The Colorado River, Glen Canyon Dam and Environmental Governance
The Colorado River, Glen Canyon Dam and Environmental Governance: Outline •
Environmental governance
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Resources of the Colorado River Basin
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Governance of the Colorado River Basin
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Grand Canyon Protection Act of 1992
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Law of the River
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Environmental laws and National Parks
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Governance of resource allocation
What is environmental governance?
Mechanisms and strategies of environmental governance. Abbreviation: CBNRM, community-based natural resource management
‘Environmental governance is synonymous with interventions aiming at changes in environmentrelated incentives, knowledge, institutions, decision making, and behaviors. More specifically, …“environmental governance” [is a] set of regulatory processes, mechanisms and organizations through which political actors influence environmental actions and outcomes’ (L emos and Agrawal, 2006).
Environmental Governance. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228122528_Environmental_Governance [accessed May 8, 2017]
Resources of the Colorado River Basin The resources of the Colorado River Basin include: •
Photo credit: Lucas Bair
Water for municipal, agricultural and environmental use http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
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Hydropower production
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Recreation (e.g. whitewater boating, angling)
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Cultural and historical sites
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Environmental services (e.g., native fish, terrestrial vegetation and wildlife)
S. Thybony
Photo credit: Lucas Bair
Colorado River Basin and Glen Canyon Dam The resources of the Colorado River Basin are governed by numerous federal, state, and regional laws •
Federal and state laws govern allocation, appropriation, development and exportation of the waters of the Colorado River Basin
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Federal environmental laws govern management of endangered species and other environmental resources
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Federal and state laws govern the mission of National Parks and the allocation of resources such as recreation and energy production https://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/crsp/
The Grand Canyon Protection Act and the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
Conservation Measure Partnership adaptive management cycle
The GCPA of 1992 was enacted to ‘operate Glen Canyon Dam…to protect, mitigate adverse impacts to, and improve the values for which Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area were established…’ (GCPA 1992) The GCPA of 1992 established a long-term monitoring and research to realize this goal (i.e., Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program), funded by revenue from power and energy sales, and in consultation with stakeholders. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_management
Law of the River The GCPA was implemented consistent and subj ect to ‘laws that govern allocation, appropriation, development and exportation of the waters of the Colorado River basin.’ Laws governing the allocation of Colorado River water include: •
Colorado River Compact
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Upper Colorado River Basin Compact
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Water Treaty of 1944 with Mexico
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Decree of the Supreme Court in Arizona vs. California
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Colorado River Storage Proj ect Act 1956
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Colorado River Basin Proj ect Act 1968 https://www.usbr.gov/lc/images/maps/CRBSmap.jpg
Environmental law and National Parks The GCPA is also ‘not intended to affect in any way any Federal environmental law’ or ‘alter the purposes for which the Grand Canyon National Park or Glen Canyon National Recreation Area were established’. Exampels of environmental laws governing the Colorado River and agencies responsible for naturel resources: •
Endangered Species Act
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Grand Canyon National Park
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Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Humpback chub (Gila cypha)
http://www.coloradoriverrecovery.org/general-information/the-fish/humpback-chub.html
Governance of Resource Allocation
Energy balancing areas in the Western Energy Coordinating Council (WECC)
While not explicitly stated in the GCPA, Federal and state laws govern the use and allocation of Colorado River resources (e.g., energy, recreation) in Glen and Grand Canyons. The Federal and state laws determine how operation of Glen Canyon Dam impacts various segments of society. •
Grand Canyon National Park
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Arizona Department of Game and Fish
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Western Electricity Coordinating Council
http://energytopicstrends.blogspot.com/2014/08/balancing-authority-what-are-they-and.html
