Testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Climate Change and the Inter-Mountain West

Abstract:     
The effect of drought on the Southwest: implications for water policy. The drought that the Southwest is experiencing is consistent with forecasts for its future climate. Federal policies should take this into account in shaping agricultural policies for the region. Farm payments should reflect the changing climate and not provide incentives for practices that no longer make sense. Federal water policies also need to reflect the necessity of managing a diminished water supply and not subsidize costly importation schemes. Federal and state governments must to more to protect aquatic species under changed climate conditions. We need a significant federal investment in wildlife or we will see the extinction of species and the loss of ecosystems that are important to those who live in this region.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 4

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