Colorado River Problems

The Colorado River is an important water source for over 40 million people. It is used by residents, businesses, rancher, farmers, and Native Americans in 7 states. However  because of  drought, overuse, and ineffective conservation policies, this year the river made the top-10 list of most endangered rivers in America, as well as several times in the past twenty years. According to a KSL article: “A shortfall of 3.2 million acre-feet of water is projected by the year 2060 due to increasing demands brought about by population growth, diversion of water for energy development and stream flows that have to be maintained at certain levels due to enhanced environmental needs.”

This Tuesday state representatives, the federal government, and a partnership of 10 Native American tribes will meet in San Diego to discuss research on the Colorado River system. Hopefully the research will lead to potential solutions. (The interaction of these groups is a great example of cooperative federalism — officials in different levels of government working together closely because of their policy area ties.)

Recent research has shown that most of the population growth will occur in lower states. This puts a lot of pressure on upper states, such as Utah and Wyoming, to be more frugal in their water usage. It also raise questions about whether these upper states will make money by selling the excess water, which is allotted to them by water rights. Executive director of the Utah Rivers Council, Zach Frankel, said, “One of the most important things to think about for the future management of the Colorado is whether Utah will build unnecessary water projects just to keep other states from using the water, or if we are willing to lease our unused waters to other players in the basin and make money.”

Western Resource Advocates recently released the website CoRiverBasin.org to educate the public about problems the Colorado River system faces. It provides photos, a interactive layered map, data relating to the river, and other information. If you want to find out more about the issue, it would be a great place to start.

 

 

For more information see:

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=25316092&nid=148&title=probe-looks-into-strain-on-endangered-colorado-river&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-7

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=157&sid=24824006

http://coriverbasin.org/maps/

New Secretary of Energy

The new secretary of energy, Ernest Moniz, was sworn in this last week with an unanimous  supporting vote. That’s quite the accomplishment with today’s polar-opposites congress. Moniz is a 68-year-old professor currently teaching at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he leads an energy initiative. He also served as an energy undersecretary during Clinton’s administration.

President Obama was thrilled about Moniz’s confirmation. “Dr. Moniz is a world-class scientist with expertise in a range of energy sources and a leader with a proven record of bringing prominent thinkers and innovators together to advance new energy solutions,” Obama said. “He also shares my conviction that the United States must lead the world in developing more sustainable sources of energy that create new jobs and new industries, and in responding to the threat of global climate change.”

One of the main problems Moniz will face is regulation of natural gas. He is sympathetic towards the industry and will most likely expand it along with exportation of natural gas. Last month, Moniz argued that natural gas consumption is beneficiary to the environment because it reduces green house gas emissions.

Jack Gerard, President of American Petroleum Institute, congratulated Moniz and encouraged him to approve exportation of natural gas as quickly as possible. “The U.S. is awash in natural gas with huge additional productive capacity that can fully supply domestic markets with affordable and clean-burning natural gas, enhance our energy security and allow for exports well into the future,” Gerard said. He says that the natural gas industry will create American jobs and help decrease the national debt.

Others are not quite so happy with increasing the natural gas industry. Deb Nardone, director of Sierra Club’s natural gas campaign said, “Natural gas is a dirty, dangerous fossil fuel, which poses serious health risks due to air and water pollution from fracking and releases large quantities of methane — a gas that has more than 70 times the climate impact of carbon dioxide.”

Hydraulic fracturing, AKA fracking, is a drilling technique that “has allowed companies to gain access to huge stores of natural gas” (Liz Klimas, 16 May 2013). If natural gas exports are increased, hydraulic fracturing will most likely follow suit. Many are worried about the effect this will have on global warming (/global cooling/global climate change).

Nardone says that Moniz needs “to go all-in on smart energy and climate solutions, like solar, wind, and energy efficiency” but does agree with Gerard that Moniz’s decisions should also focus on “creating jobs for American workers.”

Hopefully Moniz can strike the proper balance between caring for the environment and providing America with sufficient energy and jobs.

 

 

For more information, see these news articles:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/05/16/new-energy-secretary-named-with-unanimous-confirmation/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/05/16/obama-ernest-moniz-energy-secretary/2169459/

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2013/05/16/advocacy-groups-send-new-energy-chief.html

EU Seed Regulation

This isn’t from the US, but could affect Americans’ decisions in the future. “International peer pressure” seems just as prominent as the variety you find in junior highs.

The European Union recently proposed a seed regulation. This regulation would prohibit the planting of any variety seeds that were not on a predetermined “approved list.” The original version affected all citizens in the EU, but was turned down. A revised version, which is very likely to be passed, targets only large farmers.

This regulation could be very damaging to EU citizens, depending who gains the most influence. If companies that develop hybrid seeds gained the upper hand, farmers could be stuck planting crops that don’t give fertile seeds. This would mean that farmers would be forced to buy new seeds each year instead of harvesting seeds from their previous crop. The regulation could also outlaw historical varieties and weaken species’ gene pools by the lessened variety.

For more information, see the news story at: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/05/08/bureaucracy-out-of-control-eu-proposes-limiting-seed-plantings-to-government-approved-list/

Help! I can’t figure out how to blog!…;)

Help! I can’t figure out how to blog!

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😉