Eager to bolster and protect one of Nebraska’s major agricultural and wildlife resources, Nebraska’s senators are co-sponsoring legislation with Colorado’s senators to fund the federal portion of the Platte River recovery program.
Democrat Ben Nelson and Republican Chuck Hagel were joined Friday by Colorado Sens. Wayne Allard, a Republican, and Ken Salazar, a Democrat, as co-sponsors of the bipartisan authorization and funding measure.
The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program officially started on Jan. 1. Gov. Dave Heineman, along with governors from Colorado and Wyoming and the U.S. secretary of interior, signed the agreement last year.
Work on the recovery plan began in 1997.
The legislation will authorize the interior secretary to proceed with the program and includes $157 million to fund the federal portion.
The Platte River Cooperative Agreement was designed to benefit the threatened and endangered species and provide water users in the Platte River Basin with coverage under the Endangered Species Act without giving up their access to federal water, land or funding.
The four species are three birds—interior least tern, whooping crane and piping plover—and a fish—the pallid sturgeon.
To pay the $317 million cost of the plan, the federal government will provide $157 million in cash. Colorado plans to pitch in $24 million in cash, and Wyoming $6 million in cash. Nebraska doesn’t have to pay any cash, but could—because of a substantial increase in irrigated acres since July 1, 1997—end up having to take thousands of irrigated acres out of production. That would carry a high price tag.
The remaining $130 million for the plan is not in cash, but is being contributed through water and land credits: The three states must together contribute 80,000 acre-feet of water at an agreed-upon value of $120 million. Nebraska’s share of that water contribution will come through releases of the water in the already existing “environmental account” in Lake McConaughy.
Wyoming and Nebraska also will contribute about 3,000 acres of land, a $10 million value.
If the program continues after 13 years, a total of 29,000 acres will be needed to fully accomplish the objectives of the program, but that acreage goal could change as the science is improved.
Mark Czaplewski, a biologist for the Central Platte Natural Resources District, said federal funding is pivotal to the program.
“If it is to be successful, and given the fact that the primary source of cash for the program is federal, passage of the legislation is important,” he said.
———
Information from: The Grand Island Independent,
