Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Will the feds mandate water use cuts for the Colorado River Basin?
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Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Satellite images show the diminishing water levels at Lake Mead. NASA Earth Observatory ([link removed])

At least two million acre-feet of water need to be conserved in 2023 to keep Lake Mead and Lake Powell operational. This number is likely an underestimate and already accounts for voluntary water use cuts by the Gila River Indian Community, a potential cut by the state of California ([link removed]) , and the federal government's potential plan ([link removed]) to charge the Lower Basin states for water lost to evaporation and transit.

According to Arizona Republic ([link removed]) columnist Joanna Allhands ([link removed]) , incentivized voluntary cuts by states and tribes are not going to be nearly enough to meet the demand for water conservation. If water levels continue to drop at the same rates ([link removed]) , there will soon be too little water to pass through the dams to supply drinking water, irrigation for food production, and hydropower to the 40 million people that rely on it.

In order to save anywhere near two million acre-feet, farmers will have to agree to cut water use. Agriculture is the biggest use of water across the Colorado River Basin, but farmers have continually resisted water conservation options ([link removed]) , and the federal government has not implemented any mandatory cuts.

In August, the Bureau of Reclamation stepped back from a promise to force cuts ([link removed]) if states couldn’t agree on them. Some speculate that the Bureau of Reclamation could announce mandatory cuts in December if there still aren't enough voluntary cuts, but 2023 is quickly approaching and so far there is no plan.
Quick hits


** Opinion: Enough messing around. Will the feds mandate cuts to save Lake Mead or not?
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Arizona Republic ([link removed])


** Big Oil’s profits just keep rolling in as world economy sputters
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Bloomberg ([link removed])


** Arizona governor orders 10 miles of additional border wall despite US Forest Service objections
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E&E News ([link removed])


** To protect eagles, hunters and conservationists rebuild old alliances
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High Country News ([link removed])


** Federal government sued over lack of protection plan for lesser prairie chicken
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Community members concerned nuclear waste repository poses risk to New Mexico
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Carlsbad Current-Argus ([link removed])


** More drought forecast as California is supposed to enter a wet season
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Report: Fossil fuel 'addiction' causing global health crisis
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Axios ([link removed]) | The Guardian ([link removed]≷=US&ceid=US%3Aen)
Quote of the day
” We commonly say that our scientific and conservation endeavors are based on a firm foundation of science. Well, that’s fine. But all of that is for naught, unless you are working with the community members.”
—Chris Parish ([link removed]) , CEO of the Peregrine Fund
Picture this


** @Interior ([link removed])
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Sand to Snow National Monument is an ecological and cultural treasure and one of the most biodiverse areas in southern California, supporting more than 240 species of birds and 12 threatened and endangered wildlife species. Photo by Bob Wick /
@BLMNational ([link removed])

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