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A deal in sight? Colorado River talks are moving again, officials say

A deal in sight? Colorado River talks are moving again, officials say

Yahoo2 days ago

BOULDER, CO — Metaphors about divorce and grief defined an emotional presentation about the Colorado River in Boulder, Colorado, on June 6. Those metaphors, however, did not represent strife or disaster in stalled water negotiations, but apparent progress and the willingness to let go of past ideas and move toward compromise.
"We've heard about the stages of grief ... about denial and anger and the need to be at bargaining," said Chuck Cullom, executive director of the Upper Colorado River Commission. "Well, I believe the basin states are there."
Officials involved in tense negotiations over how to manage shortages on the Colorado River suggested that months of harsh talk and stalemates have ended and negotiators are exploring new options.
Federal officials indicated that even parts of the "Law of the River," a 100-year-old legal framework that governs Colorado River allocations, could change as a result of the negotiations.
'We're trying to pivot to something else and be creative, and we have good engagement on that right now," said Colby Pellegrino, deputy general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
While most of the negotiators from the seven Colorado River basin states did not attend the conference at the University of Colorado in Boulder, the speakers who did attend were cautiously optimistic about their chances at making a deal.
The states have been wrangling for two years over how to distribute water cuts as reservoir levels and stream flows have plummeted in the river. Existing operation guidelines for the river expire in 2026, and the federal government will impose its own regime of water cuts unless states can reach a deal. Now, officials are signaling that progress has resumed toward a deal.
Alternative urged: How will Arizona deal with Colorado River shortages? Cities need a 'Plan B,' expert says
The Colorado River is a critical source of water for Arizona, providing 36% of the state's water, according to the Arizona Department of Water Resources. Populous counties in central and southern Arizona — Maricopa, Pinal and Pima — are the most vulnerable when it comes to water cuts as their water rights have lower priority.
Negotiators from the upper and lower basins of the Colorado River have blown through several informal deadlines to reach a deal, sniping at one another in public remarks and propping up their own proposals for shortage management. The debate often centered on whether upper basin states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) should take any administered water cuts, as lower basin states like Arizona have already taken cuts.
Now, the basin states have begun the process of 'letting go,' Pellegrino said, backing away from some of the ideas they clung to at the beginning of the process and imagining new compromises. The states, along with federal officials, have met every other week since the end of March, according to Scott Cameron, acting assistant secretary for water and science at the Department of the Interior.
Cameron said the Trump administration is looking to rework and expand the alternatives for river management that the Biden administration put forward in January. Cameron said Trump officials like Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are seeking to engage intensely and support Colorado River basin states in reaching a deal.
Although the administration has fired large numbers of federal employees working in water modeling, Cameron said he was working to shield this process from those cuts, and state representatives have said they are receiving strong services from federal agencies.
California's representative on the river, J.B. Hamby, said in an interview on June 5 that renewed support from federal officials has helped jump-start negotiations.
'For the longest time, states weren't meeting all that often, or were certainly not inviting the feds into the room," Hamby said. "Now that the Trump administration officials are actively engaged in our discussions, I think everyone who supports the basin-state process has seen that as a material benefit.'
Cameron said he has also met with several of the 30 tribes in the Colorado River basin to learn about their unique and differing positions and incorporate their views into official negotiations.
Less water: Worsening climate outlooks raise the stakes for an agreement on the Colorado River
The Colorado River is expected to carry about half of the water it should, according to the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, pushing states dangerously close to trip wires for legal action under contracts that govern the river. Scientists expect climate change to bring more erratic flows to the river in the long term, with an overall decline in water levels.
Brian Richter, scientist and president of the nonprofit Sustainable Waters, presented preliminary estimates on June 5 that potentially a quarter of human water use in the Colorado River basin over the last decade has been unsustainable, meaning it is drawing on limited water reserves that natural water cycles have not replenished.
'There is a massive cultural change that has to happen in this space, and about how we use water, and that is going to affect the culture of every single water user,' Pellegrino said. "And we need to be doing that cultural change very rapidly."
Cameron indicated that the negotiations could mean big changes in the bedrock laws that govern the river, saying some of the legal framework defining river management can be changed by Congress or state legislatures. The Colorado River is governed by a long list of compacts, court decrees, and international agreements with Mexico.
"We don't take all aspects of what people lump together as the 'Law of the River' right now to be fixed," Cameron said. "If the needs of society change, we ought to be open to having a conversation about changing existing law."
Cameron said his team has notified federal lawmakers that they might seek congressional action in the spring of 2026. The federal team aims to have a final decision in place by the summer of that year.
Interested in stories about water? Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's free weekly environment newsletter.
But to even reach a state-approved deal, Pellegrino said, state negotiators need to be better shielded from stakeholders and interest groups in their states that keep squashing ideas for deals before they can be fleshed out.
'If every whisper of what we are working on results in every person who's worried about how it might affect them running and saying, 'This isn't the deal for us,' we're never going to get there,' Pellegrino said.
Cullom and Pellegrino said the basin is dealing with a hydrological reality in the river that no one can change.
'People are trying to turn this thing upside down and sideways, trying to find a unicorn," Cullom said. "But there is probably not an operational scheme that prevents us from the challenges that this drier future brings.'
Austin Corona covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to austin.corona@arizonarepublic.com.
Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Colorado River negotiations are getting unstuck, officials say

