- Arizona lawmakers request urgent meeting with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
- Negotiations for post-2026 Colorado River guidelines are stalled.
- Delegation emphasizes need for equitable, long-term basin-wide solutions.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 — Arizona’s congressional delegation, led by Representative Greg Stanton and Senator Mark Kelly, announced yesterday
that they formally requested a meeting with newly confirmed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to address stalled negotiations over the future of the Colorado River.
In their March 6 letter, the lawmakers stressed the river’s critical importance, noting that “more than 40 million people in seven states and 30 Tribes across the West rely on the Colorado River for water, food, energy and more.” They highlighted that the combination of a prolonged, historic drought spanning a quarter-century and ongoing overuse has “stretched the system to its absolute breaking point.”
Need for a Comprehensive Agreement.
The delegation called attention to temporary conservation efforts, acknowledging, “while we bought some time with the short-term conservation measures, we can’t take our focus off a state-driven, basin-wide agreement.” They emphasized that a future agreement must recognize “significant shared risks” and remain equitable for both Upper and Lower Basin states.
Arizona lawmakers emphasized collaboration, stating clearly, “Arizona has and will continue to do its part to protect the Colorado River, but we simply cannot do it alone.”
The letter seeking Secretary Burgum’s involvement was signed by the entire Arizona delegation, including Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego and Representatives Greg Stanton, Raúl M. Grijalva, David Schweikert, Andy Biggs, Yassamin Ansari, Elijah Crane, Abraham Hamadeh, Paul Gosar, and Juan Ciscomani.
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Image licensed through Envato.
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