California and the U.S.

The latest news and analysis covering water issues in Caliornia and the rest of the United States.

Despite Deal, Colorado River’s Long-Term Water Crisis Remains Unsolved

A proposed deal for California, Arizona and Nevada to take less water from the over-tapped Colorado River depends heavily on $1.2 billion in federal funds, which will pay farmers and others who agree to give up some of their supply over the next three years.

Newsom Seeks to Streamline Infrastructure Projects

Governor Gavin Newsom recently introduced a series of proposals to expedite infrastructure projects. The legislative package seeks to speed up the construction process while also streamlining permitting and court review.

How California Averted Painful Water Cuts and Made a Colorado River Deal

 For months, California officials led by Gov. Gavin Newsom felt like they were at the bottom of a multistate dogpile in the closely-watched staredown over water rights across the American West. Newsom and his top environmental aides viewed century-old laws as favoring them. And they tried to convince other states that California had already sacrificed […]

Colorado River Water Sharing Agreement Likely Dodges Legal Fight

A messy Colorado River legal fight is much less likely in the near term now that the seven river basin states have reached consensus on how to conserve water amid a historic 23-year drought, legal observers say. The consensus proposal respects water rights by relying mainly on voluntary conservation and “goes a very long way to avoiding […]

Clean Grid Developers See Teeth in Federal Permitting Deadlines

Electric transmission developers seeking individual permits from multiple federal agencies can soon hold the government accountable, all the way up to the president, for leading a single environmental review process capped at no more than two years. The Energy Department’s agreement with eight other agencies and offices, finalized this month, is a long-sought move under 18-year-old legal […]

California Emerges as Big Winner in Colorado River Water Deal

Monday’s historic Colorado River agreement represents a big win for California, which only months ago was embroiled in a bitter feud with Arizona, Nevada and four other Western states over how to dramatically reduce their use of water supplies in the shrinking river. The proposition, which came after months of tense negotiations, would see the […]