Colorado wants tougher laws against water speculation as droughts loom
Want to understand water speculation in Colorado? Let’s say you’re in line at a pizza shop. Hear us out. There’s a big sign at the pizza counter saying, “Limited quantities due to climate change. Buy only what you can eat.” But the guy in front of you buys five pizzas for $20 each. He starts reselling them by the slice for $5 a piece. The store owner says, “You can’t do that here.” The pizza glutton walks away, saying, “Fine. I’ll put them in the freezer and I’ll eat it all later.” … [S]peculation on water purely for profit is supposed to be illegal already in Colorado. But under current law, there’s no way of telling what’s in the water buyer’s heart.