08/16/2022 | Press release | Archived content
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) announced response to severe drought conditions in the Colorado River System. These actions include unprecedented reductions in water allocations to Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico beginning in January 2023, given the first-ever Tier 2 shortage conditions for Lake Mead.
"Interior is making the right move by putting critical measures in place to protect the Colorado River," said Chair Grijalva. "But we know that if we don't do more to address climate change, the end of this problem will be nowhere in sight. The Inflation Reduction Act is a good start, but it is only a start. We need a process in place that gives the most impacted communities-like tribes across the Colorado River Basin-a bigger seat at the table, and provides more transparency and accountability."
Chair Grijalva's leadership in Congress has addressed the Colorado River water supply-demand imbalance. His leadership has led to negotiation and passage of:
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