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A deal in sight? Colorado River talks are moving again, officials say
A deal in sight? Colorado River talks are moving again, officials say

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

A deal in sight? Colorado River talks are moving again, officials say

BOULDER, CO — Metaphors about divorce and grief defined an emotional presentation about the Colorado River in Boulder, Colorado, on June 6. Those metaphors, however, did not represent strife or disaster in stalled water negotiations, but apparent progress and the willingness to let go of past ideas and move toward compromise. "We've heard about the stages of grief ... about denial and anger and the need to be at bargaining," said Chuck Cullom, executive director of the Upper Colorado River Commission. "Well, I believe the basin states are there." Officials involved in tense negotiations over how to manage shortages on the Colorado River suggested that months of harsh talk and stalemates have ended and negotiators are exploring new options. Federal officials indicated that even parts of the "Law of the River," a 100-year-old legal framework that governs Colorado River allocations, could change as a result of the negotiations. 'We're trying to pivot to something else and be creative, and we have good engagement on that right now," said Colby Pellegrino, deputy general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. While most of the negotiators from the seven Colorado River basin states did not attend the conference at the University of Colorado in Boulder, the speakers who did attend were cautiously optimistic about their chances at making a deal. The states have been wrangling for two years over how to distribute water cuts as reservoir levels and stream flows have plummeted in the river. Existing operation guidelines for the river expire in 2026, and the federal government will impose its own regime of water cuts unless states can reach a deal. Now, officials are signaling that progress has resumed toward a deal. Alternative urged: How will Arizona deal with Colorado River shortages? Cities need a 'Plan B,' expert says The Colorado River is a critical source of water for Arizona, providing 36% of the state's water, according to the Arizona Department of Water Resources. Populous counties in central and southern Arizona — Maricopa, Pinal and Pima — are the most vulnerable when it comes to water cuts as their water rights have lower priority. Negotiators from the upper and lower basins of the Colorado River have blown through several informal deadlines to reach a deal, sniping at one another in public remarks and propping up their own proposals for shortage management. The debate often centered on whether upper basin states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) should take any administered water cuts, as lower basin states like Arizona have already taken cuts. Now, the basin states have begun the process of 'letting go,' Pellegrino said, backing away from some of the ideas they clung to at the beginning of the process and imagining new compromises. The states, along with federal officials, have met every other week since the end of March, according to Scott Cameron, acting assistant secretary for water and science at the Department of the Interior. Cameron said the Trump administration is looking to rework and expand the alternatives for river management that the Biden administration put forward in January. Cameron said Trump officials like Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are seeking to engage intensely and support Colorado River basin states in reaching a deal. Although the administration has fired large numbers of federal employees working in water modeling, Cameron said he was working to shield this process from those cuts, and state representatives have said they are receiving strong services from federal agencies. California's representative on the river, J.B. Hamby, said in an interview on June 5 that renewed support from federal officials has helped jump-start negotiations. 'For the longest time, states weren't meeting all that often, or were certainly not inviting the feds into the room," Hamby said. "Now that the Trump administration officials are actively engaged in our discussions, I think everyone who supports the basin-state process has seen that as a material benefit.' Cameron said he has also met with several of the 30 tribes in the Colorado River basin to learn about their unique and differing positions and incorporate their views into official negotiations. Less water: Worsening climate outlooks raise the stakes for an agreement on the Colorado River The Colorado River is expected to carry about half of the water it should, according to the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, pushing states dangerously close to trip wires for legal action under contracts that govern the river. Scientists expect climate change to bring more erratic flows to the river in the long term, with an overall decline in water levels. Brian Richter, scientist and president of the nonprofit Sustainable Waters, presented preliminary estimates on June 5 that potentially a quarter of human water use in the Colorado River basin over the last decade has been unsustainable, meaning it is drawing on limited water reserves that natural water cycles have not replenished. 'There is a massive cultural change that has to happen in this space, and about how we use water, and that is going to affect the culture of every single water user,' Pellegrino said. "And we need to be doing that cultural change very rapidly." Cameron indicated that the negotiations could mean big changes in the bedrock laws that govern the river, saying some of the legal framework defining river management can be changed by Congress or state legislatures. The Colorado River is governed by a long list of compacts, court decrees, and international agreements with Mexico. "We don't take all aspects of what people lump together as the 'Law of the River' right now to be fixed," Cameron said. "If the needs of society change, we ought to be open to having a conversation about changing existing law." Cameron said his team has notified federal lawmakers that they might seek congressional action in the spring of 2026. The federal team aims to have a final decision in place by the summer of that year. Interested in stories about water? Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's free weekly environment newsletter. But to even reach a state-approved deal, Pellegrino said, state negotiators need to be better shielded from stakeholders and interest groups in their states that keep squashing ideas for deals before they can be fleshed out. 'If every whisper of what we are working on results in every person who's worried about how it might affect them running and saying, 'This isn't the deal for us,' we're never going to get there,' Pellegrino said. Cullom and Pellegrino said the basin is dealing with a hydrological reality in the river that no one can change. 'People are trying to turn this thing upside down and sideways, trying to find a unicorn," Cullom said. "But there is probably not an operational scheme that prevents us from the challenges that this drier future brings.' Austin Corona covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to Environmental coverage on and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Colorado River negotiations are getting unstuck, officials say

