Seven States Testify in Support of Colorado River Drought Plan as Chair Grijalva Announces Authorizing Bill Introduction Next Week
Washington D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) announced at today’s hearing on the Colorado River Drought Contingency Planthat he will introduce legislation – expected early next week – to enact the Drought Contingency Plan into law and expedite its passage through the Committee. The plan will safeguard the water supply for the American Southwest and the 40 million people who live there through 2026. The announcement came as representatives from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and from seven states in the Colorado River Basin voiced support for the plan in formal testimony.
The proposal is a result of years of negotiation between Colorado River Basin states to address historic drought conditions in the American Southwest. The Drought Contingency Plan requires congressional authorization for the Bureau of Reclamation to implement certain provisions.
Video of the hearing is available at http://bit.ly/2HGkbS6.
The Colorado River provides water for 5.5 million acres of irrigated agriculture and 40 million people across the West, including the residents of Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Denver. For the past two decades, the Colorado River Basin has experienced historic drought conditions that have been exacerbated by climate change.
To address the near-term threat of water shortages and the increasingly rapid decline of water levels at the two primary reservoirs of the Colorado River – Lake Mead and Lake Powell – the Colorado River Basin states (Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming) have worked over the past several years to develop the Drought Contingency Plan, a set of agreements outlining new water conservation measures in all seven Basin states and voluntary water contributions by Arizona, California, and Nevada.
Hearing media highlights
Flickr photo album: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmCot8mU
Chair Grijalva remarks video https://youtu.be/SnFk26WKM6E
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) remarks video https://youtu.be/TT1Gb2XOPeg
Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) question https://youtu.be/pRKZFA2txWI
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