[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 8, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H652-H653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   UPPER COLORADO AND SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN ENDANGERED FISH RECOVERY 
                  PROGRAMS REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005

  Mr. GOHMERT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 1578) to reauthorize the Upper Colorado and San Juan 
River Basin endangered fish recovery implementation programs.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 1578

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Upper Colorado and San Juan 
     River Basin Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Reauthorization 
     Act of 2005''.

     SEC. 2. UPPER COLORADO AND SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN ENDANGERED 
                   FISH RECOVERY IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMS.

       Section 3 of Public Law 106-392 (114 Stat. 1602; 116 Stat. 
     3113) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``$46,000,000'' and 
     inserting ``$61,000,000'';
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``2008'' and inserting 
     ``2010''; and
       (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``2008'' and inserting 
     ``2010'';
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) by striking ``$100,000,000'' and inserting 
     ``$126,000,000'';
       (B) in paragraph (1)--
       (i) by striking $82,000,000'' and inserting 
     ``$108,000,000''; and
       (ii) by striking ``2008'' and inserting ``2010''; and
       (C) in paragraph (2), by striking ``2008'' and inserting 
     ``2010''; and
       (3) in subsection (c)(4)--
       (A) in the first sentence, by inserting ``and the Elkhead 
     Reservoir enlargement'' after ``Wolford Mountain Reservoir''; 
     and
       (B) in the second sentence, by striking ``$20,000,000'' and 
     inserting ``$31,000,000''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Gohmert) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. 
Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOHMERT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOHMERT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, S. 1578, sponsored by Senator Wayne Allard from 
Colorado, reauthorizes the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basin 
endangered fish recovery programs.
  Congresswoman Cubin of Wyoming, a wonderful resource on the Resources 
Committee, is the sponsor of the House companion measures, and she 
should be commended for her hard work on this bill.

[[Page H653]]

