RadioEd is a biweekly podcast created by the DU Newsroom that taps into the University of Denver’s deep pool of bright brains to explore new takes on today’s top stories. See below for a transcript of this episode.
The Colorado River is drying. And that's a problem for the people and businesses that reside in the seven states that make up the Colorado River Basin. Among the varied issues are the environmental costs of having to use less water—a problem that affects not just day-to-day at-home life, but also could mean significant changes for farmers and ranchers, who depend on water to grow crops and feed livestock. The question of who gets to use the river's dwindling water supply is also up in the air: States disagree on which areas should get the bulk of the water. This creates a bit of a legal brouhaha for the states and the federal government, whose job it has become to sort out the whole mess. We speak with reporter Alex Hager and DU Law Professor Kevin Lynch about the legal and environmental problems that have become integral parts of the Colorado River crisis.
Professor Kevin Lynch teaches the Environmental Law Clinic as well as related doctrinal classes. Lynch previously worked in the energy industry and as an attorney at Environmental Defense Fund’s office in Boulder, Colorado. Lynch has experience working at the state and federal level on regulatory and permitting issues related to climate change, air quality, water, and energy policy, as well as litigation experience in federal courts regarding air pollution, public lands, wildlife, and animal rights. His scholarship focuses property rights related to energy such as oil and gas rights, as well as various issues related to civil court litigation and access to courts.
Alex Hager is KUNC's reporter covering the Colorado River Basin. He spent two years at Aspen Public Radio, mainly reporting on the resort economy, the environment and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, he covered the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery for KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska. Hager has a journalism degree from Elon University, where he spent four years working for the student newspaper and TV station.
Original source can be found here.
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