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On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: Applying Environmental Sequence Stratigraphy to Support Groundwater Basin Characterization, MAR, and Subsidence Management from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Groundwater Basin Characterization Program provides the latest data and information about California’s groundwater basins and data analyses to help local communities better understand their aquifer systems. This presentation will introduce the Environmental Sequence Stratigraphy (ESS) technology that was developed to construct robust geologic models based on the data collected in the environmental and groundwater industries. Click here for more information and to register.
In California water news today …
Trump’s plan to pump more water in California is ill-conceived and harmful, lawmakers say
“A Trump administration plan to pump more water to Central Valley farmlands is facing vehement opposition from Democratic members of Congress who represent the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and the Bay Area. A group of seven legislators led by Rep. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) said pumping more water will threaten the availability of water for many Californians, disrupt longstanding state-federal cooperation and put the Delta’s native fish at risk. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s plan “prioritizes partisan politics over California’s communities and farmers,” Garamendi said. “Pumping even more water out of the Delta in the middle of worsening droughts isn’t just reckless,” he said. “It threatens the livelihoods of the people who live and work here, undermines the region’s fragile ecosystems, and jeopardizes the long-term health of our state’s water infrastructure.” … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via AOL News.
SEE ALSO: Rep. Garamendi & California Dems Condemn Trump’s Plan to Pump Water Out of the Delta, statement from Congressman Garamendi
The hydrants will run dry: Trump’s LA fire claims missed the mark, study shows
“As firefighters battled catastrophic fires in Los Angeles last January, one question reverberated across the country: Where was the water? The question came from wealthy developer Rick Caruso and then-President-elect Donald Trump, from reporters and residents. It prompted executive orders and state and federal investigations. Once the fires were more ash than flame, the Trump administration used a water shortage to justify its baffling move to release vital summer irrigation supplies from two reservoirs that do not supply Los Angeles. “I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA!” Trump posted on social media, referencing Gov. Gavin Newsom, as the fires raged across L.A. “On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not (sic) firefighting planes. A true disaster!” A team of researchers, led by Gregory Pierce, director of the UCLA Water Resources Group, set out to uncover whether the intense focus on water supply meant that dry hydrants had uniquely hampered the Palisades firefight, or whether this was a common occurrence. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Federal ESA rules face overhaul—California prepares to fill the gap
“As we speed towards 2026, the federal government has taken steps to resuscitate regulations adopted by the first Trump administration related to the implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has published four proposed rules—two in conjunction with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)—and proposed changes that largely revert the regulations back to what the previous Trump administration put in place in 2019. … Perhaps anticipating actions by the federal government that might reduce federal protection of threatened and endangered species, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill (AB) 1319, which was signed into law in October 2025. AB 1319 directs the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to monitor federal actions that may decrease federal protections for endangered or threatened species. If the CDFW finds that such actions would “substantially impact” federally listed species, it may provisionally list those species as long as it determines that doing so would “significantly reduce” the impact. … ” Read more from Brownstein.
California leaders celebrate salmon ‘comeback’ but climate risks loom
“On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom touted the “comeback” of coho salmon after state officials spotted juvenile fish in the Russian River’s upper basin — the first such sighting in more than 30 years. As the state celebrated the news, however, federal fisheries officials announced that they would not designate Chinook salmon as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, prompting disappointment from conservation groups. The two salmon species face different challenges and are at different stages of recovery, one salmon expert said. But climate change is increasingly shaping the fate of both. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee (gift article).
Northern California forecast: Showers this week, stronger storm possible this weekend
“After nearly four weeks of stagnant weather, changes are finally here for Northern California. Scattered rain showers are possible north of Interstate 80 on Tuesday. Areas south of 80 will stay dry. Totals in the Valley will be less than a tenth of an inch. Foothills totals could be closer to a quarter inch. Tuesday’s system will be too warm for snow at the Sierra summits. Rain showers will drop south early Wednesday morning. Roads will be damp in the Foothills and Sierra for the Wednesday morning drive. Sprinkles are possible in the Valley, but many places will be dry during the daylight hours. … ” Read more from KCRA.
