Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., is warning that California's aging water infrastructure and increased reliance on the Colorado River could have national implications for food supplies.
The Republican lawmaker accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom of prioritizing municipal and industrial water needs over agricultural production, potentially threatening American food independence.
"California could grow almost all the food we need in the United States, but they've really decimated their Ag industry because they've taken irrigation water away from their Ag industry to try to meet municipal demand and industrial demand elsewhere," Hageman told Fox News Digital. "So really it's just, it's a whole parade of bad decisions that are being made."
The Colorado River serves seven states: Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah in the Upper Basin, and California, Arizona, and Nevada in the Lower Basin. The river provides water to approximately 40 million Americans.
What the Right Is Saying
Hageman argued that California's regulatory environment has made it increasingly dependent on water from other states through the Colorado River system, placing strain on Upper Basin communities that have their own agricultural and municipal needs.
"The system is now becoming very, very stressed because California has not kept up with the infrastructure demands and needs of its citizens," Hageman said. "Pinedale, Wyoming, may be a long way removed from Southern California, but when there are calls on the river and when there are demands that we reduce the amount of water that we are able to use in order to meet a demand downstream, that isn't fair."
The Wyoming Republican framed water independence as a national security issue, warning against becoming dependent on foreign food sources.
"Food independence is a national security issue. We do not want to become food dependent on Mexico or Central America or bringing all of our food in from other countries," she said. "We have the resources to grow healthy, high-quality food right here while also protecting our environment."
Hageman criticized environmental groups that oppose new water infrastructure projects, including desalination facilities and additional dam construction.
"They're very backwards people. I kind of look at them like flat-Earthers. They're very backwards people in the way that they approach things," she said of opponents to new dams. "They ignore the fact that humans are also part of the natural environment, and they ignore the benefits of what we can create by building this much-needed infrastructure."
What the Left Is Saying
California officials point to concrete actions the state has taken to address its water challenges. Gov. Newsom praised a recent Trump administration plan requiring steep cuts to Lower Basin states while noting California's own reductions.
"This is a necessary step to protect a river that 40 million Americans depend on, at a time when climate change is driving a regional water crisis that makes every drop of water count," Newsom said in a statement. "California continues to lead the way forward, growing our economy while cutting our Colorado River water use to the lowest level since 1949."
The California Natural Resources Agency emphasized that the state's Colorado River usage has reached its lowest point since 1949, with urban water agencies having reduced demand significantly.
California is also investing in new infrastructure, including a $6.8 billion reservoir project expected to be completed in the mid-2030s. The state is additionally funding groundwater infrastructure and other initiatives to expand water availability.
Environmental advocates support California's cautious approach to new dam construction. Groups like Tell the Dam Truth argue that new dams contribute to climate change while harming biodiversity and carbon sequestration in river valleys.
"With its strong environmental laws, regulations, and policies, California has the opportunity to not only stop new dam construction, but also decommission dams to restore the biodiversity and carbon sequestration currently inundated in river valleys across the state," according to statements on the group's website.
What the Numbers Show
The Colorado River serves 40 million Americans across seven states with a combined population exceeding 50 million people.
California's water infrastructure has remained largely unchanged since the late 20th century despite significant population growth in that period.
According to state data, California's urban water agencies have reduced their demand for Colorado River water substantially. The state's current use stands at its lowest level since 1949.
The new California reservoir project carries a projected cost of $6.8 billion with an expected completion date in the mid-2030s.
California accounts for approximately 4 million acre-feet of annual Colorado River usage, though exact figures fluctuate based on allocation agreements and drought conditions.
The Bottom Line
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between Western states over water rights and infrastructure investment as climate change intensifies pressure on the Colorado River system.
The Trump administration has intervened to impose steep cuts on Lower Basin states for the next two years, a move both California and other states have acknowledged as necessary but insufficient. Newsom called it "a short-term solution" requiring longer-term agreements among all seven basin states.
What happens next: All seven Colorado River Basin states face pressure to update their water-sharing agreement, which currently expires or requires renegotiation under existing terms. The debate over whether to invest in new infrastructure like dams and desalination plants versus pursuing conservation measures is expected to intensify as drought conditions persist.
Experts say the outcome will have significant implications for agricultural production in the West, energy generation, and municipal water supplies serving millions of Americans.