Guest commentary by Scott Tipton: Water is the lifeblood of the West. While Easterners may find it difficult to understand, the people of Colorado need no reminder that state water law and the rights it protects are sacred to Westerners of all political stripes.

Lobbying from the very highest level of the U.S. Forest Service has scuttled a state representative's bid to keep the federal government from claiming water rights at ski areas. Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, said he expects his House Bill 1013 to die without a vote in May, when the Legislature adjourns for the year.

Apprehension continues to grow in Colorado as snowfall, although improving, remains far below average. Coming on top of severe drought last year, water managers and fire marshals fear a hot, dry summer ahead.

Climate change is threatening pillars of the Colorado economy, including the ski industry and agriculture, according to Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who this week encouraged the chairs of all the Senate committees he sits on to address the issue by holding hearings during the current session of Congress.

The House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee spent a long afternoon Monday plowing through the first of a dozen bills on water issues expected in the 2013 legislative session. The committee unanimously approved House Joint Resolution 13-1004, which encourages the U.S.

A long-running dispute over water rights at ski areas operating on public land was resolved — at least temporarily — this week, as Federal District Court Judge William Martinez ruled that the U.S. Forest Service violated its own regulations and other federal laws when it adopted a new water rights clause to be added to ski area permits.

Skier visits at Colorado Ski Country USA resorts dropped by about 790,000 from last year, mainly because of sparse and inconsistent snowfall, according to industry leaders gathered for the trade group’s annual meeting.

The U.S. Forest Service has responded to the ski industry’s lawsuit over water rights, claiming it has every legal right to attach certain requirements to ski area permits ensuring that the water originating in streams on public lands remain dedicated to continued ski area obligations. In the response, the Forest Service said:

The dearth of snow that set back Colorado's ski areas this winter is nowtaking its toll on farmers. It could cost farmers millions of dollars and translate to higher prices for consumers. Snow runoff traditionally fills up the ditches and ponds that farmers tap to irrigate crops. Not this year.

A showdown over ski area water rights is now in the political arena, as four U.S. Senators have asked the Forest Service to delay implementing a revised permit condition that could require resorts to transfer certain types of water rights to the federal government. In December 1st letter to U.S.