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New projections from the Bureau of Reclamation paint a bleak picture for the Colorado River and states that depend on its water. The latest models show a 1 in 3 chance that Lake Powell will not have enough water to generate electricity at Glen Canyon Dam in 2023. They also show a 3% chance that Glen Canyon could stop producing power as early as next July.
Down the road, projections show a 2 in 3 chance that water levels at Lake Mead will drop below 1,025 feet in 2025—a critical threshold that would trigger deep water cuts across Arizona, California, Nevada, and Mexico.
“The latest outlook for Lake Powell is troubling,” said Wayne Pullan, the upper Colorado basin director at the Bureau of Reclamation. “This highlights the importance of continuing to work collaboratively with the basin states, tribes and other partners toward solutions.”
Haaland hints at limits on fossil fuel extraction
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland suggested on Thursday that she will exercise her authority to limit oil and gas development on public land.
"I have discretion," Haaland said in a discussion with reporters, while not providing details on when Interior would release its long-delayed report on the oil and gas leasing program. “My discretion is really going to include everything with respect to how communities should be able to live free from pollution, radiation, and all those things that could actually kill their children, give them asthma.”
Despite the secretary's comments, Interior is still planning to auction drilling rights to more than 1 billion barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico in October or November.
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The Bureau of Land Management is ignoring our permit requests and fining us for maintaining sanitation and protection (sic) religious freedom. The same office fast-tracked the permit for Lithium Nevada to destroy thousands of acres of wildlife habitat and sacred native sites. It’s completely absurd for them to claim they are ‘protecting public lands’ with this action.”
