WESTERN WATER NEWS
Nevada’s Stopgap Strategy in Colorado River Negotiations163
California’s Vanishing Snowpack and the Legal Stakes for Water Management164
Low Snowpack, High Risk: The State of Colorado and the Upper Basin after a Record Dry Winter166
Scant Snowpack across Much of Idaho Leads to Drought Declarations across the State167
REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS
Endangered Species Act “God Squad” Exempts Gulf Oil And Gas Exploration—First “National Security” Exemption in God Squad’s History170
Environmental Protection Agency News: Recent Funding, Guidances,
Complaints, and Recognitions172
California State Water Resources Control Board Denies All “Good Actor” Fee Exclusion Requests in Tule Subbasin, Preparing Interim Plan174
LAWSUITS FILED OR PENDING
The Fode Saga Continues: Technical Assistance and the Expanding Edge of Water Code Penalties in Washington State176
RECENT FEDERAL DECISIONS
Circuit Court of Appeals:
Ninth Circuit Largely Sides with NMFS and the Center for Biological Diversity in the Agency’s Assessment of Critical Habitat under the ESA for Threatened Seal Species178
State of Alaska v. National Marine Fisheries Service; Center for Biological Diversity v. State of Alaska, ___F.4th___, Case Nos. 24-7276, 24-7377 (9th Cir. Mar. 25, 2026).
District Court:
Judicial Confirmation and Federal Water Delivery: District Court Grants Summary Judgment Motions in Favor of Defendants and Westlands Water
District181
North Coast Rivers Alliance v. U.S. Department of the Interior, ___F.Supp.4th___, Case No. 1:16-cv-00307 (E.D. Cal. Mar. 26, 2026).
RECENT STATE DECISIONS
California Supreme Court Denies Review in Delta Program Bond Validation Case, Clears Way for
Delta Conveyance Program Bond Validation
Case135
Department of Water Resources v. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 117 Cal.App.5th 751 (3rd Dist. 2025), as modified on denial of reh’g (Jan. 28, 2026), review denied (Apr. 15, 2026)
