Daily Journal Quotes Professor Frank on Three-State Colorado River Pact

The May 23 edition of the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal quoted Professor of Environmental Practice Rick Frank regarding an agreement among the states of California, Nevada and Arizona to temporarily reduce their usage of water from the Colorado River in light of a megadrought that dramatically reduced Colorado River flows. 

Frank stated, “The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, by urging the Colorado River Basin states to negotiate a short-term resolution, has avoided for now the critically important problem of water allocation among the states.  The caveat is that the states and bureau have `kicked the can down the road’ for a while, until the end of 2026, which is going to be here before we all know it.” 

Added Frank: “This is better than the bureau having to impose a solution on several fractious, fighting states, which would inevitably lead to lengthy litigation that no one has time for.” 

Richard M. Frank ’74 is a leader in the field of environmental law, Professor of Environmental Practice and the founding director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center at UC Davis School of Law.