  The dual goals of those programs are to recover four endangered fish 
species and to ensure that local citizens can continue to use the 
rivers for their economic, social and cultural needs. Unlike much of 
the Endangered Species Act's activities, these programs have 
performance measures and benchmarks to determine recovery progress. As 
a result, the programs enjoy broad support among various users.
  This reauthorization will allow for the last installment of the 
needed construction projects to enhance fish recovery. I urge my 
colleagues to support this bipartisan bill. I applaud Mrs. Cubin as the 
sponsor of the House companion measure.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  The Upper Colorado and San Juan endangered fish recovery programs are 
often cited as examples of good agency performance under the Endangered 
Species Act. The Department of the Interior has worked closely with 
State agencies, water users, and environmentalists to implement these 
fish recovery programs.
  The programs are tightly managed and effective. S. 1578 will increase 
the cost ceiling for these important activities and will ensure the 
programs will continue without interruption. Madam Speaker, we strongly 
support the passage of S. 1578.
  Mrs. CUBIN. Madam Speaker, I am the lead sponsor of H.R. 3153, the 
identical House measure to S.1578 under consideration today. This bill 
is quite simple. It will reauthorize the Upper Colorado and San Juan 
River Basin endangered fish recovery programs for 2 additional years. 
This action is necessary to complete the capital construction of these 
two successful efforts.
  The program's existing authorization is set to expire in fiscal year 
2008. However, construction costs have increased faster than the 
consumer price index over the past several years due to factors such as 
an improved economy and increased energy costs.
  This measure's two-year extension of the programs' existing 
authorization will allow the Bureau of Reclamation to continue 
providing cost-sharing for these programs. More specifically, S.1578 
would authorize the Bureau to expend an additional $15 million in cost-
sharing funds for the Upper Basin programs, while recognizing an 
additional $11 million in non-federal cost-sharing.
  It is important to note that this bill maintains both a cap on 
expenditures and a sunset provision on the time frame for those 
expenditures, as intended in the original authorization.
  I would also like to draw attention to the bipartisan support this 
bill has garnered. The House bill, H.R. 3153, was introduced with 12 
original cosponsors, comprised of the entire Utah and New Mexico 
delegations and all but one of the Colorado delegation--all of the 
states affected by these two programs.
  I have been a strong supporter of these programs because they 
effectively balance the goals of continued water supply and usage with 
the recovery efforts of four endangered fish populations.
  It is these kind of on-the-ground programs that Congress should be 
encouraging to ensure endangered species recovery efforts are locally 
supported and results-driven.
  Passage of this bill represents Congress' acknowledgment that 
locally-driven programs with real recovery goals is the best approach 
toward species conservation.
  Mr, UDALL of Colorado. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, 
and to thank Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Rahall for making it 
possible for the House to consider it today.
  This bill, cosponsored by both of Colorado's Senators, will 
reauthorize and expand the authority of the Bureau of Reclamation to 
undertake capital projects for the Recovery Implementation Program for 
Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin and the San 
Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program.
  I am a cosponsor of the companion bill, H.R. 3153, which was approved 
by the Resources Committee last year and which is also cosponsored by 
my Colorado colleagues, Representatives DeGette, Salazar, and Beauprez.
  The Upper Colorado and San Juan recovery programs were established in 
1988 and 1992, respectively, through broad-based cooperative agreements 
that provide for the active participation of the States of Colorado, 
New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the 
Bureau of Reclamation; the National Park Service; the Western Area 
Power Administration; the Bureau of Land Management; the Bureau of 
Indian Affairs; the Jicarilla Apache Nation; the Navajo Nation; the 
Southern Ute Tribe; the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe; the Colorado River 
Energy Distributors Association; water development interests; and 
several environmental organizations.
  These successful programs are meeting their dual objectives of 
recovering 4 endangered fish species--the Colorado pikeminnow, the 
humpback chub, the razorback sucker, and the bonytail chub--while 
allowing needed water development to proceed in compliance with the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA). Key parts of the programs are 
construction of fish hatcheries, fish screens, and fish passage 
structures as well as habitat restoration and management.
  So far, these programs have provided ESA compliance for over 800 
water projects that provide more than 2.5 million acre-feet of water 
per year.
  However, because of increased construction and property acquisition 
costs, the amounts authorized to be appropriated for the program are no 
longer adequate to fulfill the program goals. In addition, the 
authority for capital construction projects is scheduled to terminate 
in 2008, even though projects currently underway cannot be completed by 
the program termination date.
  To respond to those needs, this bill will extend the authorization 
through 2010, increase the amount authorized for the Federal share of 
project costs, and raise the limitation on the total costs of projects.
  The Bureau of Reclamation has informed us that prompt action on the 
legislation is necessary if they are to take advantage of a window of 
opportunity to begin work on recovery-program projects before spring 
runoff and flash floods make it necessary to wait until next year.
  I think we should not lose precious time. So, I am glad that the 
House is considering this bill today and I urge its approval.
  Mr. SALAZAR. Madam Speaker, I speak today in support of the Upper 
Colorado River and San Juan River Basin Endangered Fish Recovery 
Programs Reauthorization Act of 2005. These important programs are 
helping us to recover four endangered fish species along the Colorado 
and San Juan Rivers.
  It is essential to these western Colorado water communities that 
Congress reauthorize the program so we can continue with recovery 
efforts. I would also like to emphasize that both the Upper Colorado 
River and the San Juan River are vital water supplies to western 
Colorado. Over 1,000 water projects are reliant upon the waters in 
these rivers and tributaries. You can imagine the difficulty of trying 
to coordinate species recovery with the needs of so many water 
projects. But that is exactly what we have been able to do and I am 
proud of their work.
  This program can serve as a national model for public and private 
partnerships for endangered species recovery. It allows water 
development in accordance to the State and Federal laws to continue 
while the partners work to recover the endangered fish species. As an 
individual water user I appreciate how this program does not pass the 
depletion burdens onto individual water projects and users. It is also 
very impressive that these partners have been able to work towards 
species recovery without a single lawsuit filed under the Endangered 
Species Act.
  While water wars are historic throughout the West, this cooperative 
partnership among the affected parties is truly historic. This is a 
good bill and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOHMERT. Madam Speaker, we yield back the balance of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the Senate bill, S. 1578.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________