Big rain and snow could hit California around Christmas, risking floods, landslides and snarling travel
“Big rain and snow could hit California around Christmastime, ending a long dry spell for the state. There’s a high risk for heavy rainfall along the entire California coast between Dec. 23 through Christmas Day, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center said. There’s also a high risk of heavy snow along the Sierra Nevada. The rains would be fueled by atmospheric river storms, which pounded the Pacific Northwest earlier this month, causing flooding and evacuations. The Climate Prediction Center warned of possible flooding, landslides and difficult travel conditions over mountain passes. Areas at risk include recently burned areas, which could see rapid flows of mud and debris. High winds and heavy rainfall or snowfall could result in power outages, officials said. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Satellite images show huge fog formation haunting central California
“New Nasa satellite images reveal the scope of central California’s dreary December, caused by an enormous fog formation that has been haunting the Central Valley for weeks, trapping residents in colder-than-usual temperatures. The low cloud formation, known as tule fog, first formed over central California in November and persisted into early December. The Central Valley typically sees this type of fog during the colder months of the year, when the air near the ground is cold and moist, and the winds are calmer, allowing moisture in the air to transform into a thick layer of fog. As the cold blanket of fog forms, it becomes trapped in the bowl-like shape of the Central Valley. The warmer temperatures of the air above keep the fog stuck in the valley like a lid over a pot, also known as temperature inversion. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir draft review opens in California
“The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced last week that it is seeking public input on a draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir Project in California. According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the project would create a new offstream reservoir in Del Puerto Canyon, located in the Coast Range foothills west of Patterson and south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The proposed reservoir would have a storage capacity of up to 82,000 acre-feet of water. Bureau of Reclamation materials state that the project is designed to improve the reliability of water supplies for agriculture, enhance water deliveries to wildlife refuges, and provide additional flood control benefits. The reservoir would capture runoff from Del Puerto Creek and store water delivered from the Delta-Mendota Canal during wetter periods for use during drier times. … ” Read more from Western Water.
Legal brief: Preliminary geotechnical work for delta project not subject to CEQA piecemealing prohibition
“In Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District v. Department of Water Resources, 115 Cal. App. 5th 342 (2025), the Third District Court of Appeal held that the Delta Reform Act’s certification-of-consistency requirement does not incorporate CEQA’s whole-of-an-action requirement and prohibition against piecemealing. The California Department of Water Resources commenced preconstruction geotechnical work for the Delta Conveyance Plan, a major proposed water tunnel through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Plaintiffs challenged the project, claiming that DWR was required to obtain a Delta Plan consistency certification under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act before conducting geotechnical work. Plaintiffs also claimed that DWR’s actions and attempt to separate the geotechnical work from the rest of the Project violated the Delta Reform Act and ran afoul of CEQA’s prohibition against piecemealing. … ” Read more from Perkins Coie.
Colorado lawmakers advance bill in Congress to update snowpack monitoring technology, mirroring state efforts
“Two U.S. lawmakers representing Colorado are advancing a bill in Congress to update the country’s snowpack tracking technology and more accurately predict water supply. The 2025 Snow Water Supply Forecasting Reauthorization Act is sponsored by Rep. Jeff Hurd, a Grand Junction Republican, and cosponsored by Rep. Joe Neguse, a Lafayette Democrat. Hurd’s district encompasses much of western and southern Colorado, including Garfield and Pitkin counties, while Neguse’s spans parts of the central and northern mountains, including Eagle, Summit, Routt and Grand counties. Their bill, which passed the U.S. House on Wednesday and now heads to the Senate, would renew and update the country’s forecasting system for snowpack melt. In statements, both lawmakers said the measure is important for their rural and mountain communities, which rely on snowpack data for irrigation planning, drought management and annual water allocation. … ” Read more from KUNC.
