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001555 2002] THE LAST GREEN LAGOON 911 j I I I " providing a permanent supply of water to the Delta.36 Nonetheless, any such program will require political and fmancial support from both countries, particularly the U.S. The attitude of the Bush administration could well make or break a water transfer program, and determine the fate of the Delta. As we shall explain, the growing intemational relations dimension to this environmental crisis may provide, quite unexpectedly, the forum for a permanent solution. While the Bush Administration has disappointed many environmentalists by its recent decisions to abandon the' Kyoto Accord, weaken Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act protections, revisit the Clinton Administration's ban on new roads in national forests, weaken public lands regulation, and promote drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,37 the Administration has promised to improve U.S. relations with Mexico.3a The Colorado River has been a sticking point in,this relationship for more than fIfty years ,39 and the health of the Delta is critical to the interests of both Mexico and the U.S.40 The numerous economic, cultural, environmental, and intematioIial relations benefits of a Delta program justify immediate action. The cost of a Delta restoration program is minor when compared to these benefIts. Preliminary studies of the Delta restoration have demonstrated that the amount of water required to restore and preserve critical species is rather modest, perhaps only 32,000 acre-feet (af) each year, with periodic "flood" flows of perhaps 260,000 acre-feet. 41 The primary question is where to get this water. One source of water north of the U.S.-Mexican border is the Wellton-Mohawk irrigation district in Southem Arizona.42 Other potential water sources include neighboring irrigation districts and lower Colorado River tribes.43 Because this program would, also achieve significant salinity reduction benefits, such a project would provide substantial net economic benefits to both the United States and Mexico. The United States plans to spend billions of dollars to preserve and restore areas such as the California Bay-Delta and the Florida Everglades. 44 36. See discussion infra Part V. 37. See, e.g.. Todd Wilkinson. Bushwacked. 'fiIE AMICUS J.. Spring 2001. at 11. 38. Reaching Across the Rio Grande. N.Y. TlMES, Jan. 25. 2001, at A22. 39. See generaUySinclair. supra note 33. 40. See discussion infra Part III. 41. See generally LUECKE, supra note 19, at iv. 42. See discussion infra Part V.a. 43. Id. 44. See CALFED Bay Delta Program, Annual Report 2001 64 (2002), available at http://calfed.water.ca.gov I adobe_pdfl AnnualReport200 I_ProgramManagement.pdf;