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Albuquerque Journal Interviews Reed Benson, Supreme Court Hears Nm-Texas Water Dispute, Reed D. Benson Jan 2018

Albuquerque Journal Interviews Reed Benson, Supreme Court Hears Nm-Texas Water Dispute, Reed D. Benson

Faculty Scholarship

Article by Michael Coleman

Quote:

Reed Benson, a University of New Mexico professor specializing in water law, said the Supreme Court’s task in deciding the U.S. government’s role is “very legalistic – very much a technical reading of what is and is not in the compact.”

“I actually have thought that New Mexico’s chances in front of the nine justices may be a little bit better than some people thought,” Benson said. “Some of those justices may be persuaded by the plain text argument – that New Mexico’s obligations are measured at Elephant Butte and once New Mexico delivers to …


Keeping Power In Charge: Federal Hydropower And The Downstream Environment, Reed D. Benson Jan 2018

Keeping Power In Charge: Federal Hydropower And The Downstream Environment, Reed D. Benson

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This article examines legal issues regarding hydropower, fish and wildlife at federal water projects in the West. It begins by briefly explaining the legal and institutional framework for federal water projects that generate hydropower. The following section summarizes relevant laws and policies for fish and wildlife protection in relation to federal hydropower operations, focusing primarily on the application of the ESA in this context. The article then considers the case of Glen Canyon Dam, where the Bureau and the National Park Service recently adopted a new operating plan after an extensive review that addressed hydropower, the needs of two very …


Bridging The Safe Drinking Water Gap For California’S Rural Poor, Camille Pannu Jan 2018

Bridging The Safe Drinking Water Gap For California’S Rural Poor, Camille Pannu

Faculty Scholarship

Spurred by decades of inaction and continued exposure to unsafe drinking water, community leaders from California’s disadvantaged communities (DACs) advocated for the creation of a human right to water under state law. Shortly thereafter, the California Legislature put forward a bond to finance much needed water infrastructure improvements and drought relief interventions across the state. Voters approved the $7.45 billion bond, which reserved millions of dollars of funding for DACs with persistent water quality problems. In setting aside those funds, the Legislature acknowledged that decades of disinvestment in rural, disadvantaged communities had created severe water contamination, limited water access, and …