WildEarth Guardians

Thursday, June 12, 2003
Court Rules that the U.S. Government Must Conserve the Dying Rio Grande Ecosystem

A ruling from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals that the U.S. government must consider all available sources of water when considering how to conserve the dying Rio Grande ecosystem and protect endangered fish and wildlife
Contact: WildEarth Guardians

The decision is the culmination of a 1999 lawsuit brought by six local, regional and national environmental groups who challenged the failure of the U.S. government to assess the impacts of its operation of dams and diversions on the Middle Rio Grande and its refusal to acknowledge its obligation to restore the native species and habitat of the river. The panel found that federal management of the Rio Grande has caused extensive damage to New Mexico's natural resources - including the federal listing of endangered fish and bird species under the Endangered Species Act - and that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is responsible for mitigating these impacts.

Read the Appeal (PDF)