It's tragic that the core message of environmentalism — that we should live within our means regarding natural resources — has been forgotten by corrupt "green" leaders who are little more than socialists in hiking boots. The hopeless Sierra Club would never admit the underlying meaning of the new report, which shows that the natural resources of the Southwest simply cannot provide sufficient water for Washington's program of forced population growth via immigration.

The Colorado River Basin is more prone to drought than had been thought, a panel of experts reported yesterday, and as the climate warms and the population in the region grows, pressure on water supplies will become greater.

The severe droughts the region suffered in the 1990s and early 2000s would not stand out in the record of the last few centuries, the panel said, and the future presents "a sobering prospect for elected officials and water managers." The panel said residents of the region should prepare for more frequent and more severe dry spells, and "costly, controversial and unavoidable trade-offs" in water use. That 'Drought' in Southwest May Be Normal, Report Says, New York Times 2/22/07]

Perhaps the report's authors thought the phrase "water rationing" would be too intense for the growth community, which depends on the fantasy of unlimited resources. (More info on the study at the National Academies.)