Private investors are banking on water scarcity in the West

Thursday, June 4, 2020

The Trona Pinnacles in California | Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management

In the West, climate change is changing life as we know it. Water supplies, already scarce, are diminishing as snowpack shrinks and river flows decrease. The future of water for cities, industries, and farmers across the West is uncertain. Adding to the uncertainty is a new actor: the private investor.

In Colorado, a New York-based hedge fund is buying up irrigated land as an investment in the potential value of water, raising concerns over the future of farming. In Arizona, housing growth is creating opportunities for investors to try and transfer water rights, while investors in Nevada are exploring underground water storage options. Locals and researchers across the West are struggling to figure out how such private investment will work, and how it may impact the West's water challenges.

New study finds living near oil and gas wells tied to low birth weights in infants

A new study out of California finds that living near active oil and gas wells may put pregnant women at higher risk of having low-weight babies, particularly in rural areas. Being born low-weight can affect the development of newborns and increase their risk of health problems. The finding is especially important as oil and gas development tends to occur closer to and more heavily impact less affluent communities.

                            Quick hits
                        

Great American Outdoors Act, touted by bipartisan legislators and former Interior secretaries, expected to hit Senate floor today

E&E News | Reuters | Dominion Post | E&E News | Wyoming Public Media

Collaborative Report: Private investors are banking on water scarcity in the West

Aspen Journalism, KJZZ, KUNC, and Nevada Independent

Wyoming may create oil and gas jobs by accelerating the cleanup of orphan wells, considers mineral tax cuts

Casper Star-Tribune | Casper Star-Tribune

New study finds living near oil and gas wells tied to low birth weights in infants

B erkeley News | Bloomberg

                            Quote of the day
                        

More than half of the renewable capacity added in 2019 achieved lower electricity costs than new coal. New solar and wind projects are undercutting the cheapest of existing coal-fired plants."

—International Renewable Energy Agency researchers
E &E News

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From our assistant director, Jerome Ford: My favorite bird is the wood duck. It's the first bird I ever banded early in my career, and it's the most beautiful one I had ever seen. Both hold a special place in my heart. #PostABird #BlackBirderWeek

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Private investors are banking on water scarcity in the West

New study finds living near oil and gas wells tied to low birth weights in infants

Great American Outdoors Act, touted by bipartisan legislators and former Interior secretaries, expected to hit Senate floor today

Economic downturn could increase methane releases from oil and gas development

Tribes assail reopening of national park sites during pandemic

Opinion: Racism derails attempts to prevent climate change

Utah company mined unleased coal, suffers no penalty

Collaborative Report: Private investors are banking on water scarcity in the West

Wyoming may create oil and gas jobs by accelerating the cleanup of orphan wells, considers mineral tax cuts

New study finds living near oil and gas wells tied to low birth weights in infants

@USFWSBirds

@U SFWSBirds