"The Bureau of Reclamation today seized control of drought contingency plans on the Colorado River, saying states failed to meet yesterday's deadline for finalizing their own shortage agreements.

'As I told the basin states in December,' Commissioner Brenda Burman said today, 'close isn't done.'

Burman said Reclamation has filed a request in the Federal Register seeking input from the basin states' seven governors. They have until no later than March 19 to comply, at which point Reclamation will move ahead.

At issue are drought contingency plans for the river that provides water to 40 million people and millions of acres of cropland."

Jeremy P. Jacobs reports for Greenwire February 1, 2019. [2]