Suspect charged with federal hate crime in attack on Colorado rally for Israeli hostages
Suspect charged with federal hate crime in attack on Colorado rally for Israeli hostages

Yahoo

time6 days ago

  • Yahoo

Suspect charged with federal hate crime in attack on Colorado rally for Israeli hostages

A man has been charged with a federal hate crime and multiple other felonies after he allegedly used a makeshift flamethrower and incendiary devices to attack a crowd of people who were raising awareness for Israeli hostages in Gaza, injuring 12 victims. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, is alleged to have shouted 'Free Palestine' as he attacked the crowd on Sunday. The FBI said Soliman told police he planned the attack for a year and had specifically targeted what he described as the 'Zionist group', the Associated Press reported. At a press conference on Monday the Boulder county district attorney said Soliman would be prosecuted for a federal hate crime and 16 counts of attempted murder. If convicted, he would be jailed for the rest of his life, with a cumulative of more than 600 years. At the press conference, US attorney for the district of Colorado said in a statement that Soliman had resorted to molotov cocktails when he wasn't able to obtain a gun. There were at least 16 unused molotov cocktails recovered from the scene, according to the US attorney's office, district of Colorado. An FBI affidavit said Soliman – upon confessing to Sunday's attack after his arrest – told the police he would do it again. Officials said there was no indication that the attack was associated with any group. NBC reported Soliman was an Egyptian national, and the White House claimed Soliman was in the US without legal status. Four women and four men between 52 and 88 years old, including a woman that a Department of Justice official said was a survivor of the Holocaust, were transported to hospitals, Boulder police said, with injuries ranging from minor to 'very serious'. Four additional victims had minor injuries but were not hospitalized. The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, close to the University of Colorado, during an event organized by Run for Their Lives, a group which aims to draw attention to the people taken hostage following Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel. Soliman is alleged to have thrown a device into a group of people who had assembled in a pedestrianized zone for the peaceful rally. The Boulder police chief, Stephen Redfearn, said the department received calls at about 1.26pm local time on Sunday of a man with a weapon near a downtown courthouse and that people were being set on fire. Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old University of Colorado student, told Reuters she saw four women lying or sitting on the ground with burns on their legs. One of them appeared to have been badly burned on most of her body and had been wrapped in a flag by someone, Coffman said. She said she saw a man whom she presumed to be the attacker holding a glass bottle of clear liquid and shouting. 'Everybody is yelling: 'Get water, get water,'' Coffman said. Alex Osante, from San Diego, told the Associated Press he was having lunch on a restaurant patio across the pedestrian mall when he heard the crash of a bottle breaking on the ground, a 'boom' sound followed by people yelling and screaming. In a video of the scene filmed by Osante, people could be seen pouring water on a woman lying on the ground who Osante said had been burned during the attack. After the initial attack, Osante said the suspect went behind some bushes and then re-emerged and threw a molotov cocktail but appeared to accidentally set himself on fire as he threw it. The man then took off his shirt and what appeared to be a bulletproof vest before the police arrived. The man dropped to the ground and was arrested without any apparent resistance in the video that Osante filmed. The justice department said one of the victims was a Holocaust survivor. 'She endured the worst evil in human history. She came to America seeking safety,' said Leo Terrell, a senior counsel on civil rights in the justice department. 'This is all caused by the same type of hatred: antisemitism.' Terrell, who leads the Trump administration's antisemitism taskforce, was criticized in March after he shared a post by a white supremacist. Mark Michalek, the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver field office, identified Soliman as the lone suspect. 'It is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism,' Michalek told a press conference, citing witnesses. Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, described the incident as a 'targeted terror attack', and Colorado's attorney general, Phil Weiser, said it appeared to be 'a hate crime given the group that was targeted'. Soliman is due to appear in court at 1.30pm local time on Monday, according to Boulder county jail records. He is being held on a $10m bond. Law enforcement officials said Soliman was also injured and was taken to the hospital to be treated, but did not elaborate on the nature of his injuries. On his Truth Social platform Monday, Donald Trump said the attack 'will not be tolerated in the United States of America'. The US president also said acts of terrorism 'will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law'. In a post on X, Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, described Soliman as an 'illegal alien' who had overstayed his tourist visa. Miller criticized Joe Biden's presidential administration, whom he said had given Soliman a work permit. CNN, citing law enforcement officials, reported that Soliman arrived in the US in August 2022 as a non-immigrant visitor. It reported that the officials said he was granted a work authorization in March 2023, which expired at the end of March this year, more than two months into Trump's presidency. Soliman had previously applied for asylum in the US, CNN reported. He was denied a visa to enter the country in 2005. Miller said the attack was further evidence of the need to 'fully reverse' what he described as 'suicidal migration'. In his Truth post, Trump linked Soliman's presence in the US to 'Biden's ridiculous Open Border Policy, which has hurt our country so badly'. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said Soliman was 'illegally in our country'. 'He entered the country in August 2022 on a B2 visa that expired on February 2023. He filed for asylum in September 2022,' McLaughlin said. The attack comes amid heightened tensions over Israel's war on Gaza, which in the US has spurred both an increase in both antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes. It follows the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington DC who had attended an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel. Conservative supporters of Israel have branded pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic, and Donald Trump's administration has detained several protesters of the war without charge, while cutting off funding to elite US universities where protests against Israel's war on Gaza have taken place. Hamas launched an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people. It is still holding 58 hostages in Gaza, of whom 20 are believed to be still alive. Israel responded to the attack by launching a bombing campaign on Gaza which has killed more than 54,000 people. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a statement that the Colorado victims were attacked 'simply because they were Jews' and that he trusted US authorities would prosecute 'the cold blood perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law'.

