Economics and Priorities Aren’t in Santa’s Bag
The latest figures are out on (water) year to date precipitation and water content across the West. I might sound a little like Ebenezer Scrooge, but it’s looking a bit ugly. The latest figures are:
· Colorado River watershed in Colorado is averaging 54% of normal
· Colorado’s Gunnison River is at 57% of normal
· Places like Independence Pass (above Aspen) and Vail Mountain are 39-40% (excluding snowmaking)
· The Upper Rio Grande is at 59%
· Arizona is a mixed bag between 5% and 21% with a few exceptions (Little Colorado River)
· Utah is between 52-65%
· New Mexico is between 25%-49%
So far, it’s the third driest year in Colorado out of the last 40 years (2000 and 2018 were slightly worse). It’s not panic time yet, most water content storms arrive in February-March in the Rockies, but it’s a looming concern. Forty million people rely on the Colorado River. Another fifteen million rely on the Arkansas and Rio Grande, all of which are fed by the Rockies that are in sustained drought.
Water planners and agriculture keep a close eye on these figures. Fifty-five million irrigated acres provides the backbone of what is placed on America’s dinner tables. Data, records, modelling, and science in the field of water planning and agriculture is the difference in America between food security and insecurity.
Who provides this data? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Water and Climate Center of the US Department of Agriculture, National Weather Service, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Not having this critical information could cost lives and billions in economic harm to farmers and American industry. So, when NOAA’s budget is cut by nearly 30%, the USDA’s budget is cut by $7 billion, the National Weather Service staff is cut by an estimated 30%, and it is announced that the National Center for Atmospheric Research is scheduled for elimination, one asks whether the people making these decisions understand what these agencies do.
Put simply, they are the difference between the 21st century and the 19th century. Storm forecasting, SNOTEL monitoring, public safety, groundwater modelling, flood monitoring and prediction…I could go on. It’s pulling the rug out from under science and how lives, industry, investment, and food security have become second thoughts to tax cuts for a select few of the wealthy. This shouldn’t be political: Every American in every state has an interest in low grocery prices, water and food security, and lower utility bills. So, ask yourself why industries like cryptocurrencies (which produce no public good, while using vast amounts of water and energy), are subsidized and fostered while science (and stable economics) is shelved.
For Christmas, I’m asking Santa to bring back Congress, science, and common sense.