The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a decision on August 22, 2024, authorizing the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to procure up to 10.6 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy resources, including up to 7.6...more
Climate change threatens to dramatically shrink the amount of water California can deliver over the next 20 years and could significantly reduce supplies available from the State Water Project according to new projections...more
Two laws enacted in 2023 as part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s infrastructure streamlining package are intended to facilitate development of certain energy, water resources, transportation, semiconductor manufacturing, and other...more
This year marks the 10th anniversary of a major milestone in California water law history: the enactment of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014. This landmark legislation signaled a critical step toward...more
Powerful pumps that supply much of California’s population with water have killed several thousand threatened and endangered fish this year, prompting environmental groups to demand that state and federal agencies take...more
On April 2, 2024, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) released the California Water Plan Update 2023 (CWP 2023 Update). DWR’s press release dubs the plan “A Roadmap to Water Management and Infrastructure for a...more
The Biden administration issued a final rule this Wednesday aimed at curbing methane leaks from oil and gas drilling on federal and tribal lands. Adoption of the rule is its latest action to crack down on emissions of...more
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) last Thursday asked federal regulators for permission to cancel its annual interconnection study process for any interconnection requests submitted this year so it can deal...more
On January 4, 2024, the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) issued its statutorily-mandated report – “Assessing Early Implementation of Urban Water Use Efficiency Requirements” – analyzing the implementation of the “Make...more
Top water officials for the seven Colorado River Basin states met in December 2023 at the Colorado River Water Users Association conference to resume negotiating a new compromise for how they will share — and cut back on —...more
After releasing the final environmental report (EIR) for the Delta Conveyance Project on December 8, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) certified it on December 21, 2023. The certification of the final EIR is a...more
The San Pedro Alliance (“Alliance”) submitted a September 20th document to the Arizona Department of Water Resources (“ADWR”) styled: Petition for a Rule to Designate the Upper San Pedro Basin as an Active Management...more
Governor Newsom, on October 7, 2023, signed AB 1373 into law. The bill authorizes the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to serve as a central procurement entity to procure diverse clean energy resources in order to help the...more
Contrary to the catastrophic picture painted by news sources around the country, Arizona is not out of water, construction has not been suspended, and a construction moratorium has not been issued by the Governor. The real...more
Chemours Co., E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and Corteva, Inc. on Friday said they had reached an agreement in principle to pay $1.19 billion to settle claims that they contaminated U.S. public water systems with...more
On February 6, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California sided with the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and plaintiffs Institute for Fisheries Resources, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s...more
On December 19, 2022, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps), Sacramento District released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Delta Conveyance Project. The Army Corps is the federal agency tasked...more
In early November, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case brought by the Navajo Nation that could have far-reaching impacts on tribal water rights in the Colorado River Basin....more
The California Supreme Court issued the following decisions: County of Butte v. Department of Water Resources, et al., No. S258574: California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) operates the “Oroville Facilities,” an...more
A key priority of the Newsom Administration – the Delta Conveyance Project – has officially entered its next chapter. On July 22, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) released its draft environmental impact report (Draft...more
A controversial new law gives the California Energy Commission authority over clean energy projects and authorizes the Department of Water Resources to fund new energy sources and extend the life of existing power plants. ...more
Modified Annual Water Diversion and Use Reporting Deadlines On September 23, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (“SB”) 115 into law, modifying the deadline and reporting period for annual water diversion and use...more
January 2022 was a busy month for the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) issued remaining assessments for groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) for critically...more
While the Idaho legislature has been making it harder to lose real property rights through carelessness or inaction, the Idaho Supreme Court has been making it easier. In Idaho, and most other states, it has long been the law...more
Limited water supply, restrictions on use, and higher costs may be in store for next year if the state’s drought conditions persist. This year has been critically dry and hot for California, resulting in déjà vu as the...more