Encouraging news? Never thought I’d say this
greatly needed humor at the end
Friends of Confluence West -
Once more, let’s start with the besieged Colorado River Basin. There is still no agreement among the Basin States, and they continue to negotiate behind closed doors. Various deadlines have been blown past. Here’s some encouraging news - words I’d never thought I’d write - DOI is getting involved. Scott Cameron, the Special Assistant to the Secretary, told attendees at the Getches Wilkinson Annual Colorado River Conference earlier this month that the Secretary would exercise his Water Master power - reluctantly and only at the 11th hour. Read Alex Hager’s excellent piece for more.
As if a rapidly drying basin weren’t enough, the Supreme Court has pretty much gutted NEPA. Can someone weigh in on what that means for the negotiations?
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On Tuesday, the White House announced its nominee for the Commissioner of Reclamation: Ted Cooke. Ted retired a few years ago as the GM of the Central Arizona Project but has remained actively engaged in Arizona water issues since then. While none of the representatives from the Upper Basin states would comment on Alex Hager’s piece regarding Cooke’s appointment, Eric Kuhn remarked, “Cooke is qualified," but added, "the nomination of someone from Arizona is interesting at a time when the Lower Division and Upper Division states are far apart. I assume that he would recuse himself from decisions that could affect the CAP, which is just about any decision in the basin. Nonetheless, his nomination is a plus for Arizona and the Lower Division states.”
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In the good news department, last month, the San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District settled their 15-year legal battle regarding what the Met was charging the SDCWA. Loud kudos to the leadership of both organizations for resolving this often very bitter and expensive dispute.
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If you haven’t already, sign up for the Native American Rights Fund’s new Headwaters Report - Field Notes. There’s an excellent list of current Congressional activity, and a depressing note on the status of the ESA. ‘
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Once again, it's time for Jay Lund humor! This time, we have the Seven Circles of Jargon Hell. (I’m sure that no one reading this is guilty thereof.) We’ve got: Lazy jargon; Acronyms; Technical jargon; Buzzword oblivion; Obfuscating jargon (my favorite); Pretentious jargon; Acronyms of acronyms (I’m sure no one reading this last one is guilty of this heinous crime.)
Plus, there’s a bonus of a fine example of obfuscatory jargon.
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For the West,
Kimery
Many excellent NGOs, water utilities, tribes, Nations, communities, and public agencies are working to protect rivers and forests in the American West from the (sometimes overwhelming) challenges climate change poses. We are proud to partner with many of them.
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