Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is calling the governors of the seven states that share the Colorado River to Washington next week as talks over new water-sharing rules that remain log-jammed ahead of a major Feb. 14 deadline for a deal.
All appear poised to attend, save for California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who has a long-standing family commitment the same day, according to his spokesperson. Instead, Newsom’s natural resources secretary, Wade Crowfoot, will attend, spokesperson Tara Gallegos said.
River watchers’ hopes are generally low for a deal at this point. A meeting of negotiators and Interior officials last week in Salt Lake City failed to yield progress. The best-case scenario seems to be a short-term deal that could buy a bit of time for more talks — and for state-level political appointees to potentially change over.
But next week’s meeting comes as the picture for this spring’s runoff season looks increasingly dire — a situation that could potentially trigger a Supreme Court fight as soon as this year. That could help grease the skids for an agreement, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) told a local news station.
