Assistant Leader Neguse Secures Extension of Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Endangered Fish Recovery Programs in Annual Defense Bill

Washington, D.C. — Today, House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse released the following statement regarding the inclusion of his bill, the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Reauthorization Act, in the final negotiated language for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025. Neguse’s bill, which mirrors legislation championed by Senator John Hickenlooper in the U.S. Senate, extends the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program for seven years, advancing protections for four threatened and endangered native fish species in the region. 

“Over the course of the 118th Congress, I’ve been proud to lead efforts to reauthorize the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Endangered Fish Recovery Programs through 2031. This reauthorization will build on the significant progress already made by these highly successful programs. It is essential that Congress acts before the end of the year to reauthorize the programs, and I am optimistic that we can get it across the finish line and continue safeguarding Colorado's fish and wildlife for years to come,” said Assistant Leader Joe Neguse. 

In 2022, Assistant Leader Neguse led a successful bipartisan effort to extend the authorization  for the recovery programs through 2024 as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 omnibus government funding bill. The program authorization was originally set to expire in 2023.

The Upper Colorado River Basin is home to 14 native fish species, including the threatened and endangered humpback chub, bonytail, Colorado pikeminnow, and razorback sucker. These threatened and endangered fish are found only in the Colorado River system.

The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, founded in collaboration with public and private entities, was established in 1988 to save four endangered fish species from extinction. This program represents an unprecedented partnership of local, state, and federal agencies, water and power interests, and environmental groups working together to recover endangered fish and is a national success.