A monthly members-only column by Alan Dulaney
The Arizona Legislature is in session, and water-related bills are flying like a swarm of angry hornets. So far, at least 230 bills that contain the word “water” have been dropped, although many are only peripherally related to substantive water issues. Several of the major bills expected this session have yet to be introduced. The deadline for introducing new legislation is February 9, and it seems quite likely that a bunch of additional bills will be dropped before then..
A cursory review of the water-related bills reveals a few trends. Governor Hobbs’ Water Policy Council had two committees: the Assured Water Supply Committee and the Rural Groundwater Committee. The Republican majority in the Legislature didn’t like either one, or the ideas that came from them. Most of the Republican bills would chip away at the concepts resulting from the many meetings of these two committees. Many of the Democratic bills would support the regulatory mandates stemming from those discussions. Some sit in the middle, and simply try to address problems identified by the Water Policy Council.
Many— but not all — areas of rural Arizona face significant groundwater challenges. It is easier to examine the dynamics of bills aimed at rural groundwater issues than the complicated politics aimed at the Assured Water Supply program. We will start with assorted House bills that address rural groundwater concerns.
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