covers the Upper Basin states. So, that one
    we are pretty optimistic about, and we are hoping that by the
    end of 2018 we will have made decisions for down-listing three
    of the four.
        Mr. LaMalfa. What is your experience on this being a
    voluntary agreement as opposed to being imposed?
        Mr. Maddux. An interesting fact. Like I said, the 15-mile
    reach is an example. But each year as snow-melt approaches, all
    the private and Federal reservoirs in Colorado begin a dialogue
    on how to coordinate their releases to benefit those fish, so
    that when snow-melts come and they are filling their
    reservoirs, they coordinate their releases to provide what
    looks similar to the historic hydrograph that occurred when
    those fish evolved. And that is all done voluntarily, and
    occurs on an annual basis. Not all the time are they able to
    achieve a giant peak, but many times they can, and we have seen
    great benefits from that. We have private irrigation companies
    that are allowing us to put structures in place, where all the
    saved water remains in the river to benefit the fish.
        I think as people see and begin to trust and know that
    their interests are also looked at, the amount of work they do
    voluntarily has greatly increased.
        Mr. LaMalfa. Briefly on sound science, you used that
    terminology a bit ago. How important is that to getting to a
    good, well-rounded outcome?
        Mr. Maddux. When we started working on these fish, we knew
    very little. In fact, in some of our stocking efforts, we
    learned we were putting those fish in the wrong areas. But as
    we have learned, we have adapted. A great example are the
    releases out of Flaming Gorge Dam. We have a huge amount of
    flow that comes naturally down the Yampa River out of Colorado.
    We would match the peak of the Yampa with the Green River from
    Flaming Gorge, thinking that achieving a high peak and flooding
    those bottomlands was best for the fish. Nothing was happening.
        And what we learned, through science, is that we needed to
    time it when the razorback sucker eggs were hatching on the
    river. So, now, that peak from Flaming George is regulated to
    match when the fish are actually coming off the spawning bars.
    And now we are seeing, this last year, over 2,000 fish out of
    just one of those bottomlands was released back.
        Mr. LaMalfa. It makes sense. I better yield my overtime
    back. Thank you, sir.
        Mr. Lamborn. Thank you. I would now recognize the Ranking
    Member for any questions he might have.
        Mr. Huffman. Thanks, Mr. Chairman. I really don't have too
    many questions. I am just very favorably impressed with the way
    all the stakeholders have come together and stuck with it over
    these many years, and the adaptive management that you
    described sounds like a great feature of this program.
        So, unless you wanted to tell us a little more about the
    hydrograph and how you have timed releases to produce good
    results for fish, I am content and ready to support this bill.
    I guess I do have one question of any of you that are
    fisherman. Have any of you caught this pikeminnow?
        Mr. Maddux. I have caught the humpback chub.
        Mr. Huffman. Not all of our pikeminnow are valued sport
    fish in California. Sometimes we want to catch them and throw
    them off on the shore and wish that they would go away. But
    they fight for a while and then they just sort of roll over and
    you bring them in, and they are not great fighters. I just
    wondered if anybody had caught these Colorado River pikeminnow,
    and if they were a more challenging sport fish to catch?
        Mr. Maddux. I might add that the state of Utah is actually
    working with the Fish and Wildlife Service. We are going to try
    to create a sport fishery on one of our reservoirs for Colorado
    pikeminnow. Can you imagine people setting a new state record
    every year, and the excitement that that will generate.
        Mr. Huffman. And jobs, because fisheries do create jobs and
    a lot of economic activities, and it is important that we
    remember that. Thanks for all your good work.
        Mr. Lamborn. I do have a few follow-up questions. Mr.
    Colosimo and Mr. Maddux, we have talked a little bit about
    fisheries or hatcheries. What role do these play in recovering
    endangered species on the Upper Colorado and San Juan River
    Basins?
        Mr. Maddux. Thank you, Chairman Lamborn. When we first
    started these programs, there were about 300 razorbacks left in
    the wild in the Upper Basin, and they were dwindling every
    year. There were no bonytail in the Upper Basin. Through
    hatcheries, we have been able to re-establish razorback suckers
    and we have reached numbers now to where they are spawning,
    reproducing, their young are surviving. Fishery crews are out
    on the river and they are catching so many it is getting in the
    way of some of their other work. So, that is a success for
    razorback sucker.
        We now changed those resources to bonytail, and I think we
    are finally starting to achieve the levels of bonytail in the
    river where we are starting to see a biological response. So,
    those hatcheries have been critical to our success.
        I should note that Navajo Nation and others have provided
    some of their own land to raise these fish for reintroduction
    on the San Juan and in the Green and Colorado.
        Mr. Lamborn. Mr. Colosimo?
        Mr. Colosimo. Mr. Chairman, I don't have anything else to
    add to Mr. Maddux's.
        Mr. Lamborn. Are the fish that are released into the wild
    genetically identical to those that are in the wild?
        Mr. Maddux. Yes. We have genetic management plans for all
    these species where the crosses, the male, the female, are
    controlled on who is mating, who is producing those young, to
    basically get the best genetic mix we can at the time of
    release.
        Mr. Lamborn. I have always thought that it was a good idea
    to use hatcheries. I have heard occasionally some criticism
    that these fish are not the same as those that are in the wild,
    so they don't want to use hatcheries. My thought is if we are
    really after the species being brought back and revived, we
    should embrace hatcheries. And to not use them would be--the
    only alternative is just to tie up a lot more territory, which
    is barred from any kind of development or use. So, to me,
    hatcheries are important for this purpose. Any comments?
        Mr. Maddux. Personally, I believe that two of our four
    species would be extinct in the Upper Colorado and San Juan
    Rivers if it were not for hatcheries. We were starting at such
    low numbers that without the support of hatchery-produced fish,
    those fish would be gone today.
        Mr. Lamborn. All right. Thank you for being here and for
    your testimony. I now recognize Representative Barragan.
        Ms. Barragan. I don't have any questions.
        Mr. Lamborn. If there are any last questions, we will
    entertain them, otherwise we are going to wrap up. Thank you
    for being here. Under Committee Rule 3(o), members of the
    Committee might submit questions to the Clerk within 3 business
    days following this hearing, and the hearing record will be
    open for 10 business days for responses. If you get any of
    those questions, please answer them.
        Mr. LaMalfa. Mr. Chairman, would you mind if I threw out
    one more?
        Mr. Lamborn. Go ahead, we have not dropped the gavel yet.
    With everyone's unanimous consent, go ahead.
        Mr. Huffman. Through the grace of the Ranking Member.
        Mr. LaMalfa. All right. Very graceful. Thank you.
        Mr. Lamborn. The bipartisan grace.
        Mr. LaMalfa. All right. Since you threw it open, I thought
    I had to do my 5 minutes in 6 minutes earlier, so I appreciate
    that. I will come back to Mr. Maddux--I chair the Subcommittee
    on Indian Affairs, so I wondered what major concerns you may
    have seen with the various tribes involved in the system on the
    San Juan River there? How are those efforts engaged and ensured
    for their concerns?
        Mr. Maddux. As I said, the four tribes are active members.
    They are represented at both the administration level and the
    biology level on the committees. They all have water projects
    that rely on these programs for their Endangered Species Act
    compliance. They have all stepped up in doing voluntary efforts
    to help us achieve recovery. They support us. They come back
    each year, as we come back to brief Members of Congress on the
    program and our success. They are vital--they are basically the
    backbone of the San Juan River Program.
        Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you. That is really good to hear on the
    voluntary efforts that have been mentioned here a couple of
    times in Committee. I appreciate that. And, Mr. Chairman, I
    appreciate the extra indulgence, and Mr. Ranking Member, thank
    you. I will yield back.
        Mr. Lamborn. I would like to ask another question and then
    we will keep this open for a second round. That is great
    bipartisan cooperation here.
        Mr. Colosimo, the lack of lawsuits and certainty associated
    with the water and power operations in the Basin is a great
    success. We must not lose sight, however, of the goals of what
    the programs seek to achieve, which is the eventual de-listing
    of the four ESA-listed fish species.
        Mr. Maddux, I believe, addressed this earlier about the
    possible timeline for eventual de-listing of these four
    species. Is there anything that you would like to say about the
    eventual de-listing?
        Mr. Colosimo. Chairman Lamborn, thank you for the question.
    I think that the progress that we are making is encouraging. I
    think we need to remain vigilant and continue to fund these
    programs. Without these programs, if we aren't successful,
    there is an impact, and it is going to impact our water supply
    and electricity supply in the West. I think that is why we are
    all at the table and are going to remain at the table to try to
    recover these endangered fish.
        Mr. Lamborn. How big of a percentage of the budget from
    WAPA are these programs? And is it all WAPA?
        Mr. Colosimo. I'm not sure that I understand.
        Mr. Lamborn. Mr. Maddux?
        Mr. Maddux. On our annual base funding, power revenues
    account for about 75 percent of our funding.
        Mr. Lamborn. OK.
        Mr. Maddux. States contribute cash each year, as well as
    other in-kind, and other partners also contribute.
        Mr. Lamborn. Federal dollars?
        Mr. Maddux. Fish and Wildlife contributes close to $2
    million annually toward the program.
        Mr. Lamborn. All right. That helps. Thank you. If there are
    no further questions, we are going to go ahead and wrap up. You
    heard what I said about being open to written questions that
    might be submitted to you. If there is no further business,
    without objection, the Subcommittee stands adjourned.

