Let's talk about 7 states, 40 million people, and water supplies from the Colorado River.... - Belle of the Ranch

[TexasTowelie]

Well, howdy there Internet people. It's Belle again. So, today we're going to talk about seven states, 40 million people, and water supplies from the Colorado River.

The negotiators from the seven states who were supposed to work out a compromise to share the water supplied by the Colorado River failed to reach consensus by the deadline. The Colorado River is about 1,450 miles from the Rocky Mountains in New Mexico. That's about 2300 kilometers to everybody living outside the US. The water it supplies is absolutely critical to tens of millions of people. The problem is the need for water is increasing and the supply isn't and is in fact decreasing. Each state gets a set amount of water and the states were supposed to come to a new agreement to deal with the reduced resources.

Dr. Brad Udall, who is the senior water and climate research scientist at Colorado State University, put it bluntly. "There needs to be unbelievably harsh, unprecedented cuts." As you might imagine, states are reluctant to agree to cut their share of the water in the negotiations.

The states have kind of formed into two groups with the upper basin states which are Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming on one side and the lower basin states Arizona, California, and Nevada on the other. To sum up the position, the upper basin states are telling the lower basin states that they are responsible for the deficits and the lower basin states want the upper basin states to take cuts as well.

The governors of the lower basin states put out a joint statement saying that all seven states need to share in the conservation cuts and pointing out the urgency. "The federal deadline for a consensus agreement on managing the Colorado River after 2026 is passing for a second time without resolution. The stakes couldn't be higher for our lower basin states of Arizona, California, and Nevada."

Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper said, "If we don't address this problem together, head on and fast, our communities, farms, and economies will suffer. The best path forward is the one we take together. Litigation won't solve the problem of this long-term aridification."

He's right. If the states act like this is the movie Don't Look Up for too long, it'll end up looking like Tank Girl. And if states don't act, it's likely that the federal government steps in. If that happens, it will be tied up in court for years. And by the time it's resolved, the problem will have gotten worse.

Aside from that, do any state officials believe this administration is really up to the task? Trump's mood would end up dictating water access for millions of people, and that mood could range from prioritizing economics, which would mean the lower basin states would come out on top, or he could be really mad at Newsom that day and prioritize the upper basin until he remembers Colorado is there. Nobody can be certain of the outcome.

Trump just rolled back anti-pollution efforts by the federal government. You're getting a glimpse of the future. The world's climate is changing. It's going to take cooperation and real effort. This is one of the first big tests for the US. We're not getting a passing grade.

Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.

[Norrrm]

1. After all there are no republicans in the upper/lower who would be hurt by his whims of revenge.

Right?

Trump makes his decisions based on coercion/revenge rather than what is good for the country.