Nevada sues to block Trump administration’s Colorado River plan

Delaware, Aug 24 - Nevada has initiated legal proceedings against the Trump administration to halt its proposed reduction of water supplies from the parched Colorado River. The Department of the Interior finalized the plan on Friday, which entails a 21% cut in water from the river for California, Nevada, and Arizona for two years, starting from 2027.

This reduction could potentially double after 2028, a move that Nevada and Arizona claim would significantly impact their economies. The four upper basin states - Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming - are not subject to mandatory cuts under the new 10-year plan to manage the river, which provides water to one in ten Americans and generates power for 6 million people.

The plan requires review every two years, but the states were unable to reach an agreement on water sharing after more than three years of negotiations to replace a plan set to expire. The upper basin states declined to take mandatory cuts, citing that they are already facing substantial reductions due to the prolonged drought in the western United States.

The lower basin states argue that all seven states sharing the river must make water use reductions. Nevada, along with the Colorado River Commission of Nevada and the Southern Nevada Water Authority, filed the lawsuit in federal court in Las Vegas, naming the Department of the Interior, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and its commissioner, Aubrey Bettencourt, as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges that the administration violated administrative law, environmental law, and the Law of the River, a set of treaties, agreements, and court rulings governing the river. The lawsuit claims that the administration did not consider reasonable alternatives, failed to address foreseeable economic impacts, did not respond to comments, and did not adequately analyze mitigation measures.