Why builders are focused on water infrastructure
“Water is one of the fundamental building blocks of life. But it’s also becoming an increased focus of the building industry as the need for water infrastructure projects gains momentum. With an acquisition in Texas that set the buyer up to capitalize on a broader reach, a nearly $600 million wastewater plant in California on the shores of San Francisco Bay and two public builders calling out the growing contribution of water to their bottom lines, money is clearly flowing toward the segment. Here, Construction Dive rounds up some of the most recent deals that revolve around water infrastructure. … ” Read more from Construction Dive.
In commentary today …
An ESA reset to protect species—and the rural West
Dan Keppen, Executive adviser, Family Farm Alliance, writes, “The Trump administration’s Interior Department has proposed a significant reset of Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations, seeking to restore practical, legally grounded interpretations for listings, delistings, interagency consultation, and critical habitat designations, similar to that proposed during President Trump’s first term. The proposal would roll back recent expansions of ESA authority and reestablish regulatory guardrails adopted in 2019. The four proposed rules would reinstate prior regulatory text for species listings and critical habitat, clarify the definitions of “effects of the action” and “environmental baseline,” eliminate automatic “blanket” 4(d) protections in favor of species-specific management, and revive a lawful framework allowing critical habitat exclusions when economic, national security, or other impacts outweigh the conservation benefits. Interior argues these changes will improve transparency, reduce regulatory overreach, and align ESA implementation with governing law, including the Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision. … ” Read more from Farm Progress.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Juvenile coho salmon found in Mendocino County creek after more than 30-year absence
“Juvenile coho salmon have been documented in a tributary of the Russian River in Mendocino County for the first time since 1991, state officials announced Thursday. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Pinoleville Pomo Nation Water Resource Specialist and Yurok tribal member Dakota Perez Gonzalez discovered several young coho salmon in Ackerman Creek north of Ukiah in June. After the juvenile salmon were discovered in an isolated pool that was drying, the tribe and CDFW partnered on a rescue effort, Perez Gonzalez said. The fish were transported to Warm Springs Fish Hatchery in Geyserville, where they are being raised in CDFW’s brood stock program. “Once the salmon reach adulthood, their eggs will be artificially spawned at the hatchery to mimic the natural spawning process,” Perez Gonzalez said. “The eggs will hatch and grow to become smolts, and at that stage the hatchery will release them into the Russian River watershed. This is of key importance because it will increase the biodiversity of coho salmon genetics in the Russian River watershed.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.
SEE ALSO: Cold water fish spotted upstream in Northern California for first time in 70 years: ‘It’s epic’, from The Cool Down
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Will there be snow to ski in Tahoe by Christmas? Here’s what the forecast says
“Christmas week is one of the busiest times of the year in Tahoe. But with the region in the midst of the worst start to a season in nearly a half a century, the question is: Will there be enough snow to ski? Right now, the answer is complicated. Palisades Tahoe, the largest ski resort in California, remains effectively closed, with just one small trail open thanks to manmade snow. Natural snowfall has been scarce, and despite an increasingly active storm pattern, most of the systems arriving this week are simply too warm to deliver meaningful snow at resort level. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Nevada Irrigation District receives $615,000 CAL FIRE grant to protect critical water infrastructure from wildfire
“The Nevada Irrigation District (NID, District) has been awarded $615,000 from CAL FIRE to implement the South Yuba Canal Wildfire Defense Project, a critical initiative aimed at protecting the District’s primary water conveyance system from wildfire risks. This NID wildfire defense project will cover 58 acres along the South Yuba Canal, approximately 18 miles east of Nevada City near Highway 20 in the Bear Valley. Work will focus on reducing wildfire hazards by creating a shaded fuel break and removing hazard trees within 100 feet on both sides of the canal. These efforts will protect 2.5 miles of elevated wooden flume, a vital component of NID’s water delivery system. “This grant from CAL FIRE will help safeguard critical infrastructure and the communities that rely on it,” said Greg Jones, NID Assistant General Manager. … ” Read more from YubaNet.
