State Representative Alexander Kolodin (R-3) is blaming Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) 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.
The Statement
On Friday, the Bureau of Reclamation's FEIS was released, and it demanded that Arizona, Nevada, and California, the three Lower Basin states, make further cuts to their Colorado River water allowance, despite these states holding more population, industry, and agriculture than the four Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming.
The FEIS was heavily criticized by Arizona officials in both parties.
Kolodin's Response
State Rep. Kolodin issued a statement arguing that this was the result of Gov. Hobbs failing to fight hard enough at the negotiating table.
"Arizonans deserve more water, not managed decline. More water means affordable homes, productive farms, high-tech industry with well-paying jobs, thriving tribal communities, and more advanced manufacturing built right here in Arizona," State Rep. Kolodin said in a press release, adding, "Our state's future depends on water, and Arizona should be fighting for every drop."
Even if the new framework allows for reconsideration every two years, Kolodin says this isn't good enough, because "Arizona families should not be left in perpetual uncertainty as to whether the water beneath their way of life will be taken away. The Central Arizona Project serves more than six million people who should not be sacrificed to the demands of other states."
Moreover, he emphasized that "California protected its priority. Other states negotiated aggressively. 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."
Previous Attacks on Hobbs
Last May, Kolodin accused Hobbs and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes of colluding with the left-wing States United Democracy Center (SUDC) to target political opposition.
"Governor Hobbs and Attorney General Mayes have betrayed Arizonans by allowing radical, dark-money activists to infiltrate and weaponize Arizona's government," Kolodin said in his press release, adding, "This corrupt collusion must be exposed. The people deserve answers, transparency, and immediate accountability."
