Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) released the following statements in response to the Lower Basin States’ proposed plan to conserve 3 million acre-feet of water over the next three years to protect the Colorado River system.
“Nevada continues to lead efforts to combat drought in the West, and this plan will make a real difference while putting the entire Colorado River Basin on a path to permanent water savings,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’ll keep working with the Department of the Interior and states across the West to make sure the Inflation Reduction Act funding continues to build upon this progress and supports the long-term water reduction that we need to protect our communities.”
“With extreme drought across the West, Nevada has consistently prioritized water conservation – often using less water than what is required,” said Senator Rosen. “While this proposed plan is a positive step forward, I’ll continue working to find a permanent solution to address water sustainability for the Colorado River Basin and protect Nevadans’ access to water.”
Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have been leaders in the Senate working to combat drought. Cortez Masto fought to deliver $4 billion to combat drought in the states bordering the Colorado River in the Inflation Reduction Act that Senator Rosen also supported. They both helped pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will continue to make a historic amount of funding available for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements across the country over the next five years. Cortez Masto also championed a $450 million competitive grant program for large-scale water recycling projects across the Western U.S.
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