WASHINGTON OFFICE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO SUITE 430 440 FIRST STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20001 March 22, 2005 The Honorable Charles H. Taylor House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior Dear Mr. Chairman: On behalf of the County of San Diego, please support full funding for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program in FY 2006. With your assistance, Congress provided $227 million for PILT in FY 2005. This funding provides important compensation to local communities that have significant amounts of Federal land in their counties. PILT partially offset the costs of supplying many valuable services such as search and rescue, law enforcement, and road maintenance. During consideration of the FY 2006 Budget Resolution, the Senate voted to bring PILT to its full authorization. The County of San Diego strongly supports full funding for this program. The authorization for PILT would provide funding at approximately $340 million annually, which is warranted by the fiscal pressures felt by counties, particularly in California. Please continue to work to increase the funding necessary for this program. Sincerely, Thoms P. Walters Thomas P. Walters TPW:dwg I am requesting your support and assistance in insuring continued funding for the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program. These ongoing cooperative programs have the dual objectives of recovering four species of endangered fish while water use continues and water development proceeds in compliance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973, state law, and interstate compacts. Partners in the two programs are the States of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, Indian tribes, federal agencies and water, power and environmental interests. I respectfully request support and action by the Subcommittee that will provide the following: 1. An increase of $691,000 in the fiscal year 2006 Recovery Element budget (Resource Management Appropriation; Ecological Services Activity; Endangered Species Subactivity; Recovery Element) allocated to "Colorado River fish recovery project" to allow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Region 6 to meet its funding commitment to the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. This is the level of funding appropriated in fiscal years 2003, 2004 and 2005 for this program. These funds are needed for FWS direct participation in managing and implementing the Upper Colorado Program's actions, monitoring achievement of recovery goals, managing data associated with fish population abundance and sampling, evaluating stocking, and monitoring fish and habitat response to recovery actions. 2. The appropriation of $437,000 in operation and maintenance funds (Resource Management Appropriation; Fisheries Activity; Hatchery Operations & Maintenance Subactivity, Hatchery Operations Project) to support the ongoing operation of the FWS' Ouray National Fish Hatchery in Utah during fiscal year 2006. Suite # 200 201 Centennial Street / PO Box 1120 Glenwood Springs, Colorado 81602 3. An increase of $211,000 in the "Resource Management Appropriation; Ecological Services Activity; Endangered Species Subactivity; Recovery Element" budget allocated to the "San Juan River Recovery Implementation Program". These funds are needed to support the FWS Recovery Program Coordinator and staff who are responsible for program management and support of all Recovery Program activities. The enactment of Public Law 106-392, as amended by P.L. 107-375, authorized the Federal Government to provide up to $46 Million of cost sharing for these two ongoing recovery programs' remaining capital construction projects. Raising and stocking of the endangered fish produced at program hatchery facilities, restoring floodplain habitat and fish passage, regulating and supplying instream habitat flows, installing diversion canal screens and controlling nonnative fish populations are key components of the programs' ongoing capital construction projects. Subsection 3(c) of P.L 106-392 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to accept up to $17 Million of contributed funds from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico, and to expend such contributed funds as if appropriated for these projects; and provides for an additional $17 Million to be contributed from revenues derived from the sale of Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP) hydroelectric power. This substantial non-federal cost-sharing funding demonstrates the strong commitment and effective partnerships embodied in both of these successful programs. The requested federal appropriations are critically important to these efforts moving forward. The support of your Subcommittee in past years is greatly appreciated - and has been a major factor in the success of these multi-state, multi-agency programs as they have progressed forward towards delisting the endangered fish species in the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins while necessary water use and development activities are occurring. I request the Subcommittee's assistance to ensure that the FWS is provided with adequate funding for these vitally important programs. Sincerely, [original signed] R. Eric Kuhn General Manager CC: Colorado Members, U.S. House of Representatives Governor Bill Owens I am requesting your support and assistance in insuring continued funding for the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program. These ongoing cooperative programs have the dual objectives of recovering four species of endangered fish while water use continues and water development proceeds in compliance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973, state law, and interstate compacts. Partners in the two programs are the States of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, Indian tribes, federal agencies and water, power and environmental interests. I respectfully request support and action by the Subcommittee that will provide the following: 1. An increase of $691,000 in the fiscal year 2006 Recovery Element budget (Resource Management Appropriation; Ecological Services Activity; Endangered Species Subactivity; Recovery Element) allocated to "Colorado River fish recovery project" to allow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Region 6 to meet its funding commitment to the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. This is the level of funding appropriated in fiscal years 2003, 2004 and 2005 for this program. These funds are needed for FWS direct participation in managing and implementing the Upper Colorado Program's actions, monitoring achievement of recovery goals, managing data associated with fish population abundance and sampling, evaluating stocking, and monitoring fish and habitat response to recovery actions. 2. The appropriation of $437,000 in operation and maintenance funds (Resource Management Appropriation; Fisheries Activity; Hatchery Operations & Maintenance Subactivity, Hatchery Operations Project) to support the ongoing operation of the FWS' Ouray National Fish Hatchery in Utah during fiscal year 2006. 3. An increase of $211,000 in the "Resource Management Appropriation; Ecological Services Activity, Endangered Species Subactivity; Recovery Element budget allocated to the "San Juan River Recovery Implementation Program". These funds are needed to support the FWS Recovery Program Coordinator and staff who are responsible for program management and support of all Recovery Program activities. The enactment of Public Law 106-392, as amended by P.L. 107-375, authorized the Federal Government to provide up to $46 Million of cost sharing for these two ongoing recovery programs' remaining capital construction projects. Raising and stocking of the endangered fish produced at program hatchery facilities, restoring floodplain habitat and fish passage, regulating and supplying instream habitat flows, installing diversion canal screens and controlling nonnative fish populations are key components of the programs' ongoing capital construction projects. Subsection 3(c) of P.L 106-392 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to accept up to $17 Million of contributed funds from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico, and to expend such contributed funds as if appropriated for these projects; and provides for an additional $17 Million to be contributed from revenues derived from the sale of Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP) hydroelectric power. This substantial non-federal cost-sharing funding demonstrates the strong commitment and effective partnerships embodied in both of these successful programs. The requested federal appropriations are critically important to these efforts moving forward. The support of your Subcommittee in past years is greatly appreciated - and has been a major factor in the success of these multi-state, multi-agency programs as they have progressed forward towards delisting the endangered fish species in the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins while necessary water use and development activities are occurring. I request the Subcommittee's assistance to ensure that the FWS is provided with adequate funding for these vitally important programs. Sincerely, L. Randy Kirkpatrick, Executive Director San Juan Water Commission CC: New Mexico Delegation, U.S. House of Representatives |