Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008

CONSOLIDATED NATURAL RESOURCES ACT OF 2008 -- (Extensions of Remarks - May 01, 2008)

SPEECH OF
HON. ADRIAN SMITH
OF NEBRASKA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2008

* Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the House of Representatives for taking action on the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program today.

* The Platte River has undergone extensive development for irrigation, power generation, and municipal water uses. The river system today contains 15 major dams and reservoirs and provides water for about 3.5 million people.

* Existing facilities on the river provide hydroelectric power, irrigation water, flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife habitat. Substantial portions of the economies of the Platte River basin States--Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska--are based on water supplied by the Platte River.

* In 1997, the three States and the U.S. Department of the Interior signed an agreement to pursue a basinwide cooperative recovery implementation program to improve and maintain habitat for four threatened and endangered species which use the Platte River.

* The legislation we are discussing today is designed to implement a multi-state cooperative approach to assist in the conservation and recovery of habitat for the Platte River's endangered and threatened species and to help prevent the need to list more species under the Endangered Species Act. The bill would also provide regulatory certainty to the cities and industries which rely on flows of the river.

* As we move forward with the implementation of the program, positive and negative economic impacts must be assessed and considered in order to minimize adverse effects of the recovery efforts.

* This legislation is the first step of many to protect and recover species and provide long-term water use for our communities.

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