Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego are asking the Bureau of Reclamation to ensure projects for Colorado River preservation will still get their funding.
The Bureau of Reclamation has already signed off on money for projects across Arizona — including an $86 million agreement to build a recycled water plant in Tucson in exchange for the city taking less Colorado River water over the next 10 years.
But in a letter to the agency this week, the lawmakers say their constituents are reporting funding for some of that work has been paused amid the Trump administration’s efforts to freeze federal funding.
They say uncertainty about what’s next for those payments has impacted project implementation and could harm collaboration between the federal government and local jurisdictions. They’re asking the agency to ensure all funding is made available again.
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The Bureau of Reclamation is considering water releases from Flaming Gorge Reservoir to protect Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. -
Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed a bill that sought to clip the legal wings of Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes, with one Republican legislator even calling her a "bully" for how she is pursuing companies over their groundwater pumping. -
Len Necefer’s piece starts with the following sentence: “The storm that killed Phoenix arrived on the evening of July 14, 2027, dragging a wall of dust 3,000 feet high.” -
Arizona State University's Dave White said Phoenix and other cities in the Colorado River Basin need a "reset" to live within the means of climate change. -
Arizona Congressmen Andy Biggs and Greg Stanton joined forces this week to request the release of drought mitigation funding.