CENTRAL COAST
Proposed settlement for Goleta sewage spill draws concerns from environmental watchdog
“State regulators have proposed a $1.55 million settlement with the Goleta West Sanitary District for last year’s spill that released more than 1 million gallons of raw sewage into the Goleta Slough and the Pacific Ocean. In October, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board released a proposed Administrative Civil Liability order to resolve alleged state and federal water quality violations tied to the February 2024 spill. According to the proposed order, the $1,551,145 liability would be paid through a four-year Supplemental Environmental Project that supports well sampling and provides replacement water or treatment systems for households with unsafe drinking water in Santa Barbara County. … ” Read more from Noozhawk.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Pumping allocations a “head scratcher” as Kings County groundwater agencies work toward coordination
“Groundwater agencies in the beleaguered Tulare Lake subbasin in Kings County have released a region-wide pumping allocation model – but disagreements continue. The proposed methodology was discussed at the Dec. 9 El Rico Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) meeting where representatives from four of the five GSAs were in attendance. The proposed methodology is based on historical groundwater use within the subbasin. Using a coordinated methodology for figuring out how much each GSA can pump is critical to earning approval from the state Water Resources Control Board, which has already put the subbasin on probation and will soon begin charging farmers fees and requiring them to report extractions. Still, the GSAs found fault with the proposed method. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Contractor hired for $13.5 million water system but East Orosi residents waiting for state to pull trigger
“More than 15 months after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a trio of bills to bring clean drinking water to homes in East Orosi, residents are still waiting for the project to break ground. The 950 residents of the tiny northern Tulare County community got a bit of good news last month when the Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted to hire a contractor, West Valley Construction Company, to build the $13.5 million water system more than a decade in the making. But construction won’t start until the state Water Resources Control Board first issues a Notice to Proceed. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Meeting notes: Golden mussels are here, “deal with it”; Rosedale and Bakersfield settle up on water
“During Arvin-Edison Water District’s winter maintenance workers confirmed detection of golden mussels in their systems. The golden mussel is an invasive species from China that was first detected in California in October 2024. It has been spreading throughout the state with more and more locations reporting findings of the invasive species. The small mussels form massive colonies, clogging infrastructure. The district has been power washing, which hasn’t been successful, and manual scraping, which is effective, but time consuming. Samuel Blue, resource manager for the district, said chemical treatments would have to be done for a long period of time, between 12 to 30 days. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Dredging project to remove sediment kicks off in Newport Harbor
“After nearly a decade of planning and delays, work to dredge sediment from the bottom of the Newport Harbor has begun. The project, contracted through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and co-managed with the city of Newport Beach, will remove sediment that flows down the watershed and has built up through the decades to make navigation safer for boaters and help water quality throughout the harbor, officials said. The dredging contractor R.E. Staite Engineering, Inc., which also did a similar dredging project in the harbor in 2012, started the effort late last week at the western tip of Lido Isle. The project is expected to take months to complete and cost an estimated $20 million. The dredging will not impact the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade from Dec. 17 through Dec. 21, officials said. During the parade, the contractor will stop dredging at 4 p.m. and will relocate the dredge barge and equipment to one of the staging areas. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
Yucca Valley: State shrinks buffer zones for sewer project
“The cost of western Joshua tree permits for Hi-Desert Water District’s sewer project dropped by millions of dollars thanks to a change in buffer zone requirements. Sean McCarty from West Coast Civil, the company overseeing construction of phase two of the sewer system, reported on the savings at the Dec. 3 water district board meeting. He said state Fish & Wildlife staff have been working with Hi-Desert Water District to lower requirements for western Joshua tree permits. California was going to require the water district to pay for an incidental take permit every time sewer mainlines or lateral pipes were installed within 50 feet of a western Joshua tree. The state reduced that buffer zone to 10 feet, McCarty said. … ” Read more from the Hi-Desert Star.
