Federal government sues state over Idaho National Laboratory water rights – Idaho Capital Sun

Federal government sues state over Idaho National Laboratory water rights  Idaho Capital Sun

State attorneys argue the Department of Energy and Idaho National Laboratory should have to follow the same water laws as other water users. Feds claim Idaho lacks authority to regulate federal water rights, state disagrees An Idaho National Laboratory sign stands at the exit to the desert site during spring 2023. Much of INL’s research and experimental work supports the development of advanced nuclear technology, integrated energy systems and national security. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy) The federal government has filed a lawsuit against the state of Idaho, seeking to block the state from curtailing water use at Idaho National Laboratory and from administering federal water rights, court records indicate.

On Sept. 11, the U.S. government filed a lawsuit against the state, the Idaho Department of Water Resources and Idaho Department of Water Resources Director Mathew Weaver in U.S. District Court. Arguing that the federal government has supremacy over the states, the lawsuit seeks to throw out a water curtailment order that would apply to Idaho National Laboratory and block the department and Weaver from administering any federal water rights in Idaho in the future. There is also a legal question over whether the case should be heard in federal court or in state court. For purposes of the case, water curtailment means shutting off the water