January 26, 2008--Water storage key to cope with climate change, audience told (Grand Junction Daily Sentinel)
A former high-ranking Interior Department official said he used to be a naysayer on climate change. Then he delved into the science of global warming, and he became a believer, he said. It’s because of global warming that more federal money should be spent on water storage projects in Colorado and elsewhere in the West, Mark Limbaugh told the Colorado Water Congress this past week. But federal money will be hard to come by, so local and state governments will have to spend more on water, Limbaugh added. Limbaugh is a former assistant secretary for water and science. Rising average temperatures in the West and a booming population will put tremendous pressure on water supplies in Colorado, said Limbaugh, who oversaw management of the Colorado River while with the U.S. Department of Interior. “Are we going to get all our snow and see it evaporate?” he said. “We don’t know.” If so, more places to store water are needed, he said. Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress is talking about reducing carbon emissions and trying to stop climate change in its tracks, Limbaugh said.