|
The unprecedented climate bill that passed the Senate includes $4 billion in drought relief for Western states, thanks to a last-minute addition championed by Senators Michael Bennet, Mark Kelly, Catherine Cortez-Masto, and Kyrsten Sinema.
The funds would be used to pay farmers to temporarily not plant crops, or pay residents to permanently remove lawns in favor of low-water xeriscaping. If the House passes the bill as expected this week, they will become law as the Bureau of Reclamation further cuts water allocations on the Colorado River in an attempt to stabilize Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
However, "this thing is getting worse so fast that those cuts don't stabilize the system," Sen. Kelly told CNN. "We have to find more water to leave in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, but where does that water come from?"
In addition to buying or renting water rights in the Colorado River Basin, the $4 billion would also provide funding for cities to cut back on water usage by funding low-flow toilets, water recycling, drip irrigation, and other conservation measures.
Podcast: 20th century conservation heroes Avis and Bernard DeVoto
The latest episode of CWP's podcast, The Landscape, features a conversation with author Nate Schweber about This America of Ours, a profile of 20th century conservation heroes Avis and Bernard DeVoto. The DeVotos thwarted a plot to privatize millions of acres of public land, then fought off an attempt to dam the Green River inside Dinosaur National Monument. Listen now and subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
If you're a regular or occasional listener of The Landscape, please take our listener survey! We want to know what you enjoy and what you'd like to hear more of on the show.
|
In 1971, my first summer, my parents came here and visited. I have such great memories of going out in Yellowstone Lake in a little 14-foot boat with a gigantic 10-horse [power] motor on it. Which I thought that was a big motor at that time, going out fishing, and we caught so many fish. It was just a neat experience. Today, fast forward 50 years, I’m in a boat that’s two feet longer — a much better boat, much bigger motor. I’m now with my grandkids and my daughter, and we’re fishing in the same place where I fished with my dad and mom 50 years ago. That is cause for reflection and thankfulness.”
