'We Are Deeply Concerned': Arizona Leaders Ask Congress for Emergency Funding to Protect Colorado River
Federal officials will issue a Final Environmental Impact Statement next week as seven Colorado River states remain deadlocked over cutbacks.
- On Tuesday, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced federal agencies will release a Final Environmental Impact Statement next week detailing new operating rules for the Colorado River.
- Facing record-low levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell, federal officials stepped in after the seven basin states failed to reach consensus on water-sharing agreements through 2028.
- Under the plan, California will cut usage about 12% through 2028, Arizona about 31%, and Nevada 28%, with the Trump administration providing $350 million for lower states and $100 million for upper states.
- Experts warn legal challenges remain likely despite the deal; researcher Felicia Marcus at Stanford University noted the administration 'is taking the path of least resistance,' calling it 'bigger than a Band-Aid, but smaller than the tourniquet we really need.'
- The 10-year federal framework enables potential cutbacks of up to 40% if conditions worsen, while Burgum said the plan leaves space for states to eventually reach consensus.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Biggs Leads Bipartisan Effort to Secure Emergency Funding for Colorado River Basin
Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05) is co-leading an effort to secure funds in the recently introduced emergency funding package to address the increasingly dire condition of the Colorado River Basin. The requested funding would support water infrastructure investments, upgrades, and long-term planning for this vital resource's future. Joining Biggs and Titus on the letter were U.S....
U.S. Interior Secretary Burgum talks Colorado River water rule changes at CFD
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and his team of department heads, including Wyoming native Fish and Wildlife Director Brian Nesvik, met with press at Cheyenne Frontier Days Thursday. There, the secretary said the department is closing in on new rules for managing one of the nations […]
The spokesman-Review
California dodges a bullet on Colorado River cuts
California and two other states have avoided the harshest water cutbacks the Trump administration could have imposed over the next two years to deal with the deepening crisis on the Colorado River. The Los Angeles Times has learned that federal officials have agreed with an offer made earlier this year by California, Arizona and Nevada to reduce what they take from the river by at least 3.2 ...
In Cheyenne, Interior Secretary Says He'll Act On Colorado River Crisis, If He Has To
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday that he'll intervene in the Colorado River crisis — if he has to. “We have one-fourth the water and four times the people,” he said during a visit to Cheyenne Frontier Days with many of his top-level staff.
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