BOULDER, Colorado — A top Interior Department official said Friday that he expects the seven states that share the Colorado Basin to strike agreement on a new long-term management plan by next spring, but raised the threat of federal intervention if those negotiations fail.
Scott Cameron, a senior adviser to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, said that a final plan to govern the drought-ravaged waterway and expected shortages will be unveiled by spring 2026.
“We are hopefully confident,” said Cameron, who also serves as acting assistant secretary for water and science, in remarks to the 45th Annual Colorado Law Conference on Natural Resources at the University of Colorado. “But it’s not a done deal until it’s a done deal,”
Cameron also said: “Make no mistake, the time for action is now. We do not have a lot of time to waste, people. The primary responsibility lies with the states.”