        [Whereupon, at 10:50 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]

    [LIST OF DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD RETAINED IN THE COMMITTEE'S
                                OFFICIAL FILES]

    Letters Submitted in Support of H.R. 4465

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Colorado Water Conservation Board,
                dated December 4, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Grand Valley Water Users
                Association, date not specified.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Public Service Company of New
                Mexico, dated December 1, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Southeastern Colorado Water
                Conservancy District, dated November 30, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Central Utah Water Conservancy
                District, date not specified.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Colorado River District, dated
                December 4, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from Colorado Springs Utilities, dated
                November 30, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Colorado Water Congress, date not
                specified.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Colorado River Energy Distributors
                Association, dated December 4, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from Denver Water, date not specified.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from Governor Mead of Wyoming, dated
                December 7, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Navajo Nation, dated December 1,
                2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the National Water Resources
                Association, dated December 1, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the New Mexico Interstate Stream
                Commission, dated December 4, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District,
                date not specified.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the San Juan Water Commission, dated
                November 30, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, dated
                November 29, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Northern Colorado Water
                Conservancy District, date not specified.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from Tri-County Water Conservancy District,
                date not specified.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Southwestern Water Conservation
                District, dated December 1, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from Tri-State Generation and Transmission
                Association, Inc., dated December 18, 2017.

        --Letter addressed to Chairman Lamborn and Ranking Member
                Huffman from the Upper Colorado River Commission,
                dated December 1, 2017.