President Donald Trump has tapped longtime water manager Ted Cooke to be the next commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The nomination, submitted Monday to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, attempts to fill a pivotal role at the top federal agency for Western rivers, reservoirs and dams. If confirmed, Cooke will become the main federal official overseeing Colorado River matters. His nomination comes at a tense time for the river. The seven states that use its water appear deadlocked in closed-door negotiations about sharing the shrinking water supply in the future. Cooke will likely try to push those state negotiators toward agreement about who should feel the pain of water cutbacks and when. If they can’t reach a deal ahead of a 2026 deadline, the federal government can step in and make those decisions itself.

Other Reclamation and Colorado River negotiation news: 

• The San Joaquin Valley Sun (Fresno, Calif.): Trump nominates former Arizona water official to lead Reclamation​
• Las Vegas Review-Journal (Nev.): Trump administration nominates official to oversee Colorado River negotiations
•  KJZZ (Phoenix, Ariz.): Tribes are hopeful Trump’s staffing, spending cuts won’t slow progress on securing water rights
• Los Angeles Times: The West’s Climate Mayors call for federal help as Colorado River flows decline
• FOX10 (Phoenix, Ariz.): Arizona, other Colorado River Basin states face deadline on water sharing agreement