Arizona congressman warns that unfair Colorado River cuts in his state will harm US

U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton said Friday that the federal government’s plan for divvying up water from the Colorado River is unfair to Arizona and detrimental to the nation.

The East Valley Democrat told KTAR News 92.3’s Arizona’s Morning News he will fight to change the plan by making the case that forcing Arizona to bear a disproportionate amount of Colorado River water cuts will have a negative ripple effect across the U.S.

“If you hurt the growth here in Arizona, if you hurt economic development here in Arizona, it doesn’t stay in Arizona. It hurts the entire national economy and our national defense because so much of what happens in the semiconductor industry advances U.S. national security,” Stanton said.

Stanton said Arizona has been the most responsible of the seven Colorado River Basin states over the years in terms of water conservation and should not be asked to bear the brunt of additional cuts as the supply continues to dwindle.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by KTAR News 92.3 (@ktarnews)

“It’s an amazing fact that we use less water today than we did 50 years ago,” he said. “That’s not per capita; that is total water. We use so much less water even though we have grown as the fastest-growing state in the country. It’s an amazing achievement, but yet they’re still demanding more and more cuts from Arizona.”

The Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada would have their allotment of water reduced under a federal proposal released last week, but the four Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming were spared.

Rep. Greg Stanton says Arizona offered additional cuts

Stanton and other state leaders have been pushing back since the announcement was made.

“Under … the recent environmental impact statement coming from the Department of Interior, it appears that they’re going to be targeting Arizona even more,” Stanton said.

He added that Arizona has been willing to share the additional cuts required to avoid a crisis in the Colorado River.

“All we’re asking is that we take our fair share, not our disproportionate share. We’ve even offered up additional cuts. Arizona has been completely responsible in acting in good faith. We need to see the same from the Upper Basin,” Stanton said.

Related

As the Grand Canyon’s river is drying up a $50 million industry is going with itCentral Arizona Project president says feds ‘bought the lies’ on Colorado River planGov. Katie Hobbs pushes back on ‘unacceptable’ terms in federal Colorado River proposalArizona, California, Nevada would get less Colorado River water under new federal proposalLake Powell could lose the ability to generate power by early 2027Kearny mayor says town’s water supply should last through this year, but 2027 is questionable