In the News

Among “contentious negotiations” regarding usage and the ongoing water crisis of the Colorado River, Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) hosted the third annual Water Summit at Springs Preserve in Las Vegas on Aug. 28. In addition to the news on negotiations, the main takeaways from this year’s summit included discussions on funding, legislation and local conservation efforts.

Democratic Rep. Susie Lee, whose district falls within the boundaries of Lake Mead and half of the Hoover Dam, brought together regional water and hydropower leaders to highlight mounting needs the state faces during her third annual Southern Nevada Water Summit at the Springs Preserve.

Despite the hard deadline of October 2026, President Donald Trump’s administration has indicated that states must reach a preliminary agreement by mid-November. Missing that risks the federal government unilaterally imposing rules on the Colorado River states, the “worst case scenario,” according to U.S. Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev.

Lee hosted her summit at Springs Preserve on Thursday morning to discuss the most pressing issues regarding Las Vegas’ tiny share of the Colorado River. She was joined by U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.; Colby Pellegrino, Southern Nevada Water Authority deputy general manager; the Colorado River Commission of Nevada; and UNLV startup WAVR Technologies.

In June, U.S. Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., sent a letter to the Federal Housing Agency calling for more transparency when it comes to large out-of-state corporations and their growing ownership of valley homes and told the Review-Journal the number of residential properties owned by a single company such as Invitation Homes is troubling.

Representative Susie Lee, who hosted the announcement, emphasized the importance of this development. "This is a game changer, bringing domestic production to the United States, investing in companies that have invested in America, like M-P Materials has," said Lee. "Employing hundreds, if not thousands of Americans, primarily who will be calling Southern Nevada home."

“Not only will we decrease our reliance on foreign nations, but we will also secure hundreds of jobs for Nevadans and produce magnets in an environmentally conscious manner,” Lee said. “We must make America’s rare earth resurgence a bipartisan priority.”

"Ending Solar for All is a loser deal for Nevada. It will do two things: 1) Kill clean energy jobs and 2) raise electricity costs for Nevada families. Since President Trump first illegally froze these funds, I've been calling on him and his administration to change course. Our state leads the nation in solar power potential. Nevada families and businesses shouldn't suffer because Donald Trump wants to prop up out-of-state billionaire donors in the fossil fuel industry."