Nevada sues to block federal Colorado River plan

Nevada filed a federal lawsuit on Monday, August 24, 2026, challenging the Trump administration's new plan for managing the drought-stricken Colorado River, marking the first legal challenge to a policy that mandates significant water cuts for lower basin states while imposing no mandatory reductions on upper basin states. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, targets the Department of the Interior, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and its commissioner, Aubrey Bettencourt. The legal action comes three days after the Department of the Interior finalized its 10-year operating plan on Friday, August 21.