State Representative Alexander Kolodin (R-3) issued a statement endorsing Representative Andy Biggs' (R-AZ) Colorado River Basin Water Security and Infrastructure Act.
A Recap of the Bill
The Colorado River Basin Water Security and Infrastructure Act, which Rep. Biggs introduced last week, includes provisions to reduce federal red tape on infrastructure projects and to create a Basin‑wide Water Augmentation Fund with a 2:1 federal cost share for desalination, reuse, storage, conveyance, aquifer recharge, salt cedar removal, and other supply‑side projects.
For Arizona specifically, the bill calls for accelerated construction to restore the Yuma Desalting Plant to full capacity, binational desalination with Mexico, California ocean discharge capture, augmentation projects in Arizona and Nevada, and Upper Basin projects that increase reliable supply without reducing downstream delivery.
Kolodin's Support
In a press release, State Rep. Kolodin said, "Congressman Biggs' bill rewards states that invest in their own water future, and Arizona is ready."
Additionally, he chastised Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) for having "spent four years managing scarcity instead of building supply. Her Colorado River talks stalled without a deal that enforces the Compact or that requires the Upper Basin to share in cuts. And when the Legislature sent her bills to develop new supplies, including brackish groundwater legislation I helped advance, she vetoed them and dismissed the idea as ‘wishful thinking.’ Arizona is less prepared today as a result."
State Rep. Kolodin concluded, "Congressman Biggs is doing what the Governor should have done years ago: putting real money and real urgency behind new water, and doing it in a way that benefits every Basin state. That is a win-win approach, and it is the one Arizona needs. The affordability and long-term future of our state depend on it."
Previous Criticism of Hobbs
In early August, Kolodin blamed Gov. Hobbs for failing to fight harder in negotiating for Arizona after the Bureau of Reclamation issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Colorado River.
"Katie Hobbs failed to secure Arizona's water and failed to protect Arizona citizens. Arizonans deserve leaders who understand that water is life. Katie Hobbs clearly does not," he said.
