Leaders of California, Arizona and Nevada are criticizing the Trump administration’s proposals for water cutbacks along the Colorado River, urging it to take a different approach and avoid a court battle. The three downstream states said in letters to the Interior Department this week that the agency’s preliminary outline of five options for cuts ignores the foundational “Law of the River” that has underpinned how seven western states operate for more than a century. Federal officials have so far failed to examine whether their options comply with the 1922 Colorado River Compact, and this is “a fundamental deficiency that must be corrected,” JB Hamby, California’s lead negotiator, wrote in a letter to the Trump administration.

Other Colorado River news:

• KJZZ (Phoenix): Could ocean water help fix Arizona’s drought troubles? This agreement puts it one step closer
• E&E News by Politico: Lawmakers say water cuts threaten national security, food supply
• The Aspen Times (Colo.): Colorado, upper basin entities call for ‘durable,’ supply-driven management of Colorado River in federal comment period