Utah's H.B. 249, prohibiting legal personhood for non-humans including bodies of water, awaits House approval, raising concerns for Great Salt Lake protection.
Category: Water Rights and Legislation
Abandonment protection shelved, turf ban moves forward in Colorado
Colorado seeks to ban non-essential turf to save water, but shelves conservation-related legislation protecting water right holders from abandonment claims.
California's AB 779 enhances groundwater adjudication by improving transparency, reporting, and equitable cost-sharing, while considering small farmers and disadvantaged communities.
Introduced by over 100 House Democrats, the Clean Water Act of 2023 seeks to undo the Supreme Court's Sackett decision, a key ruling in Waters of the US.
If approved by the governor, California's recently-passed Senate Bill 389 will subject pre-1914 water claims to greater regulatory scrutiny.
The Ute Tribe appeals a water rights lawsuit dismissal, mirroring the Navajo Nation's legal challenges, sparking debates on tribal rights and government obligations.