People who say global warming is not a major concern should have gathered at a January 30 meeting of the seven states dependent on water from the Colorado River.
They would have had a rude awakening in reality.
At that meeting, hosted by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, most of the Governors from the Upper Colorado River Basin (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico) and the Lower Basin (Arizona, California, and Nevada) gathered to try to reach an agreement on how to divide up the increasingly shrinking water supply from the river, especially with a warmer winter dwindling the level of snow packs in the region.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs attended the meeting and commented to the Washington Post that the Trump Regime needs to do more in terms of federal funding and mediation, to address the ecological and water security tensions, especially in Arizona, where some plans show the desert state getting 80 percent of the water cuts, saying:
“Those scenarios would have a devastating impact on Arizona. It would impact the president’s agenda. We are a top-tier market for data centers in the world. We’re leading in the AI revolution.”
After the meeting, the Governor wrote in a post:
“Today, I had a productive and meaningful conversation with Colorado River governors, their representatives and
@SecretaryBurgum. Together, we reaffirmed our joint commitment to protecting the river that serves as a critical lifeline to all of our states.
I was encouraged to hear Upper Basin governors express a willingness to turn water conservation programs into firm commitments of water savings. Arizona has been and will continue to be at the table offering solutions to the long-term protection of the river so long as every state recognizes our shared responsibility.
I look forward to continued discussions and hope that we can work across state and party lines to find a fair deal that protects Arizona farmers, families, and businesses, and America’s national security and resilience.”
On February 2, with other water security specialists and government officials like Central Arizona Project’s Terry Goddard present, the Governor further commented:
“The Colorado River is everything to Arizona. It allows us to grow the Nation’s winter produce and some of the country’s most high-value agriculture. It runs through the Taps in millions of households and is sacred to 22 of the 30 basin tribes that live here in Arizona. It generates hydropower that we rely on from both Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams, and the Colorado River fuels the most advanced semiconductor ecosystem in North America. The most important computer chip manufacturing facilities in the Western Hemisphere are here in Arizona, Critical to winning our struggle against China in the AI arms race and at the center of the president’s recent trade deal with Taiwan. The bottom line is the future doesn’t happen without Arizona and Arizona doesn’t happen without the Colorado River.”
Saying that Arizona and the other Lower Colorado River Basin states would not shoulder the whole burden “On our own,” Governor Hobbs called on the Upper Basin States to do more in terms of sacrificing a proportion of water usage like Arizona municipalities and farmers already have.
She also said it was time for the Trump regime to tap into the federally owned water reservoirs in the Upper Colorado River Basin to meet the region’s water security needs, including protecting the hydropower electric energy that comes from the waters of Lake Powell.
Echoing many of Governor Hobbs’ concerns, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, discussing the threat of drastic Colorado River cutbacks to the Central Arizona Project, also commented to the Washington Post:
“The canal is our lifeline. It is so essential to economic activity and well-being,” where the federal proposals could result in a situation “where the canal would be effectively dry. This is far more than just arguing over numbers. This is people’s daily lives and economic realities.”
Mayor Gallego also wrote on social media:
“Phoenix has led on water conservation for decades, reducing per capita water use as our community and economy have grown. Proposed federal cuts to our Colorado River allocation would be devastating for our city and key industries nationwide. We need a fair, balanced agreement.”
Democratic Arizona Senate Leader Priya Sundareshan, a leader in the State Legislature on water security matters and has warned about the need to do more to protect the states groundwater supply, commented to Blog for Arizona:
“Many thanks to Governor Hobbs’s work to encourage the U.S. Department of the Interior to gather the Upper and Lower Basin Governors together to keep working to find a negotiated solution to sharing the Colorado River in order to avoid costly and uncertain litigation. At the Arizona Reconsultation Committee this week, we heard the stark reality that the Colorado River no longer has as much volume as we have become accustomed to, due to drought exacerbated by climate change. This gravely threatens Arizona’s urban centers and places greater stress on our rural areas. As the Colorado River negotiation continues, it is ever more important that the Arizona Legislature protect the groundwater resources we still have through strengthened management and reject any attempts to weaken the 1980 Groundwater Management Act that once made Arizona a leader among states.”
In the United States Senate, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, along with California’s Alex Padilla, have introduced the Water Security and Drought Resilience Act, which kind of speaks for itself on what it does if passed.
Commenting on this legislative proposal in a joint press release, Senator Kelly wrote:
“As Arizona faces a historic drought, we can’t afford to miss chances to manage our water carefully and responsibly. By expanding eligibility for existing federal funding, water storage projects can move forward and help communities across the Valley build long-term drought resilience. That means more security for families, businesses, and communities that rely on Arizona’s water systems.”
Senator Gallego offered:
“In Arizona, water is everything. This bill helps us build the water storage infrastructure we need to withstand droughts and make sure communities across our state have reliable access to water. Being able to store, move, and use water efficiently is essential to our Arizona’s future.”
It sounds like now is the time to come to an agreement on the Colorado River everyone can live with and to pass legislation like the Kelly/Gallego/Padilla bill and the Groundwater Protection measures Governor Hobbs and Senator Sundareshan have proposed at the state level.
Like Governor Hobbs and Senator Gallego have said, “In Arizona, water is everything.”
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