Tag: Water Speculation

Still, the threat from out-of-state, urban interests loomed large at Thursday’s hearing.

The River District’s amendment is an attempt to revise the current proposed legislation, which has not found support from agricultural water users.

The draft bill gives the state engineer at the Department of Water Resources the ability to investigate complaints of investment water speculation and fine a purchaser up to $10,000 if they determine speculation is occurring.

The lack of consensus or recommendations underscores how difficult it is to answer the thorny question at the heart of the issue: How can the government balance protecting a public resource from profit-seeking investors without infringing on private-property rights?

This system, used widely in the western United States, creates an opening for investors who see water as an increasingly valuable commodity in a water-short future, driven by climate change.