May 18, 2004

Contact Mark Butler, 303-445-2103
 Diane Katzenberger, 303-236-4578

The public review and comment period for the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was originally scheduled to end April 2, 2004, and recently extended to June 2, 2004. It was the intent of the Bureau of Reclamation that the comment period for the DEIS overlap with the release of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report, entitled, "Endangered and Threatened Species in the Platte River Basin" that was expected January 30, 2004. Because the NAS report was delayed until April 28, Reclamation has extended the review and comment period for the DEIS to August 20, 2004, to allow the public the opportunity to have both reports available during the DEIS review and comment period.

Public hearings on the DEIS will be held during late July and early August. Times and locations will be announced in the Federal Register and local media.

Written comments on the DEIS should be addressed to the Platte River EIS Office (PL-100), PO Box 25007, Denver, Colorado, 80225-0007, telephone 303-445-2096, or by sending an email to platte@prs.usbr.gov.mailto:platte@prs.usbr.gov.

The DEIS, its summary, and the NAS report are also accessible at http://www.platteriver.org.

Visit the Mountain Prairie website at:  http://www.mountain-prairie.fws.gov