RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesCalifornia's aging infrastructure is helping fuel a clean water crisis that could have ramifications across the country, a key House Republican warned.
Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom of playing politics with the management of the Colorado River, a major body of water that millions of people in the Western United States depend on. She's arguing that the Golden State's bloated bureaucracy and environmental regulations are making it more reliant on the Colorado River, thus stressing its supply and affecting the other six states through which it runs.
"The system is now becoming very, very stressed because California has not kept up with the infrastructure demands and needs of its citizens," Hageman told Fox News Digital. "Pinedale, Wyoming, may be a long way removed from Southern California, but when there are calls on the river and when there are demands that we reduce the amount of water that we are able to use in order to meet a demand downstream, that isn't fair."
California's water infrastructure has largely remained unchanged since the late 20th century, despite a ballooning population.
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Hageman argued that California's growing need paired with a lack of new infrastructure is hurting the agricultural sector in areas that rely on the Colorado River — which could have ripple effects beyond the West.
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"California could grow almost all the food we need in the United States, but they've really decimated their Ag industry because they've taken irrigation water away from their Ag industry to try to meet municipal demand and industrial demand elsewhere. So really it's just, it's a whole parade of bad decisions that are being made," she said.
"Food independence is a national security issue. We do not want to become food dependent on Mexico or Central America or bringing all of our food in from other countries. We have the resources to grow healthy, high-quality food right here while also protecting our environment."
Environmental groups like Tell the Dam Truth have opposed new dam builds in California, arguing they contribute to climate change while harming biodiversity.
"With its strong environmental laws, regulations, and policies, California has the opportunity to not only stop new dam construction, but also decommission dams to restore the biodiversity and carbon sequestration currently inundated in river valleys across the state," the group's website states.
Groups like the Sierra Club have also opposed desalination, an alternative water source that would require California to convert its abundant saltwater into a usable product.
But Hageman said that opposition was misguided.
"They're very backwards people. I kind of look at them like flat-Earthers. They're very backwards people in the way that they approach things. They ignore the fact that humans are also part of the natural environment, and they ignore the benefits of what we can create by building this much-needed infrastructure," she said.
The Colorado River's Upper Basin runs through Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Utah. The Lower Basin runs through California, Arizona and Nevada.
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It has faced growing problems, in part due to climate change and increased dependence, prompting discussions about whether the seven aforementioned states could update their existing water-sharing agreement.
A failure to do so thus far has prompted the Trump administration to step in and force steep cuts to the Lower Basin states for the next two years.
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Newsom praised the plan while pointing out California has reduced its use in recent years, but said it was only a "short-term" solution.
"This is a necessary step to protect a river that 40 million Americans depend on, at a time when climate change is driving a regional water crisis that makes every drop of water count. California continues to lead the way forward, growing our economy while cutting our Colorado River water use to the lowest level since 1949," he said of the Trump administration order. "Any long-term solution must share responsibility fairly across all seven states in recognition of the new reality of the Colorado River."
California also recently made plans for a new reservoir project, projected to cost $6.8 billion, which is expected to be completed in the mid-2030s. The state is also investing in new groundwater infrastructure and other initiatives to expand availability of the critical resource.
A spokesperson for the California Natural Resources Agency re-emphasized the state's reduced dependency on the Colorado River when reached by Fox News Digital.
"California’s Colorado River use is at its lowest since 1949 – and our urban water agencies have reduced their demand for imports by 50% since 2000. Even with that, we continue to invest billions of dollars to increase water supply as we face changing conditions driven by climate change," the spokesperson said.
"Suggesting we move the world’s fourth largest economy entirely to desalinated water is a deeply unserious proposal that ignores the underlying issues facing all users of the Colorado River. All Basin states must share the responsibility of caring for the Colorado River for generations to come – and that means real conservation from all seven states."
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