Governor Newsom issues statement on federal Colorado River plan

SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of the Interior released its framework for managing the Colorado River over the next two years:

This is a necessary step to protect a river that 40 million Americans depend on, at a time when climate change is driving a regional water crisis that makes every drop of water count. California continues to lead the way forward, growing our economy while cutting our Colorado River water use to the lowest level since 1949.

I appreciate Secretary Burgum's work with California and all seven basin states to get to this point. That said, this operations plan provides only short-term stability. In the coming months, each state across the basin must step up to conserve water and continue to work together across the basin to achieve a durable long-term approach that positions our region for future prosperity. Any long-term solution must share responsibility fairly across all seven states in recognition of the new reality of the Colorado River.

Governor Gavin Newsom