Michael J. Cohen
Senior Research Associate

Michael J. Cohen is a Senior Research Associate with the Pacific Institute.

Mr. Cohen's research focuses on water use in the lower Colorado River basin and delta region. He is the lead author of the Pacific Institute's 1999 report entitled "Haven or Hazard: The Ecology and Future of the Salton Sea", and of the Institute's 2001 report entitled "Missing Water: The Uses and Flows of Water in the Colorado River Delta Region." He is also the co-author of several journal articles on water and the environment in the border region.

Mr. Cohen developed a "partial" restoration plan for the Salton Sea, recognizing the infeasibility of restoring the Sea as a whole, and drafted an alternative, environmentally benign set of interim surplus criteria for the lower Colorado River.

Mr. Cohen is a member of the International Boundary and Water Commission's Colorado River Delta Advisory Committee, and also sits on the California Resources Agency's Salton Sea Advisory Committee.

Mr. Cohen has a Master's degree in Geography, with a concentration in Resources and Environmental Quality, from San Diego State University and received a B.A. in Government from Cornell University.