U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz called on the federal government Wednesday to launch a rigorous environmental and historic review of a controversial proposal to pump billions of gallons of groundwater from the Mojave Desert, framing the project as a threat to local communities, tribal sovereignty, and iconic national parks. In a formal letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Ruiz, D-Calif., urged the Bureau of Land Management to conduct a comprehensive assessment under federal environmental and historic preservation laws before deciding on a crucial pipeline right-of-way application for Cadiz Inc. The proposal by Los Angeles-based Cadiz, which is backed by foreign investors, seeks to extract 16 billion gallons of water annually for 50 years from an ancient desert aquifer. 

Other groundwater news around the West:

• Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada launches groundwater rights buyback program with first $1.8M grant
• Arizona Daily Star (Tucson): Only 3% of Arizona’s rain, snow ends up in our groundwater supply
• The Camarillo Acorn (Calif.): ​Supremes shoot down city’s mid-case water-rights gambit ruling
• The Napa Valley Register (Napa, Calif.): Napa County grapples with groundwater pumping fees