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In 2006, Governor Dave
Heineman signed the Platte River Recovery Program. The Nebraska
Wildlife Federation and National Wildlife Federation led a public
education campaign in 2006 in support of this important program.
We believe the Platte River
Recovery Program brings new hope for the Platte River and the
fish, wildlife and people who depend upon it. The Program would
acquire and protect 10,000 acres of land, provide water to improve
critical flows needed for fish and wildlife, and ensure that good
science drives the program (see more information here).
A
key component of the Recovery Program is that Colorado, Wyoming,
Nebraska, and the federal government would each be responsible for
offsetting recent and new water development that could further harm
critical minimum river flows. That obligation started in 1997, when the
negotiations for the Program were begun.
Nebraska's 'Water Depletion Plan'
to meet that promise was supposed be in place and operating by December
31, 2008, bu the Legislature has not yet appropriated any
money to implement the plan! Worse, Governor
Heineman refused to ask the Legislature for the funds in
2007 or 2008.
By
failing to meet the December, 2008 deadline as promised, Nebraska is
putting the entire Recovery Program at risk! Colorado, Wyoming, and the
US Department of Interior -- which are providing more than $187 million
in funds for the land, water, and science program -- are unlikely to
agree to pay money to put water into the river on one hand, while
Nebraska is allowing thousands of recent irrigation wells to take water
out of the river with the other.
In 2008, a collection of Nebraska Natural Resource
Districts, the Department of Natural Resources, the Nebraska Game &
Parks Commission and other partners proposed a three-year plan that
would address the requirements of the Nebraska Depletions Plan by
paying farmers to take land out of irrigated farming and retire the
water rights on the land. The land would be planted into native grass
mixes as habitat, or converted to dryland farming (see our summary of
the plan here).
The proposal will
require at least $4 million per year in state funds over three years,
as part of a $16 million effort. The Department of Natural Resources
and Natural Resource Districts involved have proposed that $2 million
per year -- $6 million total -- come from the Nebraska Environmental
Trust.
Nebraska
Wildlife Federation supports the completion of a Nebraska Depletions
Plan, although we believe the Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund should
not
be tapped for this purpose. We believe all $4 million of the state's
share should come from the general state budget.
Please
write or call Governor Dave Heineman and your State Legislator today!
Ask them to:
* Support state funding for the Platte River
Depletions Plan to allow the
State of
Nebraska to meet its promise to put a Platte River Depletion Plan in
place; and
* Support at least $4 million per year in state
funds so the State can avoid tapping the Nebraska Environmental Trust
Fund for this state obligation.
Write to the Governor at:
Governor
Dave Heineman
PO
Box 94848
Lincoln,
NE 68509-4848
or
call the Governor's office at 402-471-2244
Write to your State Senator at:
State
Senator _______________
PO
Box 94604
Lincoln,
NE 68509
If you do not know who your State Senator is then head over to the
U.S. Senate's official website in order to find out who your
State Senator is and how to get into contact with them.
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