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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Dairy operations and cattle producers in the Southwest are bracing for potentially higher feed bills, depending on how farmers respond to a historic agreement among California, Nevada and Arizona that’s intended to slash agricultural water usage and preserve hydropower generation.
California Republican David Valadao, who lives on his family's dairy farm in central California, says he's concerned that a new agreement to curb the use of the Colorado River could lead to higher water prices for producers in his district.
California, Arizona and Nevada have reached a consensus on how to conserve at least 3 million acre-feet of water until 2026, but the plan still needs to be approved by the Upper Basin states and the Bureau of Reclamation.
The Bureau of Reclamation is laying out two sharply different alternatives for future Colorado River water cuts: Prioritize reductions based on water rights seniority – California’s preferred option or distribute cuts evenly across all Lower Basin water users.
A large majority of registered Latino voters living in eight western states are concerned about the future of land, water air and wildlife, according to a recent survey by Colorado College.
Six Colorado River states are at odds with California over proposals for how to conserve between 2 and 4 million acre-feet of water, leaving the decision in the hands of the Bureau of Reclamation.
The Interior Department announced Wednesday its plans to funnel part of the $4 billion in drought funding it received through the Inflation Reduction Act into a program that would pay Lower Colorado Basin water users to leave portions of their water deliveries in Lake Mead.
The Bureau of Reclamation has reached out to agriculture interests in the West as the agency considers how to spend the $4 billion earmarked in the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act for bolstering water-saving efforts in the Colorado River Basin and other drought-stricken areas.
The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that Colorado River water shortages had passed a threshold that will require unprecedented water cuts in Arizona and Nevada, but a multi-state consensus on future cuts remains elusive.