SAN DIEGO
U.S., Mexico sign new agreement on Tijuana River sewage crisis
“The United States and Mexico signed a new agreement Monday aimed at addressing the decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis, but U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials who announced the accord were not clear about penalties for Mexico if their side of the agreement was not held up, nor did it address a critical pollution hotspot on U.S. soil. Minute 333 outlines infrastructure projects, enhanced monitoring and planning for operation and maintenance of wastewater systems to account for future population growth in Tijuana — a component missing from previous agreements. The U.S.-Mexico accord does not obligate any additional taxpayer funding, including for Mexican-side projects. “This strategic legal contract between the governments of Mexico and the United States contains measurable progress of necessary infrastructure projects — on both sides of the border — moving us closer toward a final 100% Solution for our region’s long-standing Transboundary Sewage Crisis,” Imperial Beach Mayor Mitch McKay said in a statement. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
SEE ALSO:
- US-Mexico agreement looks to create strategy to end Tijuana River Valley sewage crisis, from Channel 8
- US and Mexico sign ‘Minute 333′ to push long-term fix for border sewage crisis, from Channel 7
Along the Colorado River …
The brawl over the Colorado River is about more than water
“Western states are brawling over the future of the Colorado River — with President Donald Trump looming in the background. Talks kicking off Tuesday in Las Vegas will help determine whether the Trump administration has to step in and take the political heat of deciding how to divide the shrinking river’s water supplies among powerful industries and more than 40 million people — a fight that includes the swing states of Arizona and Nevada, politically influential farmers and ranchers, and burgeoning semiconductor and artificial intelligence companies. It’s the highest-stakes water fight the U.S. has seen in more than a century. So far, there’s little hope for a breakthrough. Instead, local tensions and parochial fault lines have driven leaders of the seven states that share the river’s water — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming upstream, and California, Nevada and Arizona further down — to demonize each other rather than make politically perilous compromises. … ” Read more from Politico.
Colorado River crisis deepens as new report warns of risks
“The Colorado River basin is nearing a breaking point as shrinking reservoirs, climate pressures and weakening safety nets threaten the region’s water supply, economy and governance systems, according to a new assessment released by the Colorado River Research Group. The report, Colorado River Insights 2025: Dancing with Deadpool, outlines worsening conditions as states, Tribes and federal agencies negotiate new operating guidelines that will take effect after 2026. Researchers warn that the basin no longer has time to delay major reforms. Reservoirs that once held four years of river flows are now more than two-thirds empty, the report found. A single dry year or two could push Lake Powell and Lake Mead below critical thresholds, jeopardizing hydropower production, water deliveries and even the ability to move water downstream. The authors conclude that current operating rules through 2026 are unlikely to prevent that scenario. … ” Read more from Colorado Biz.
Governors are jumping into the Colorado River
“Talks over how to divide the Colorado River’s shrinking supplies have stalled so badly that governors across the West are starting to step in. Their growing involvement — both public and behind the scenes — signals rising desperation for the 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of irrigated agriculture that rely on the major waterway as the rules that have been governing it for the past two decades expire at the end of next year. The agencies that actually hold the water rights to the river, like California’s Imperial Irrigation District, usually very intentionally keep high-level politicians at arm’s length for fear of blowing up delicate talks shaped by a maze of jurisdictions, centuries-old water laws and multi-layered water-transfer agreements. But as hundreds of water bureaucrats start descending on Las Vegas on Tuesday for their annual Colorado River Water Users Association conference, no breakthrough appears on the horizon. … ” Read more from Politico.
Commentary: Colorado River deadlines & incentives
Michael Cohen, Senior Fellow at the Pacific Institute, writes, “Way back at the end of the last century, at the annual Colorado River conference in Vegas, Marc Reisner repeated the Margaret Thatcher quote that consensus is the absence of leadership. On Veterans Day, the seven Colorado River basin states missed yet another deadline to reach consensus on a conceptual plan for managing the shrinking Colorado River after the current rules expire in 2026. Valentine’s Day marks the next holiday deadline, this time for a detailed plan, but multiple missed deadlines give no indication that the states will reach consensus then, either. The basin states can’t agree on the substance of a new agreement. They also disagree on the process to get there. While Arizona has called for the federal government to break the negotiation logjam, Colorado opposes federal intervention and continues to call for consensus. Each basin-state negotiator acts to protect their state’s interests, often at the expense of the short and long-term resilience of the Colorado River system as a whole and the 35 million people who rely on it. The continued failure to negotiate a plan challenges the efforts of irrigators, cities, businesses, and river runners throughout the basin to plan for 2027 and beyond. … ” Continue reading at the Inkstain blog.
