Why the Colorado River fight could spill into the 2024 election

Seven Western states are trying to hash out a long-term deal to share water supplies from the dwindling Colorado River once their current agreement expires in 2026. But opening negotiations aren’t going well after last week’s Colorado River users conference in Las Vegas. POLITICO’s Annie Snider breaks down why the states are scrambling and how this issue could become the Biden administration’s problem during the 2024 election season. Plus, the Interior Department's Gulf of Mexico oil lease sale brought in more than $382 million on Wednesday, the largest yield in eight years from an offshore auction. 

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Catherine Morehouse is an energy reporter for POLITICO and the host of the POLITICO Energy podcast.

Annie Snider covers water issues for POLITICO Pro. 

Nirmal Mulaikal is a POLITICO audio host-producer. 

Alex Keeney is a senior audio producer at POLITICO.

Gloria Gonzalez is the deputy energy editor for POLITICO. 

Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO.

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