Biden admin urges "consensus path" for Colorado River management

The series of agreements that govern the management of the Colorado River are set to expire at the end of 2026. The stakes for negotiating the next series of agreements are incredibly high, with 40 million Americans and over 5 million acres of farmland in southwestern and western states relying on the river in the midst of a historic and ongoing mega drought.

Since March, the seven states and numerous Tribal nations that share this precious resource have struggled to reach an agreement on the future management of the river—how it should be shared, and which states will bear the brunt of the most significant cuts to water use. To circumvent the gridlock, the Interior department and the Bureau of Reclamation have unveiled five possible paths forward that the Biden administration will analyze for a draft environmental impact statement to be released in early 2025. 

“There certainly are extremely difficult choices and trade-offs to be made, but we believe that there are ample opportunities to create a fair path to solutions that work for the entire basin,” Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in a news conference Wednesday. White House national climate adviser Ali Zaidi concurred about the possibility of “a consensus path,” saying, “We can either remain stuck at an impasse, or we can secure a future for future generations that promises the stability and sustainability of one of our greatest natural resources.”

Quick hits

Report: Outdoor recreation contributes $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy, 5 million jobs

SGB Media

Tribal representatives call on Biden to designate three new national monuments in California

KTLA

Jonathan Thompson: Governance by spite and the future of Bears Ears National Monument

The Land Desk

Scientists: Don't count on trees and other natural carbon sinks to stop climate change

E&E News

Nevada may see less solar, more gas under Trump administration

Nevada Current

How oil and gas companies disguise their methane emissions

Financial Times

Biden admin urges "consensus path" for future Colorado River management

E&E News | KUNC | Las Vegas Review Journal | Associated Press | Colorado Sun | Denver Post | The Hill | Nevada Current

Global oil market faces 1 million barrel glut next year

Bloomberg

Quote of the day

For us, it’s about more than protecting the environment. Our culture, spirituality, and identity are connected to the ecosystems our people have inhabited for thousands of years. If a species goes extinct, if a mountain is destroyed by mining, if a river runs dry due to over-extraction–that is the same thing to us as losing a relative or having someone close to us harmed. We lose a part of ourselves and our history.”

—Lena Ortega, Kw’tsán Cultural Committee Member and Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe member, KTLA

Picture This