Opinion ID: 1322365
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Reclamation must consult with FWS.

Text: Having determined that the case is not moot, I will briefly touch upon the merits. I agree with the district court that final resolution of the legal issue concerning Reclamation's discretionary authority over the Middle Rio Grande Project will greatly serve the public interest, and I would similarly conclude that [i]n any future consultations under the Endangered Species Act, the Bureau of Reclamation must consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service over the full scope of the Bureau's discretion concerning Middle Rio Grande Project operations. Id. at 1016 (citing its April 19, 2002 Memorandum Opinion and Order (Doc. No. 371), and its September 23, 2002 Memorandum Opinion and Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law (Doc. No. 445), and its Order and Partial Final Judgment (Doc. No. 446)). Section 7 of the ESA establishes a consultation process to insure that any action authorized, funded, or carried out by [a federal] agency . . . is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered species or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of [critical] habitat. . . . 16 U.S.C. § 1536(a)(2). The ESA obligates federal agencies to afford first priority to the declared national policy of saving endangered species. Tenn. Valley Auth., 437 U.S. at 185, 98 S.Ct. 2279. The Tennessee Valley Authority Court noted statements from legislative proceedings preceding the ESA, which tellingly remain valid over three decades later: As we homogenize the habitats in which these plants and animals evolved, and as we increase the pressure for products that they are in a position to supply (usually unwillingly) we threaten their-and our own-genetic heritage. . . . The value of this genetic heritage is, quite literally, incalculable.. . . From the most narrow possible point of view, it is in the best interests of mankind to minimize the losses of genetic variations. The reason is simple: they are potential resources. They are keys to puzzles which we cannot solve, and may provide answers to questions which we have not yet learned to ask. Id. at 178-79, 98 S.Ct. 2279 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). As the Court explained, Section 7 of the ESA imposes requirements upon heads of all federal departments and agencies to use their authorities to facilitate programs for the protection of endangered species. Id. at 182-83, 98 S.Ct. 2279. At the same time, those agencies must ensure their actions will not jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered species or threatened species. 16 U.S.C. § 1536(a)(2). The plain intent of Congress in enacting this statute was to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction, whatever the cost. Tenn. Valley Auth., 437 U.S. at 184, 98 S.Ct. 2279. When fully considering the implications of Reclamation's responsibilities against this unambiguous backdrop, rather than cast the facts as a showdown between man and nature, we must abide by Congress's view that the value of endangered species [is] incalculable. Id. at 187, 98 S.Ct. 2279 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Man has options that nature does not. There are no hardship exemptions under the ESA for federal agencies, and none is called for here. The district court's reasoning, which modestly requires Reclamation to merely consult with FWS, abides by the plain language of the ESA.