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Water Policy

All articles tagged with #water policy

Arizona Senator Jon Kyl, Architect of Western Water Law and Kavanaugh’s Guide, Dies at 84
politics1 month ago

Arizona Senator Jon Kyl, Architect of Western Water Law and Kavanaugh’s Guide, Dies at 84

Former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl, a Republican from Arizona who served nearly three decades in Congress, has died at age 84. Kyl, known for shaping critical water policies in the American West and guiding the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, passed away from complications of a neurological disorder. He had publicly disclosed a dementia diagnosis in December 2025 before withdrawing from public life. Tributes from political figures across the spectrum described him as a diligent statesman and a key figure in Arizona’s legislative history.

via AZ Family|
#arizona-politics#brett-kavanaugh#jon-kyl
politics1 month ago

Arizona GOP veteran Jon Kyl dies at 84, leaving legacy of water policy and Kavanaugh confirmation

Former US Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, a key figure in Republican leadership and water policy, has died at age 84. Kyl served nearly 30 years in Congress, rising to the position of Republican whip. He is best known for shaping the state's 1980 groundwater code, authoring major tribal water rights settlements, and guiding the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Kyl had withdrawn from public life in December 2025 after disclosing a dementia diagnosis.

via Politico|
#arizona#brett-kavanaugh#jon-kyl
Nevada sues Interior over Colorado River cuts; Arizona weighs response
politics1 month ago

Nevada sues Interior over Colorado River cuts; Arizona weighs response

Nevada sued the Department of the Interior over new Colorado River water cuts, arguing the plan unfairly burdens Lower Basin states while sparing Upper Basin states. Arizona is evaluating its options, noting the plan has legal flaws but offers a temporary reprieve. Experts warn that litigation could delay urgent solutions for the drought-stricken river.

via KJZZ|
#arizona#colorado-river#litigation
Colorado River rules loom as seven-state stalemate endures
environment2 months ago

Colorado River rules loom as seven-state stalemate endures

Federal water managers will unveil new Colorado River rules next week via a Final Environmental Impact Statement as drought-strained supplies tighten and negotiations among the seven basin states remain at an impasse over how to share mandatory cutbacks. The Lower Basin (Arizona, California, Nevada) has floated a plan with some mandatory reductions, while the Upper Basin (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico) has not, complicating consensus and leaving the door open for a federal plan that could impose allocations and spark litigation. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs urged compromise and broader conservation with the Upper Basin while criticizing the burden on her state.

via KJZZ|
#colorado-river#drought#environment
Colorado River Faces System Crash Without Bold Water Cuts
environment4 months ago

Colorado River Faces System Crash Without Bold Water Cuts

New research warns the Colorado River Basin is approaching a 'system crash' unless states dramatically curb water use. With Lake Mead around 1,049 feet (975 ft is a critical threshold) and Lake Powell’s outflows reduced, buffer storage could quickly vanish, threatening urban supplies and especially agriculture in the Lower Basin. The study argues current negotiations aren’t enough and calls for substantial mandatory cuts across Nevada, California and Arizona, potential upstream-downstream rebalancing, and possible Supreme Court action as drought and climate pressures intensify.

via Las Vegas Review-Journal|
#climate-change#colorado-river#drought
politics4 months ago

Trump taps climate-law funds to tackle Western drought

With the Colorado River at record-low levels, the Trump administration is using Inflation Reduction Act funds to extend Biden-era contracts that paid water users to reduce deliveries, while Interior surveys a long backlog of proposed projects totaling more than $50 billion. Experts say meaningful relief requires permanently reducing agricultural water use, but political and legal obstacles make such changes difficult; in the near term, short-term buyouts and fallowing agreements funded by federal dollars continue to flow, illustrating a crisis-driven approach that may not solve the river’s core imbalance.

via Politico|
#colorado-river#drought#inflation-reduction-act
policy8 months ago

Trump-Era Colorado River Talks Put Western Water Policy to the Test

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum convened seven-state governors to press for a new Colorado River agreement as climate-driven drought shrinks flows for 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of farmland. Downstream Arizona, California and Nevada seek mandatory cuts, while upstream Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming push for voluntary measures; no breakthrough emerged ahead of the Feb. 14 deadline, with a five-year interim deal floated as a pragmatic path forward. Looming is the end-of-year rule set and a risk that court battles could decide allocations if a key compact’s tripwire is crossed. Snowpack is grim this winter, threatening Lake Powell hydropower and downstream deliveries, and options include upstream releases or reduced releases to Lake Mead. Politically, the issue intersects with tensions between Trump, Newsom and Polis, complicating negotiations.

via Politico|
#climate-change#colorado-river#interior-department