A coalition led by the Western Governors’ Association urges leadership of the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works to protect states’ primary authority to manage and allocate waters stored in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoirs. The coalition outreach of Feb. 27, 2020 to Committee Chair Sen. John Barrasso and Ranking Member Sen. Thomas Carper requests that any water resources development legislation pursued by the committee “include bipartisan language submitted by Sen. Kevin Cramer and Sen. Jeff Merkley that expressly recognizes states’ primary authority over natural flows within river systems and excludes such waters from any Corps’ definition of ‘surplus water.’ ”  While the letter notes the Corps has withdrawn a proposed rule on the issue, "statutory language that recognizes and preserves states’ primary authority to access, manage, and allocate natural flows within river systems would provide needed certainty and predictability.” In addition to WGA Executive Director Jim Ogsbury, coalition signatories included Karen White, Executive Director of the Conference of Western Attorneys General, and Tony Willardson, Executive Director of the Western States Water Council. Read, download the letter