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Water Rights on the Colorado River in a Drought-Prone World
The Colorado River is the beating heart of the West, pumping life into the region’s cities, farms, and deserts. Its water is used for reasons as diverse as growing alfalfa that is shipped to Saudi Arabia to providing hydroelectric power to over 40 million people in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. The Colorado River is the principal source of water for seven states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, Nevada, and California); it also provides water for Mexico. Water rights on the Colorado River are governed by a complicated network of laws, court decisions, contracts, and regulations known as the Law of the River. The Colorado River Compact The…
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Call to Action: Ask Your State to Apply for Federal EV Infrastructure Funding
“Governments and members of society have an obligation to exercise responsible stewardship of the earth, thereby protecting not only the wellbeing of their citizens, but also that of both future generations and other citizens of the planet (see D&C 59:18-21 and D&C 104:13-15).” MWEG’s Principle of Ethical Government 2(f) For Earth Day this year, ask your state to apply for federal funding for electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure that is available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (the BIL, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA) after lawmakers on both sides of…
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Administrative Agencies
By Yvette Farnsworth Baker Administrative agencies are a powerful but underappreciated component of federal, state, and local government. They are not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, yet they’re sometimes called the fourth branch of government. Between 2019 and 2020, Congress passed only 344 laws, while federal administrative agencies enacted 5,838 rules. Understanding administrative agencies is a critical part of advocating for ethical governance. What are federal administrative agencies? Federal administrative agencies are delegated power from the executive or legislative branch of government. They are tasked with executing and enforcing laws passed by the legislative branch. Often, when a law is passed it requires more detailed rules and guidance to be…
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Principled Voter Part 6: International Cooperation
Welcome to our Principled Voter series, which helps voters better understand the problems affecting both themselves and others in our society — and then vote in ways that work toward solutions. Principled voters are Golden Rule voters. They ask if their vote will harm others or leave people behind. Principled voters use their vote to protect others and create a better future. Here is one issue to consider as you become a principled voter. “If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” — Mother Teresa A principled voter first asks, “Will my candidates promote international cooperation?” National acts can reverberate far…
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Electric Vehicles
In the U.S., transportation is the single greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing 27% of the total share. Most transportation emissions are carbon dioxide, a byproduct of petroleum combustion. Because carbon dioxide is a significant driver of global climate change, reducing emissions is an important step in a multi-faceted approach to combating climate change. One way to substantially reduce emissions from transportation is to transition to electric vehicles (EVs). EVs run on electric engines powered by batteries. The batteries must be charged via an electric outlet. (You can read more about the different types of outlets here.) The primary environmental benefit of EVs is that they do not create…
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Call to Action: Ask Your Senators to Support a Legislative Update of the Electoral Count Act of 1887
The Electoral Count Act (ECA) of 1887 sets out the process of casting and counting electoral votes after a presidential election. It is intended to encourage states to resolve controversial electoral outcomes prior to sending results to Congress in order to avoid the conflicts of interest and pursuit of partisan power that would likely occur if Congress were charged with resolving every election dispute. Unfortunately, the text of the ECA is confusing and antiquated, which means the counting of electoral votes remains vulnerable to abuse by partisan actors. The ECA should be updated to provide clarity and security to this process. This should be a bipartisan priority, as such a…
