Babbitt blasts Biden admin for ‘sitting on the bench’ in Colorado River talks

By Jennifer Yachnin | 07/25/2024 01:32 PM EDT

The Clinton-era Interior secretary said the seven states negotiating over use of water from the drought-stricken river are on the brink of a “water war.”

Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt talking in front of the Arizona State Capitol building.

Former Interior Secretary and Arizona Gov. Bruce Babbitt speaking in January 2019 outside the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix. Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is warning that negotiations over how to share a drought-stricken Colorado River among Western states are moving too slowly — creating a potential melee over dwindling supplies — and blaming the Biden administration for failing to aggressively intervene.

A series of existing agreements for management of the Colorado River will expire at the end of 2026, which prompted officials from the seven states that share the river to begin formal negotiations more than a year ago.

Those discussions largely center on how the states will share the pain of a shrinking water supply. Some estimates suggest the 1,450-mile-long river contains 20 percent less water than it did in 2000 due to persistent drought.

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In an interview aired by PBS on Wednesday night, Babbitt criticized the Interior Department for failing so far to broker an agreement among the seven states.

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