10th Circuit probes Trump-era deal with Utah to ‘exchange’ Green River water
The Trump administration failed to consider the strain of climate change and drought on the Colorado River and tributaries when it agreed to give Utah 52,000 acre-feet of water from a reservoir annually, environmental groups argued Thursday and asked a 10th Circuit panel to order an environmental impact statement for the plan. Forty million Americans depend on the Colorado River for water, along with 5.5 million acres of land, 22 Native American tribes and nearly two-dozen national parks and preserves. One of the Colorado River’s tributaries is the Green River, which winds through Utah and sustains ecosystems in the Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge, Dinosaur National Monument, Ouray National Wildlife Refuge and Canyonlands National Park.