Groups Praise New Colorado Law to Protect Vulnerable Rivers, Streams

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The bill creates a new, refundable income tax credir for farmers and ranchers who donatse their water to protecg rivers and streams in the A broad coalition of groups supported the including EnvironmentalDefense Fund, Rocky Mountain Farmers Colorado Water Trust, Trout Unlimited, and the Northerh Colorado Water Conservancy District. "By enacting this Colorado is taking the lead in crafting and implementinv incentives to encourage conservation of our most precious resources and creating a national model for protectinhg the iconic and vulnerable waterwayss ofthe west," said , Rocky Mountain Regionaol Director for Environmental Defense Fund and a former vice chairma of the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Committew in the Colorado Senate, who attended the bill "This law gives Colorado's farmers and ranchers the opportunityu to build partnerships with the statse and the conservation community to protecgt critical stream reaches and avoid the often-draconian implications of more Endangerede Species Act listings.
" Passed by the legislaturde during the 2009 session, House Bill 1067 createx a new incentive for individuals to contribute to the long-ter health of important stretches of streamk in all of Colorado's river basins. Under current law, the Colorad o Water ConservationBoard (CWCB) can receiver donations of water rights to protect stream flows and benefit the environment. The legislation authorizes the Colorado Water Conservation Board to award tax credit certificates to donors of wate rights that the Board deems worthy ofsuch consideration. The Boarr negotiates the tax credit values with the waterdright donor.
"Giving Colorado's familt farmers more options in deciding how to benefit from theie property will help ouragricultural communities," said , Presidengt of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. "As good land family farmers will look favorablhy upon this program as an alternative to selling their right to water developers who often export the waterr to urban and suburban parts ofthe state."" Environmental Defense Fund, a leadingy national nonprofit organization, representsx more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund haslinked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnershipsa to create breakthrough solutions to the most seriou s environmental problems.
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