Protect Precious Water Resources  

• Arizona’s water policy has never been complete. Even our state’s premiere Ground Water Management Act left out parts of the state and failed to acknowledge the scientific context that all water is ultimately part of an integrated whole, whether flowing above or below ground. The waters from the Colorado River were over-allocated to the Colorado River Basin States and, as we have seen with recent dry years, the amount available is even less. These limited flows have resulted in shortages on the Colorado River for the first time, with most cuts in use going to agriculture. The reduced runoff and the operation of Glen Canyon Dam also threaten Colorado River flows through Grand Canyon and the survival of endangered fish, such as the humpback chub.

• Arizona’s water policy was created based on an insufficient and incorrect understanding of past water patterns, creating overallocations. The Colorado River system has been overallocated since the signing of the 1922 Colorado River Compact and is unable to meet future demand. In 2021, for the first time, the federal government declared shortages on the Colorado River and additional shortages are headed our way beyond 2023. These shortages will disproportionately affect Arizona.

• Climate change is affecting precipitation and the amount and timing of river flows. Runoff in the Colorado and other river systems on which a significant amount of Arizona’s water supply depends, for direct use and for groundwater recharge, will decline by 20-40 percent by mid-century. Water supply shortages that already exist will be further exacerbated. Reduced precipitation, increasing temperatures, increased evapotranspiration from soils and plants, and changes in the timing of runoff to rivers are making droughts more frequent, longer lasting, and more severe. Both groundwater and surface water resources are already over-allocated, and climate change is exacerbating that situation, too. 

• Arizona’s water policies do not consider that our future water supplies will not match our past water supplies, and thus will require far more care and attention to planning. Perhaps some areas will receive more and others less, but in all cases, increased temperatures and decreased soil moisture will mean less water resources across the state, and recognition of limits.

• Agriculture uses about 72 percent of the water in Arizona, much of it dedicated to irrigated agriculture such as alfalfa. On top of that, Arizona seeks to attract other water-intensive industries.

• The bulk of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) program is to fund projects to import water from outside of Arizona, such as harmful desalination projects in the Gulf of California, when those dollars could be used to promote water sustainability in our communities. 

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAs, often referred to as forever chemicals, contaminate waters in a number of Arizona communities, particularly those around military bases, harming our health. Some communities, including a number of Indigenous communities, still lack access to clean, safe drinking water. As EPA develops a drinking water standard for PFAs, Arizona must prepare to implement it to ensure that all Arizonans have safe, adequate drinking water.

• A 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision severely curtails Clean Water Act protections for most of Arizona’s surface waters by eliminating protections for ephemeral (waters that do not flow year-round) waters. Arizona passed a bill to set up a program for “Protected Surface Waters,” but unfortunately, it too excludes nearly all ephemeral waters, leaving those critical desert washes unprotected. We need legislation to specifically protect these waters that do not flow year-round.

Act on the Climate Crisis–Now!

• We are in a climate crisis that affects every sector of our economy and every aspect of our lives, and we have less time to address it than we previously thought in order to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change. According to the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, the changes we are seeing are unlike anything we have seen in thousands of years and they are intensifying . We cannot talk about the long list of environmental issues and economic concerns—water scarcity, pollution, unhealthy air, environmental racism, rising healthcare costs, and climate-caused international migration, among others—and ignore the rapidly warming climate that makes all these problems exponentially worse. Arizona is one of the fastest warming states in the country and both Phoenix and Tucson are among the fastest warming cities in the country. In 2023, Phoenix experienced 31 days in a row of temperatures of 110 degrees F or higher and overall had a total of 54 days exceeding 110 degrees. The most vulnerable members of our communities suffer the greatest from this extreme heat,, which also has resulted in more and more heat-related deaths – a new record was set in Maricopa County for 2023, quite sadly, with 425 confirmed heat deaths and another 199 still under investigation. These rapidly rising temperatures exacerbate our prolonged extreme drought, expanded wildfire season and larger fires, and increasingly unpredictable and more severe weather patterns. These impacts threaten our personal, community, and economic health.

• Climate change is having serious public health impacts via extreme heat and poor air quality, both of which are expected to increase in the region. According to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, “These changes are expected to increase heat and air-pollution exposure, illness, and premature death.”

• Climate change is also threatening plants and animals, including our native forests and the iconic saguaro cactus which needs specific conditions to thrive. In recent years, there have been fewer young saguaros in Saguaro National Park due to ongoing drought and extreme weather. Drought, wildfire, and changes in the range of species, among other impacts, threaten forest, including piñon pines.

