A simple bill on the Colorado River Authority of Utah has been amended in a sign that negotiations are not going well. House Bill 473, sponsored by Rep. Scott Chew, R-Jensen, started simply by moving the Colorado River Authority of Utah from underneath the Governor’s Office and over to the Utah Department of Natural Resources. But language has been added into the bill to bolster its authority to stick up for Utah’s interests in the ongoing high-stakes negotiations over the river that supplies water to more than 40 million across the West. Rep. Chew told members of the Senate Natural Resources Committee that it was done because negotiations between the seven states along the Colorado River have not yielded a new agreement.

Other Colorado River news:

• Voice of San Diego: Mexican farmers gave up water to protect the Colorado River. They claim payment is still due
• ABC15 (Phoenix): Here’s how to give public comment on future Colorado River plans
• The Arizona Republic (Phoenix): ‘Unprecedented times’ at Glen Canyon Dam could push power costs higher
• Boulder Daily Camera (Colo.): Opinion: The Glen Canyon Dam needs a new system to allow more water to pass through
• ABC4 (Salt Lake City, Utah): Officials prepare for low water levels at Lake Powell
• Arizona Daily Star (Tucson): Worst CAP cuts will ‘flatten’ Arizona’s economy, agency says
• Time: Commentary: How to save the Colorado River