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In June, President Donald Trump nominated Ted Cooke to lead the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that manages the Colorado River. But Cooke’s nomination was withdrawn abruptly before a Senate confirmation hearing, due to “inconsistencies” in his background check. In an interview with Colorado Politics, Cooke called the decision “feckless” and politically motivated.
“It was a made-up thing to embarrass you to make you go away quietly,” Cooke said. “The real issue is Upper Basin politicians lobbied by their constituents that they don’t want an Arizonan making decisions on the Colorado River.”
The timing is disastrous for the Bureau of Reclamation to be without leadership: the seven Colorado River Basin states have until November 11 to agree on a new Colorado River management plan to replace the 2007 guidelines that expire in 2026. Negotiations are currently stalled as both the Upper and Lower River Basin states rejected the Bureau of Reclamation's proposed alternatives.
Former national park superintendents urge Trump administration to close parks in case of shutdown
Forty former superintendents sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Friday arguing that national park units should be closed in the case of a government shutdown. The letter argues that the decision to keep parks open during previous shutdowns resulted in vandalism, destroyed wildlife habitat, and safety risks for visitors.
“We don’t leave museums open without curators, or airports without air traffic controllers and we should not leave our National Parks open without NPS employees,” said Emily Thompson, the executive director of the Coalition to Protect America National Parks.
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