Obama proposes new approaches to Western water shortages

WASHINGTON — Spurning dams for research in water technology, President Obama laid out a striking contrast Tuesday to the strategies adopted by California lawmakers in both parties on how to remedy Western water shortages.

In a final budget plan that was dead even before its arrival on Capitol Hill, the administration’s vision of investing $269 million in research on water desalination, recycling and efficiency will find little traction in the Republican-controlled Congress.

Building on the model the administration used to boost solar and wind power early in Obama’s presidency, the budget calls for “an aggressive two-part water innovation strategy.”

The plan grows from a water initiative announced at the White House in December immediately following the Paris climate talks, where Obama’s science adviser John Holdren and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said water shortages are among the most serious consequences of global warming.

The government spends about 50 times as much money on research and development of renewable energy, according to administration officials.