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


** Feds signal intent to cut Colorado River releases
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Monday, October 31, 2022
Lake Powell Reservoir and Glen Canyon Dam, W. Bulach,Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])

The Bureau of Reclamation has indicated it may reduce ([link removed]) how much water is released from Lake Powell and Lake Mead in the coming year, which would shrink ([link removed]) the amounts of water flowing to California, Arizona, and Mexico. The Bureau of Reclamation filed a federal Notice of Intent ([link removed]) last week, indicating it plans to draft a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, which will include details of the proposed cuts.

“Today’s action brings new ideas and necessary measures to the table as we consider alternatives to revise operations to better protect [the] Colorado River System in the near term while we also continue to develop long-term, sustainable plans that reflect the climate-driven realities facing the Colorado River Basin,” Bureau of Reclamation commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton ([link removed]) said ([link removed]) of the Notice.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s plan will tweak rules established in 2007 in response to declining reservoir levels, also known as the 2007 Interim Guidelines ([link removed]) , which were supposed to be in place through 2025. States that use water from the Colorado River are currently working on rewriting management guidelines by 2026, when the current set expires. The move comes after the seven Colorado River basin states ([link removed]) failed to meet an August deadline ([link removed]) to make plans to conserve water. The federal government has also announced it will spend $4 billion ([link removed])
[link removed] the Inflation Reduction Act to keep water in the river's two main reservoirs. Keeping water at sufficient levels in both reservoirs is essential for both water delivery and hydropower purposes.
Quick hits


** How decades of conservation work saved California’s Mono Lake
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Inside Climate News ([link removed])


** Prescribed burns are encouraged. Why was a federal employee arrested for one?
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Feds indicate plans to cut Colorado River basin releases
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KUNC ([link removed]) | Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | Reuters ([link removed])


** Approval of Chaco oil leases in New Mexico prompts legal challenge
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Climate change creates rush to document archaeological sites, as lakes and rivers dry
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Oil giants rake in steep profits amid high energy prices
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | Common Dreams ([link removed])


** Opinion: Public benefits from protecting Avi Kwa Ame
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Las Vegas Sun ([link removed])


** Oil giants sell thousands of California wells, raising worries about future liability
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” People come here from all over the world and ask how we did it. This is a place where I feel optimistic about things. Throughout my environmental career, I’ve felt things can get really down. It can seem really dark. But Mono Lake is an example of we-can-do-this work in the environmental field.”
—Rose Nelson ([link removed]) , education director for the Mono Lake Committee
Picture this


** @usfws ([link removed])
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The chances of being haunted by saguaro cactus are low but never zero.

The iconic saguaro cactus can be found in the Sonoran Desert and holds the record for the tallest cactus species in the United States. Those spikey arms reaching up through the foggy mist can take decades to form. This slow-growing succulent can be ten years old and may only stand two inches tall. They'll grow their first side arms at around 75 to 100 years of age and can live up to 200 years.

Saguaro cacti are important to a variety of wildlife species. Many birds, like the Gila woodpecker, make their nests in saguaros. The blooms produced in early summer provide nectar for bats, and the fruit it grows supplies a nutritious food source for mammals, reptiles and insects. The saguaro is a spikey friend to many; just remember, no hugs. 🚫🤗🌵

Have you ever experienced these sentinels of the southwest?

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