Ciscomani Leads Colleagues in Urging Interior to Protect Arizona’s Water Supplies
‘The Colorado River system functions best when risks, responsibilities, and
necessary reductions are shared equitably’
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Juan Ciscomani and a majority of Arizona’s House delegation are urging the Department of the Interior to help secure the water the state needs to support its growing microchip manufacturing, aerospace and critical mineral industries.
In a letter to Secretary Doug Burgum, Ciscomani and five colleagues call for the withdrawal of a controversial proposal that would impose “drastic reductions” on Arizona’s water supplies and undermine the economic gains that the Trump administration itself has made a top priority.
Congressman Ciscomani was joined by Representatives David Schweikert (AZ-01), Eli Crane (AZ-02), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08), and Paul Gosar (AZ-09), in signing the letter.
The proposal, known as Draft Environmental Impact Statement, “would all but sever nearly six million Arizonans served by the Central Arizona Project from Colorado River supplies they have relied upon for more than four decades” while leaving neighboring states that also depend on the river largely unaffected.
Arizona and six other states in the Colorado River Basin – California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming – have been negotiating for months in an attempt to forge an updated water use agreement that could shape growth in the western United States for generations. Arizona gets its Colorado River water from the Central Arizona Project, a 336-mile canal that runs from Lake Havasu City to Tucson.
“The Colorado River system functions best when risks, responsibilities, and necessary reductions are shared equitably to protect both the river and the infrastructure upon which the entire Basin depends,” the congressmen wrote.
Congressman Ciscomani is proud to fight for the protection of Arizona water supplies, as water is the state’s most precious resource. The Congressman urges the Department of the Interior to take action in response to the Members’ letter, to prioritize the use of the Colorado River in southeastern Arizona communities that require this water source to thrive.
You can read the full letter to Secretary Burgum HERE.