WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Republican Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) issued the following statements on the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan.
“Today’s hearing on the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan displayed rare, bipartisan agreement within the seven basin states. In the face of a historic drought, this plan could save a river that serves forty million people, irrigates more than five and a half million acres of farmland, and generates 4,200 megawatts of clean, emissions-free hydropower. I applaud the states’ work on this plan and urge Committee and House leadership to bring up the states’ legislation for immediate consideration. I look forward to introducing legislation on this important issue with Chairman Grijalva in the near future."
- Ranking Republican Rob Bishop
“It is a remarkable development that seven of the most politically diverse states in the nation could find agreement on something as controversial as decreased water allocations, but that miracle is before us today. I think we would be well-advised to show a little humility and defer to the judgment of the states that directly depend on the water allocations set forth in this contingency plan."
- Representative Tom McClintock
Background:
The Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan is a historic agreement between the seven upper and lower Colorado River Basin states on voluntary water allocation reductions in the event the two major reservoirs on the system, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, dip below specific water elevation levels. All seven states have agreed to the plan and have transmitted legislative language to Congress to allow the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation to implement the plan.
