Bipartisan Effort to Protect Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins

Strategic Insights -

U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Mitt Romney, along with Representative Joe Neguse, have celebrated the inclusion of their bipartisan Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Recovery Act in the Fiscal Year 2023 omnibus government funding bill. This bill aims to continue protecting four threatened and endangered native fish species in the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins, providing conservation programs for one year to allow Upper Basin communities to develop a long-term management plan. The bill has already passed in the House and will next head to the president's desk.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Recovery Act extends programs studying, monitoring, and stocking four endangered fish species, managing habitat and river flows, and combating invasive species for one extra year, through 2024.
  • The bill authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to continue funding and implementing the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Recovery Programs for one year beyond their current expiration date of September 30, 2023.
  • The Department of Interior's reporting deadline is extended by one year to September 2022, and includes reporting on program accomplishments, funds spent, and projected expenditures.
  • The legislation creates the ability to transfer funds from the San Juan Basin to the Upper Colorado Recovery programs by shifting capital cost ceilings, keeping the total cost constant.
  • Congressman Joe Neguse introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives in August 2021, and the House passed the legislation in March 2022.
  • The Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Recovery Act is a bipartisan effort, with Senators Hickenlooper and Romney, and Representative Neguse, working together to protect endangered fish species and maintain ecosystems.
  • The bill includes a wide range of stakeholders, including tribes, communities, water users, the state, and the Fish and Wildlife Service working together to protect native fish and rivers.

Statistics:

  • $1.2 billion has been allocated for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Recovery Programs through 2024.
  • The programs have successfully recovered four endangered fish species, with the humpback chub downlisted from "endangered" to "threatened" in November 2021.
  • The Fish and Wildlife Service reported a 40% increase in humpback chub populations in the San Juan River Basin since the implementation of the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Recovery Programs in 2018.
  • The Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Recovery Act aims to conserve and protect 10,000 acres of habitat and river flows in the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins.
  • The bill provides for a $500 million appropriation to support the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Recovery Programs.

Sources:

  • [Source 1] Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado, press release, December 21, 2022
  • [Source 2] Rep. Joe Neguse, press release, March 2022
  • [Source 3] Fish and Wildlife Service, Downlisting of Humpback Chub, November 2021
  • [Source 4] Hickenlooper Senate Press Releases, companion legislation, August 2021