Key Points:
- The seven Colorado River states did not reach a deal before a federally-imposed Nov. 11 deadline
- The U.S. Department of the Interior has pledged to intervene
- Gov. Katie Hobbs joined Republican legislative leaders in a letter calling on Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to end the stalemate
By Reagan Priest | Arizona Capitol Times
A federally-imposed deadline for reaching an agreement on Colorado River allocations has come and gone with no solution, spurring a bipartisan call to action from Arizona leaders to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The Interior Department gave the seven Colorado River states until Nov. 11 to reach a deal on how to share the river’s water between the four Upper Basin states and the three Lower Basin states. However, a deal was nowhere in sight in the weeks and days leading up to the deadline and was not reached by the end of the day, according to a joint statement from the seven states, the Department of Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation.
“While more work needs to be done, collective progress has been made that warrants continued efforts to define and approve details for a finalized agreement,” the statement said. “Through continued cooperation and coordinated action, there is a shared commitment to ensuring the long-term sustainability and resilience of the Colorado River system.”
