Interior Department veteran Andrea Travnicek on Wednesday identified Colorado River policies, critical minerals development and infrastructure as her top three priorities if she is confirmed as Interior’s assistant secretary for water and science. With a background that includes service in the first Trump administration’s Interior Department and leadership of North Dakota’s Department of Water Resources, Travnicek noted that there are “a lot of discussions right now” related to the 1,450-mile river and the allocation of its water. “We’ve got some looming deadlines that are in front of us next year, so we’re going to have to work really closely with those seven states in the [Colorado River] basin,” Travnicek told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Other Colorado River Basin news:

• The Colorado Sun (Denver): Colorado River cuts should be shared basinwide, new report says
• Denver Gazette (Colo.): Colorado’s snowpack is fourth lowest in nearly 40 years, struggled to reach average
• Desert News (Salt Lake City, Utah): Opinion: Cloud seeding can make the desert bloom. The nation should follow Utah’s lead​
• KUNC (Greeley, Colo.): Colorado Parks and Wildlife expands boat cleaning stations to combat zebra and quagga mussels