Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumNevada Groundwater Plan Has UT Gov. "Agonizing" Over Prospect Of Drying Snake Valley Farms & Ranches
SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said Thursday he was struggling over whether to let Las Vegas pump massive amounts of groundwater from the Nevada-Utah border. Herbert promised a decision within weeks, while saying he was reluctant to sign an agreement with Nevada. If Herbert refuses to sign the pact, Las Vegas will grab the groundwater anyway, his lawyers say.
The water comes from an ice-age aquifer under 120-mile-long Snake Valley, which supports ranching and farming on both sides of the Utah-Nevada border.
Herbert described his thinking as changing from day to day, "depending on how I wake up." He said it was clear that the scattered communities of Snake Valley in Utah and Nevada are opposed to letting the Southern Nevada Water Authority build a 263-mile pipeline stretching from the rural areas to the desert gambling metropolis.
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He added, "We can't tell Nevada what to do. It's their decision. But we have skin in the game and water in Snake Valley, and I can promise you all that my goal is very clear. No. 1, we will not give up one molecule of water to Nevada that is Utah water. We will protect the rights of those who already have water rights on Utah's side." Herbert said pumping groundwater could dry out Snake Valley, which could blow dust storms toward Utah's heavily populated Wasatch Front and worsen air pollution. Dozens of environmental groups are urging Herbert to nix the deal for that and other reasons.
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http://www.cnbc.com/id/100603024
phantom power
(25,966 posts)Not a single di-hydrogen oxide assembly!
hatrack
(59,442 posts)phantom power
(25,966 posts)America - fuck yeah!