The American west has a ton of potential but is mostly held back by the lack of water. Even though the land is super dry, it has lots of sunshine, minerals, and people who could help it grow. big changes, like what happened in Los Angeles and Florida when they brought in water and developed the land, could happen again if we think bigger.

The solution is using solar power to run desalination plants that turn ocean water into fresh water. The technology is already good enough and cheap enough to make a real difference, especially for city water and some farming. The real problem is not the tech or the cost, it is government rules and red tape slowing things down. If those barriers were fixed, it could open the door to building whole new cities and communities across the West.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5717184&forum_id=2#48885376)