1. CALIFORNIA:
New dam proposals restart 1970s-era fights

Wallace Stegner, the chronicler of the American West, had a simple response when asked to explain the economics of California. "Water," he said famously. "It's about the water." Stegner's truism is relevant now more than ever. Climate change is giving the largest state economy in the United States the daunting reality of unprecedented water supply problems and a surging population. One solution that has resurfaced is new dam construction, but while the impact of greenhouse gases has added a new dimension to this debate, experts do not expect much headway in a decades-long struggle over agriculture, wildlife habitat, recreation, electricity and potable water supply. Go to story #1