Weather, Water, Energy 8-27-07

Quick water stories today. This may be the first of many similar stories. As states get together to forge agreements on water use, like the Western states taking from the Colorado River, they seem to be forgetting that others may have claims. Like the Navaho. Who are balling up the recent agreement and negotiating with individual states. NM came on line, meaning other states now have to consider their own arrangements. With all the treaties out there, and all the tribes, it's hard to believe this won't come up again. Meanwhile, CA experiments with several desalinization plants and AL (Alabama, not Alaska) recognizes there may be other ways of watering grass without using drinking water. On the good side, CO had a good water year, if that's what you call getting almost back to average capacity in lakes. . . . New bugs coming to CT as the state warms. That's not as cool as they sounds. . . . David Roberts at Grist explains how resource scarcity historically leads to authoritarianism and why that means progressives should frame their messages with more hope than fear. I agree, as we've made clear here, but the fear message also gets people power easier (as Rove and the other Busheviks well know). That has to be addressed as well. (While you're at Grist, find out how yet another Dem has sold out science that might make a difference in the efforts against warming. I can hardly wait to see how Coburn advises Obama on this.)