‘Illegal migrant' arrested in pro-Israel rally attack burnt his own face
‘Illegal migrant' arrested in pro-Israel rally attack burnt his own face

Yahoo

time6 days ago

  • Yahoo

‘Illegal migrant' arrested in pro-Israel rally attack burnt his own face

An 'illegal immigrant' set himself on fire as he sprayed a makeshift flamethrower at pro-Israel protesters during an alleged terror attack. A mugshot released of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, appeared to show burns to his face while his ear was heavily bandaged after the attack that injured eight people. As details of his plot emerged on Monday, the Egyptian national is said to have turned a garden weed sprayer into a makeshift flamethrower by spraying gasoline in the direction of the marchers while holding a lighter in front of the stream of fuel. Investigators believe he had stopped at gas stations before the attack to fill up molotov cocktails and the makeshift flamethrower. Police found 14 more molotovs in the Pearl Street area, where he was detained. Officials believe he may have spent a year planning the attack. Credit: X The FBI said it was investigating the firebombing as terrorism, while the White House said on Sunday that the suspect was living in the country illegally and was granted a work permit by Joe Biden's administration. 'Yesterday's horrific attack in Boulder, Colorado, WILL NOT BE TOLERATED in the United States of America,' Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland. My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and the Great People of Boulder, Colorado!' 'A terror attack was committed in Boulder, Colorado by an illegal alien,' Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, said. 'He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden administration, and then he illegally overstayed that visa. In response, the Biden administration gave him a work permit.' At least eight people, aged between 67 and 88, were injured in the attack at the busy Pearl Street Mall area at about 1.30pm local time (7.30pm GMT). Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado, told reporters that one of the victims was understood to be an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. Mr Soliman was being held on Monday on an array of charges, including assault and the use of explosives, in lieu of a $10-million bail, according to Boulder County records. He was also charged with a 'hate crime involving actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin,' according to an affidavit. Video of the aftermath of the attack showed Mr Soliman, wearing sunglasses and holding clear spray bottles, pacing as a fire on the grass burned in front of him. He shouted 'end Zionists', 'Palestine is free', and 'they are killers' towards several people as they tended to a person lying on the ground. At one point, he was confronted by onlookers, including one who said: 'He is spraying alcohol... he is making Molotov cocktails.' Other videos showed victims lying motionless on the ground as bystanders rushed to douse them with water. Credit: X via @MissNUndrground Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old student at the University of Colorado, said she saw four women lying or sitting on the ground with burns on their legs. She said one woman appeared to have been badly burned on most of her body and had been wrapped in a flag by someone. 'Everybody [was] yelling, 'get water, get water',' she said. Steve Redfearn, Boulder's police chief, said officers raced to the scene after receiving reports that people had been set on fire. 'The initial callers indicated that there was a man with a weapon and that people were being set on fire,' he said. 'When we arrived, we encountered multiple victims who were injured with injuries consistent with burns and other injuries.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

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