Worlds apart in water politics, Denver and Phoenix seek similar solutions to a drier Colorado River Basin
“Sitting in the city offices overlooking sunbaked, downtown Phoenix, water manager Max Wilson listed off the city’s preparations for a future with less Colorado River water. “We are currently bringing on an incredible amount of additional water resources,” Wilson said. The sprawling, fast-growing Phoenix metro area is on the front lines of potential water cuts brought on by a stubborn drought gripping the West. By January 2027, painful cuts could hit the 50-year-old Central Arizona Project, which transports about 60% of Arizona’s Colorado River supply across the desert through a 336-miles open canal system. This year, water officials like Wilson are stuck planning for potential water cuts — without knowing what the cuts might be — as they wait for state and federal officials to decide how to manage the basin’s key reservoirs starting in 2026. Those officials blew past a Nov. 11 deadline to share the gist of a joint agreement, leaving basin communities mired in uncertainty. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
Redrawing national monuments could hurt the Colorado River, analysis finds
“National monuments across the West do more than preserve iconic landscapes — they also help protect the rivers millions of people rely on for drinking water. However, a new analysis warns those protections could weaken under the Trump administration’s push to redraw the boundaries of several monuments. The report from the Center for American Progress examines how shrinking or redefining monuments like Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante could expose headwaters and river corridors to new development. Those rivers feed major systems such as the Colorado River, which supplies major cities like Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. … ” Read more from Utah Public Radio.
What some Utah leaders want to see out of this week’s Colorado River meetings
“They may be the only ones in agreement on something involving the Colorado River. As states buckle down in negotiations over the future of the river, the Farm Bureaus for Utah, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Nevada sent a joint letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum with a common viewpoint: “The Colorado River is not only the lifeblood of the West; it is the foundation upon which our nation’s food and fiber production depends,” the letter, shared with FOX 13 News, said. Utah Farm Bureau CEO Spencer Gibbons said the letter is meant to remind the states of what’s important. … ” Read more from Fox 13.
Mexico begins water deliveries to US, avoiding 5% Trump tariff
“In a press conference Monday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed her government’s commitment to uphold water deliveries to the U.S. as outlined in the 1944 Water Treaty. The treaty requires Mexico to give the U.S. one-third of its water surplus from six major Mexican tributaries that flow into the Rio Grande River Basin — totaling around half a trillion gallons over a five-year cycle. Sheinbaum emphasized that the water delivery will not impact Mexicans and that additional water shipments are currently not possible due to the yearslong drought. “What is very important for everyone to know is that we are not giving away water that we don’t have or that would negatively impact Mexicans. Rather, we looked at different basins to see how we could address the request from the United States, which is part of the 1944 Treaty. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
In national water news today …
Lawmakers introduce bipartisan WIFIA amendments
“In November, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives introduced the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Amendments of 2025 aimed at broadening funding provided by WIFIA loan program at U.S. EPA. The amendments were introduced by U.S. Reps. Kim Schrier (D-WA), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Vince Fong (R-CA), and Sharice Davids (D-KS) on Nov. 20. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
Chevron’s demise could snarl Trump environmental agenda
“A new slate of environmental rollbacks from the Trump administration are poised to serve as early tests of a recent Supreme Court ruling that limited federal agencies’ power to defend their rules against legal attack. Over the last few weeks, EPA and the Interior Department have floated rescissions of protections for federal waters, vulnerable species and climate change. Each proposal presents a dramatic change in position from earlier regulations, and in the absence of Chevron deference — which gave agencies the benefit of the doubt when statutes are unclear — the Trump administration will have to make the case that its approach is the best interpretation of federal law. … ” Read more from E&E News.
A look at current hydrology …
