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The 2010 Alliance annual conference will feature diverse, high profile speakers and panel discussions that will focus on the role of Western water in American agriculture as we edge into the new century. In addition to hearing directly from high level officials within the U.S. Interior Department and Congressional water committee staff, cutting-edge issues of critical interest to Alliance members, policy makers and the public will be addressed, including:

Green Political Power - How Did Their Garden Grow? A diverse panel of Western water experts will investigate the legal, political and historic aspects behind the conservation community's rise to power in the last four decades. Our distinguished panelists include: Justice Greg Hobbs (Colorado Supreme Court); Bill Kahrl, (California author and public relations consultant); and Dr. Don Pisani (Merrick Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma).

The Energy-Water Nexus. With growing awareness of climate change and an
increased emphasis on alternative energy development, there are opportunities and risks throughout the West as managers and policy makers seek to balance energy and water supplies with demands. Hear from three experts on innovative solutions and big picture implications.

The Unstable Economy and Impacts to State Water Resources Programs.
Although some states have used federal stimulus grants to offset revenue shortages,others are slashing budgets-sometimes in the middle of the fiscal year-to close deficits. Valuable services that help Western irrigators are being frozen or even cut as demand increases and jobs vanish. Listen to leaders from three Western states discuss the effects of unstable revenue systems on water resources programs.

The Environmental Litigation Gravy Train. The federal government spends about as much money funding environmental lawyers as it does to directly protect endangered species. That startling conclusion can be drawn from an investigation into how many federal dollars are ending up in the pockets of environmental groups' attorneys. Karen Budd-Falen (Budd-Falen Law Offices, Cheyenne, Wyoming) will present.

New Partnerships in the Western Water World. Western irrigators are finding new ways of doing business and are seeking new partners to get that business done. Hear from three water leaders who are working with farmers and ranchers to improve decision-making, stay in business, and benefit the environment.

Update on Alliance Information Quality Act Lawsuit and Other Bay-Delta
Litigation and Policy Matters. In California, where half a million acres of productive farmland were fallowed due to government decisions and drought last year, numerous efforts are underway to push for honest science, provide transparency, and deal with scientific uncertainty in water resources decision-making. Brenda Davis will discuss the first lawsuit ever filed by the Family Farm Alliance, and Jon Rubin will summarize litigation and policy developments that have implications for California and the West.

Click here for the March 4-5 conference general session agenda.

The Family Farm Alliance board of directors in February 2007 made climate change a priority issue for the Alliance to engage in. The Alliance in September 2007 released its climate change report, entitled “Water Supply in a Changing Climate: The Perspective of Family Farmers and Ranchers in the Irrigated West”. The report was prepared by a climate change subcommittee, Advisory Committee members, and water resources experts from around the West.

Alliance President Patrick O’Toole (WYOMING) in 2007 testified in June and December on this matter before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. After the hearings, Members of the committee asked Pat to respond to some follow-up questions.Those responses (June response, December response) were submitted to the committee and also transmitted to our membership. Alliance Executive Director Dan Keppen on June 10, 2008 testified before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. See his response to questions posed by members of the committee after the hearing.

Family Farm Alliance 2008 "Activities and Accomplishments" Report. A 30 plus page summary of how the Alliance engaged on matters important to Western irrigators. Click here for the PDF version of the report.

Western Water Policy - Challenges and Opportunities of Times and Our Legacy for the Next Generation