The rules for managing the Colorado River expire at the end of 2026. There isn’t enough water in the Colorado River to go around. New rules are desperately needed to sustain the river for people and the environment. Learn about current water use in the Colorado River Basin › Download the two-page PDF ›
Below Glen Canyon Dam, nonnative fish like smallmouth bass are threatening imperiled humpback chub in the Grand Canyon. Get the facts › Download the PDF ›
Completed in 1963, Glen Canyon Dam was designed to operate with a full reservoir behind it. But climate change and rising demand of water across the thirsty West are shrinking Lake Powell. It’s time to address the dam’s design flaws. Learn more about the future of Glen Canyon Dam › Download the 2-page PDF ›
What is LeaderShift? LeaderShift is an immersive environmental justice and advocacy training program for college-age students. With the land as our classroom, we travel across various corners of the Colorado Plateau; sleep under the stars; and spend our days learning from local changemakers and each other. LeaderShift examines the legacy of energy extraction, its […]
Research indicates that pinyon jays have declined as much as 80% and are one of the most rapidly declining bird species in North America. Download the PDF ›
On November 17, 2023, the Navajo Nation filed a motion to intervene in the preliminary permit proceeding for the proposed Western Navajo No. 2 hydropower project. According to the preliminary-permit application, the planned dam on the Navajo Nation would be located near Page, Arizona, and utilize water from Lake Powell. Read the motion › Download the […]
On October 31, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) accepted an application by Nature and People First, a company organized by a French entrepreneur, for a preliminary permit for a proposed hydroelectric project called Chuska Mountain Pumped Storage Project on Navajo Nation land. According to the preliminary-permit application, the project would consist of seven reservoirs […]
How much water is in Lake Powell? The water level in Lake Powell depends on how much water comes in from river flows, and how much water goes out every year. This graph shows total monthly inflow into Lake Powell for the months of May, June, and July from 2000-2023. The black line shows how […]
Heavy snowfall blanketed the western U.S. over the 2022-2023 winter. This map shows the cumulative depth of snow. The snow water equivalent — the amount of water contained in the snow — was above normal in Arizona, Utah, and western Colorado. View the map › Download your copy ›
High Colorado River flows are, in part, the result of heavy snowfall that blanket the mountains throughout the Colorado River Basin. This graph shows the maximum flow recorded in the Colorado River below Glenwood Springs, Colorado, during the months of May, June, and July from 1999-2023. View the graph › Download the PDF ›
The Grand Canyon Trust submitted comments to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which is developing new guidelines for how the Colorado River is managed after 2026. An interim revision is expected to guide water management of Lake Powell and Lake Mead through 2026. Read our comments › Download the PDF ›
On July 14, 2023, Tó Nizhóní Ání, Diné Citizens Against Ruining our Environment, and Center for Biological Diversity provided the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with 17 resolutions from Navajo Nation chapters and agencies opposing the proposed Black Mesa dams; additional resolutions have been passed. The three-part plan for a hydropower project that could string reservoirs […]
On July 12, 2023, Nature and People First, a company organized by a French entrepreneur, submitted a revised application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a preliminary permit for a proposed hydroelectric project called the Chuska Mountain Pumped Storage Project on Navajo Nation land. View the application › Download the PDF ›
On June 9, 2023, Rye Development, LLC submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a preliminary permit for a proposed hydroelectric dam on Navajo Nation land. The below application for Western Navajo Pumped Storage Project No. 1 is one of two applications. View the application › Download the PDF ›
On June 9, 2023 Rye Development, LLC submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a preliminary permit for a proposed hydroelectric dam on Navajo Nation land. The below application for Western Navajo Pumped Storage Project No. 2 is one of two applications. View the application › Download the PDF ›
On May 2, 2023, Nature and People First, a company organized by a French entrepreneur, submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a preliminary permit for a proposed hydroelectric project called the Chuska Mountain North Pumped Storage Project on Navajo Nation land. View the application › Download the PDF ›
The Grand Canyon Trust submitted comments on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s proposal to modify flows released from Glen Canyon Dam to manage smallmouth bass. The Trust is supportive of modified flows to prevent smallmouth bass from establishing in Grand Canyon, while encouraging a broader focus on the Grand Canyon ecosystem as a whole due […]
Utah’s largest coal producer, Canyon Fuel Company, has agreed to give up leases at two Utah mines that could have allowed between 9-40 million tons of coal to be recovered. The agreement ends a lawsuit filed in 2015 by WildEarth Guardians and the Grand Canyon Trust arguing that the federal government violated the National Environmental […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SALT LAKE CITY, UT — A settlement agreement filed today in Utah federal court could keep millions of tons of coal in the ground, while influencing how the federal government considers the financial cost of climate change when leasing coal. The agreement ends a lawsuit filed in 2015 by WildEarth Guardians and the […]
The Navajo Nation filed a motion to intervene, opposing the preliminary permit application submitted by Nature and People First, a company organized by a French entrepreneur, to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the proposed Black Mesa hydroelectric project on Navajo Nation land. Read the motion › Download the PDF ›
The Grand Canyon Trust filed a motion to intervene in the preliminary permit proceeding for the proposed Black Mesa hydropower project. The three-part plan for a hydropower development on the Navajo Nation could string reservoirs for nearly 50 miles along both the rim of Black Mesa and the lands below. According to the preliminary-permit applications, the project could […]
The Grand Canyon Trust submitted comments on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s proposed revision to operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The existing guidelines, from 2007, are being revised due to current hydrology and reservoir conditions. Read the comments › Download the PDF ›
Nature and People First, a company organized by a French entrepreneur, submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a preliminary permit for a proposed hydroelectric project on Navajo Nation land. The below application for Black Mesa Pumped Storage Project – South is one of three applications for the hydropower development. Read […]
Nature and People First, a company organized by a French entrepreneur, submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a preliminary permit for a proposed hydroelectric project on Navajo Nation land. The below application for Black Mesa Pumped Storage Project – North is one of three applications for the hydropower development. Read […]
Nature and People First, a company organized by a French entrepreneur, submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a preliminary permit for a proposed hydroelectric project on Navajo Nation land. The below application for Black Mesa Pumped Storage Project – East is one of three applications for the hydropower development. Read the application […]
On April 21, 2022, rPlus Hydro, LLLP submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a preliminary permit for a proposed hydroelectric project called Hurricane Cliffs Pumped Storage Project located in southern Utah, on federal public lands. View the application › Download the PDF ›
This overview report summarizes the greenhouse gas emissions across the Colorado Plateau in 2018 by sector, analyzes the capacity for carbon storage in the area, and forecasts emissions to 2050 if emissions reductions are not prioritized. Read the overview › Download a pdf of the overview ›
A new report details significant greenhouse gas emission sources for the counties in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah that make up the Colorado Plateau. The report also analyzes the capacity for carbon storage in the area and forecasts emissions to 2050 if emissions reductions are not prioritized. Read the report › Download a pdf […]
This opportunity road map looks at the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions on the Colorado Plateau and examines how to work toward carbon neutrality on the Colorado Plateau by 2035. Download the full road map › Download the PDF ›
Flagstaff, AZ — On November 2, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new safeguards to reduce methane pollution. The Grand Canyon Trust welcomes the EPA’s proposed safeguards as an important and timely step in the right direction to slow climate change. These safeguards will create efficiency, ensure fair returns on natural resources the […]