Arizona State Senate
1700 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2024
PHOENIX – The Senate Democratic Committee Members of the Natural Resources, Energy and Water (NREW) Committee and the Finance and Commerce (FICO) Committee will boycott the last-minute joint committee meeting happening today at 3 p.m. The two ranking Democratic members, Senator Mitzi Epstein (LD12) of FICO and Senator Priya Sundareshan (LD18) of NREW, released the following statement outlining the Republican Caucus’ ongoing political games jeopardizing the future of Arizona’s water.
Senator Mitzi Epstein (LD12), Ranking Member on the Senate FICO Committee, stated, “Our state’s dire water situation has made national headlines this year and I find it worrisome that my Republican colleagues refuse to break from the status quo of water management. For decades, business and industry leaders have controlled the conversation about the future of our most precious natural resource. Instead, we must have all voices at the table. Our grandchildren are depending on us to take this moment seriously to find real solutions. The plan for this meeting does not appear to be a balanced discussion, but instead it is a one-sided presentation. The majority set up this meeting and notified Democrats only hours ahead of the meeting. Yet another meeting that is set up by the Republican majority as an echo-chamber to hear only one side of the issue is not an appropriate way to reach solutions that work for the people of Arizona.”
Senator Priya Sundareshan (LD18), Ranking Member on the Senate NREW Committee, added, “It is unwise to ignore hydrologic data and unmet water demand in order to allow business-as-usual development and sprawl. The Arizona legislature has crafted water policy for far too long for the sole benefit of the ultra-wealthy, to the detriment of the state’s water security. I refuse to condone that practice and I am proud that my Democratic colleagues agree that we must do better for Arizona. Any water policy that moves through the legislature must be done in a transparent and bipartisan way—our state’s future growth and resiliency demand nothing less.”