As Colorado River States Struggle to Reach Agreement, New Mexico Brings on a Fresh Voice
Key takeaways
- June 23, 2026 Share This Article Republish Tanya Trujillo, then assistant secretary of the Interior for water and science, speaks during an event in California in 2023.
- Tanya Trujillo, deputy state engineer and senior water policy advisor to New Mexico Gov.
- Trujillo served as the Interior Department’s assistant secretary for water and science under President Joe Biden.
Why this matters: environmental and climate reporting with long-term consequences.
June 23, 2026 Share This Article Republish Tanya Trujillo, then assistant secretary of the Interior for water and science, speaks during an event in California in 2023. Credit: Bureau of Reclamation Related Hoover Dam Approaches a Hydropower Cliff Feds Will Soon Impose New Framework on Colorado River if States Can’t Agree How to Manage It Colorado River Faces ‘Devastating Consequences’ If Another Dry Winter Lands, Experts Warn Share This Article Republish Most Popular Trump Administration Abandons Fight Against Wind Energy as Clean Energy Output Surges As Global Warming Threatens Corals Worldwide, Woods Hole Scientists Search for ‘Super Reefs’ That Can Take the Heat Federal Regulators Tell Electric Grid Operators to Fix Their Rules on Data Centers The Upper Colorado River Commission welcomed a new representative from New Mexico at a meeting in downtown Denver on Tuesday, where it discussed ongoing negotiations over how to share America’s most over-allocated river.
Tanya Trujillo, deputy state engineer and senior water policy advisor to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Grisham, replaced Estevan López as the state’s top negotiator on the Colorado River, which supplies water to 40 million people across seven Western states, 30 tribes and Mexico.
Trujillo served as the Interior Department’s assistant secretary for water and science under President Joe Biden. She said she had not previously been part of negotiations, but she carries decades of familiarity with the basin and its challenges.