U.S. De artment of the Interior -- Office of the Assistant Secretary -- Water & Science
Meeting Information Request Form
To ensure that the appropriate individual within the Department of the Interior is meeting with you on a given matter and because the Office of the Assistant Secretary - Water & Science is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards, we are requesting the following information in order to proceed with your meeting request.
Please respond to the questions below and send your response or any questions to:
Michael Banton@ios.doi.gov
Requesting individual/organization: (Please identify the person(s) (name and affiliation) requesting the meeting, including any background information on the affiliated organization(s).)
Leslie James/Executive Director, Colorado River Energy Distributors Association
Point of Contact information (Name, Email, Phone): If same as above, just write same.
Have you or has anyone from your organization/group met with anyone from DOPASWS in the past 6 months? If yes, whom? Meeting date (if date is flexible, please indicate the range):
Please explain any time sensitivity that impacts the date of the meeting, such as courtordered or statutory deadline:
Proposed meeting location (Virtual or InPerson) (City, State):
Ryan Serote
an me uirewhitne .com
Anytime between now and Feb. 14.
One issue we would like to discuss has to do with Section 3 of the "Unleashing American Energy" executive order, which specifies that the Department would need to act within 30 days of the date of the order. Virtual
Expected meeting participants (name, title, and organizational affiliation):
Leslie James/Executive Director, Colorado River Energy Distributors Association Ryan Serote/Principal, Meguire Whitney
Are any expected meeting participants registered lobbyists or lobbying organizations, and/or registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act? (If yes, please identify.)
Yes, Ryan Serote
Are any expected meeting participants a
No
partisan political candidate, a representative
of a political party or a registered political
action committee (PAC)? (If yes, please
identify.)
Sierra Club v. Dept of Interior - 3:25-cv-05375-PHK
0002472 SC_EVERSPLIT0016767
Do you anticipate that any gifts/swag/meals
will be given or provided by you/your group
during this meeting? If so, please list the
items and their monetary value, if any, so that
this can be cleared by DOI Ethics prior to the
meeting.
NO
Do any expected meeting participants seek or No currently have any business interests with the Department such as permits, contracts, litigation, grants, etc.? (If yes, please identify.)
Describe the proposed meeting topic/ agenda, provide available briefing materials, and identify desired outcome(s):
We would like to discuss some of the challenges our member utilities are facing as a result of the July 2024 Long Term Experimental and Management Plan (LTEMP) Supplemental Environmental Impact Study that resulted in water bypassing hydropower generators at Glen Canyon Dam to help address predatory smallmouth bass below the dam that threaten the federally protected humpback chub. As a result of diminished generation, WAPA must make expensive power purchases on the open market to replace forgone hydro generation and meet customer contract obligations.
We would like to discuss the opportunity to withdraw the July 2024 Record of Decision that requires bypass flows, noting that President Trump's Executive Order, "Unleashing American Energy" calls for federal agencies to review agency actions that impose an undue burden on domestic energy resources.
Will the meeting involve legislation, broad policy options, or other general matters that involve a large and diverse range of persons and interests? (If yes, please describe.)
Will the meeting involve regulations, rules, or other matters that impact a specific industry, sector of the economy, or group of persons? (If yes, please describe.)
Yes. We are seeking to review the Colorado River 2024 LTEMP SEIS Record of Decision. We may also discuss legislation from Sen. Lee and Rep. Hageman (S. 5000/H.R. 9969 in the 118th Congress) that seeks to address the challenges of a diminishing Upper Colorado River Basin Fund. Yes, the Colorado River 2024 LTEMP SEIS Record of Decision on smallmouth bass
Will the meeting involve a litigation matter, a No permit, a grant, a contract, or any other matter
Sierra Club v. Dept of Interior - 3:25-cv-05375-PHK
0002473 SC_EVERSPLIT0016768
that involves specific parties? If yes, please identify the matter and list the specific parties.
With which Bureau or Agency does your proposed meeting agenda most align? Please list all, if more than one. (for example: Bureau of Reclamation or USGS)
Bureau of Reclamation
If the Assistant Secretary is unable to meet, is If Scott Cameron is unavailable, then request to a surrogate desired? If yes, who specifically? meet with David Palumbo
Any additional notes or information?
Sierra Club v. Dept of Interior - 3:25-cv-05375-PHK
0002474 SC_EVERSPLIT0016769