Our view: Water promise
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
Communities along the Arkansas River, from immediately east of Pueblo to Lamar (130 miles), will benefit from federal legislation that would reduce the cost of a pipeline delivering potable-quality wa
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Durango HeraldHow We See It
New Republican Times Editorial Board
Washington spends, rural towns win. But that assumption skips the hard question of why federal taxpayers should routinely underwrite local water projects that states and users can often manage themselves.
Conservatives are not against clean water. We are wary of turning every infrastructure need into a permanent federal subsidy, especially when costs inevitably rise and oversight gets fuzzy. If a pipeline is truly essential from Pueblo to Lamar, the case should rest on transparent cost control, local buy-in, and benefit-based funding, not on congressional branding.
There is also the matter of rule of law and water rights. Western water is complicated, and federal deals can distort allocations and invite litigation that drags on for years. The principle at stake is public trust: government should solve problems without creating a new dependency or a new mess.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.