Address Environmental Injustice and Racism

“Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” - Environmental Protection Agency

“Whether by conscious design or institutional neglect, communities of color in urban ghettos, in rural 'poverty pockets,' or on economically impoverished Native-American reservations face some of the worst environmental devastation in the nation.” - Dr. Robert Bullard

• Communities of color have especially high asthma rates. African-American and Latinx children visit emergency departments for asthma care more often than white children. Black Americans are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from asthma than any other racial or ethnic group. One in five Latinx adults can’t afford their asthma medicines, and adults who didn’t finish high school are more likely to have asthma than adults who graduated high school or college.

• Water is life. Native American communities disproportionately lack access to safe water and wastewater disposal. Water contamination occurs more often in Native American water systems. Overall, Tribal public-water systems are twice as likely to violate health-based water quality regulations as non-tribal systems.

• There are more than 500 abandoned uranium mines throughout the Navajo Nation. An analysis of water supplies in the Navajo Nation found disproportionately high levels of arsenic and uranium; 15 percent of unregulated water supplies had high levels of arsenic and more than 12 percent had high levels of uranium.

• Dangerous neurotoxins in lead pipes contaminate drinking water and cause health problems for communities of color at a disproportionate rate. Black children are three times more likely than white children to have elevated blood-lead levels.

• We frequently hear about the disparate impacts of climate change on people in “poor” nations, but not as much is said about the impacts closer to home. Researchers at the University of Arizona “ found that the southwestern region is a hotspot both for physical climate change and for social vulnerability with a clear ‘climate gap’ between rich and poor. The Southwest is projected to become hotter and drier under future climate change, creating the potential for heightened vulnerability and increasing challenges to achieve environmental justice. The Southwest exhibits high social vulnerability, with rankings among the worst in the USA on a range of indicators, including poverty, health insurance, energy and food security, and childhood well-being.”

• An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report found that Black people are 40 percent more likely to live in an area with the highest heat-related deaths with increased temperatures of 2 degrees.

Restore and Protect Land, Habitat, and Wildlife

• Arizona is blessed with roughly 28 million acres of federal public lands, including wildland gems such as Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Saguaro National Parks, the Superstition Wilderness Area, Kaibab National Forest, and Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. Most recently, President Biden established the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument to protect nearly a million acres of public land after 12 Tribal nations requested it. These places provide extensive recreational opportunities as well as key habitat and corridors for numerous animals and plants, some found no place else. These public lands were all Indigenous lands and are significant to the 22 Tribal nations recognized in Arizona, in addition to containing a rich history of human occupation of the region. Public lands provide us with clean air and clean water. From the San Francisco Peaks to the San Pedro River, Arizonans love and enjoy our public lands. 

• Public lands also contribute significantly to Arizona’s $20-billion-plus tourism industry as well as to our outdoor recreation industry. According to the National Park Service, there were more than 6.3 million recreational visitors to Grand Canyon National Park in 2018, who collectively spent $947 million in communities near the park, supporting 12,558 jobs and a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $1.2 billion. A majority of Arizonans participate in outdoor recreation, approximately 59% according to the Outdoor Industry Association and that recreation generates about $21.2. billion in consumer spending annually. 
  

• According to the Arizona Office of Tourism, “Arizona’s warm weather and magnificent natural beauty made tourism the number one export industry in Arizona in 2020.” Our public lands are key to that natural beauty. The more than 32 million people who visited our state helped generate $2.7 billion in tax revenues in 2020 and supported 160,500 jobs.
  

• Likewise, outdoor recreation along Arizona’s waterways generates significant revenues and is a $13.5 billion industry—more than golf or mining—according to a 2019 National Audubon report. “The industry contributes $7.1 billion to Arizona’s GDP, provides $4.5 billion in household income and generates $1.8 billion in tax revenues.” Many of Arizona’s waterways are associated with public lands.
  

• In addition to a climate crisis, we also have an extinction crisis. Habitat loss and climate change mean that about one-third to one-half of all species on the planet will face extinction. Loss of these species will disrupt ecosystems affecting other plants, animals, and people. In October 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted 21 species due to extinction. Climate change is increasingly a factor, but many of these species were lost due to development. In Arizona, we have approximately 75 plants and animals included on the federal endangered-species list. Many of these species are threatened or endangered due to loss of habitat, including the dewatering of streams, rivers, and riparian areas.

• The freedom to vote for all citizens of voting age must be protected. The democratic process must reflect and empower our diverse electorate. Unreasonable barriers to voting must be removed.

• Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of democracy. Election workers and those seeking to vote should be encouraged, not discouraged or intimidated.

• The State of Arizona must provide comprehensive education about democracy, governance, and civic responsibilities to empower individuals to make informed decisions and actively participate in the democratic process.

• The State of Arizona must ensure the process encourages community involvement, dialogue, and collaboration to address local issues and ensure that all voices are heard in the decision-making process.

• First Amendment rights are a cornerstone of our democracy and must be protected for all. People of color must feel safe and welcome as they peacefully protest actions by our government and should not be targeted by law enforcement or other government entities, including by imposition of unreasonably high penalties for minor infractions.