Wednesday February 26, 2025
CapRadio —
The first executive order President Trump signed in his second term, “Unleashing American Energy,” wouldn’t seem to have a direct impact on how much water is in the Colorado River, at least in the short term.
The order, signed the first day Trump took office, aims to “unleash America’s affordable and reliable energy and natural resources,” by ending “burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations.”
But the order also says, “All agencies shall immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.”
While some of those funds were earmarked to prop up renewable energy, at least $4 billion was set aside to protect the flow of the Colorado River, which supplies about 40 million people with drinking water, is the foundation for a massive agricultural economy across the Southwest, and generates significant hydroelectric power.