States strike deal on Colorado River water cuts

by Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk - 05/22/23 5:54 PM ET

Energy & Environment

The Big Story

Colorado River basin states reach agreement on water cutbacks

The seven states in the Colorado River Basin on Monday announced they have reached an agreement on water allocation submitted by California, Arizona and Nevada.

The three lower basin states would reduce their use of the river’s water by at least 3 million acre-feet by the end of 2026 under the proposal. This would include at least 1.5 million preserved by the end of 2024.

The federal Bureau of Reclamation issued its own proposed Environmental Impact Statement nearly two months ago with recommendations for cutbacks in the basin. The states had previously missed an August deadline to develop their own proposal.

“I commend our partners in the seven basin states who have demonstrated leadership and unity of purpose in developing this consensus-based approach to achieve the substantial water conservation necessary to sustain the Colorado River System through 2026,” Deputy Interior Secretary Tommy Beaudreau said in a statement.

…

Read more in a full report from our colleague Sharon Udasin at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Essential Reads

How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:

How Tom Carper made his mark as a Biden-era climate leader

Advocates hailed the environmental legacy of Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Tom Carper (D-Del.) Monday after the four-term senator announced he will retire in 2025.

Full Story

New NASA mission will help improve extreme weather forecasts

Rocket Lab is set to ferry two small satellites into space for NASA early Monday morning. As part of a mission called “Coming to a storm near you”, the company’s Electron rocket will lift off from New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula at 1:30 a.m. ET, carrying the satellites to their orbital parking spot approximately 340 miles (550 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface.

Full Story

Early season snowmelt could bring the West summer water scarcity: study

Climate change is expediting spring snowmelt and replacing snow with rainfall in the Mountain West — making an already arid region increasingly at risk of summer water scarcity, a new study has found.

Full Story

5 potential paths to a fusion energy breakthrough

Dozens of companies are racing to deliver electricity from fusion — a form of carbon-free electricity often compared to a “star in a bottle.” While fusion power had been thought to be decades away, in May, Microsoft signed the world’s first contract to purchase fusion-generated electricity. It’s a sign that the industry, long seen as akin to science fiction, is achieving a new level of commercial maturity.

Full Story

In Other News

Branch out with a different read on The Hill:

How an 81-year-old fisherman’s quest could transform public riverbed access in Colorado

An octogenarian angler’s quest to wade freely into the Arkansas River is making waves in more than just Colorado waterways, as the state’s highest court reconsiders century-old rules that …

Full Story

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:

Louisiana official helped arrange emergency Ida contracts for figures in bribery probe (The Advocate)
The U.S. Is Running Low On The Machines Needed To Avoid Blackouts And Quit Fossil Fuels (HuffPost)
‘Too toxic’: Refinery fires leave East Texas residents reeling (The Washington Post)
Lithium is driving the clean car revolution. Will the South pay a price? (The Post & Courier)

On Tap

Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:

The House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a hearing Tuesday on several pieces of legislation legislation.
The House is set to vote Tuesday on a resolution that would nix a Biden rule combatting truck pollution.
The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on the budgets for the Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Power Marketing Administrations.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on supply chains for the domestic energy sector.

What Others are Reading

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

White House threatens to veto GOP measure blocking student loan debt relief program

The White House on Monday threatened to veto a Republican-led bill in the House that would block the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program. Read more

These are the biggest sticking points in the debt ceiling fight

Congress and the White House have just 10 days to reach a deal to raise the debt ceiling before the Treasury Department estimates the nation risks default. Read more

Opinions in The Hill

Op-eds related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill: