Does recent Arizona water legislation protect the diminishing groundwater resources in rural Arizona? Former Governor Bruce Babbitt explained how the new water augmentation bill will affect rural communities.
Although the legislature appropriated funds for water augmentation that benefits central and southern Arizona, it failed to approve legislation that would allow rural counties outside of Active Management Areas to determine their own groundwater management strategies based on their specific situations. Governor Babbitt reviewed the legislation and what the next bill might look like. He discussed how elected officials in Prescott and throughout Yavapai County can work together now to protect rural groundwater. Governor Babbitt underscored why it is critical to get the next legislature to act, how voters can advocate for a new bill and what they should require from candidates in the upcoming elections to help assure passage of successful groundwater protection legislation. He also patiently answered many audience questions.
Governor Babbitt, who signed the Groundwater Management Act in 1980 and oversaw the creation of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, has a deep knowledge of Arizona water issues and emphasized the importance of assisting rural communities that now lack groundwater use regulation. Many of these areas, such as Paulden, most of the Verde Valley, including Jerome, Cottonwood, Clarkdale and parts of Sedona, have seen concerning and even dramatic reductions in groundwater levels. He is particularly concerned about state government leasing thousands of acres to a Saudi corporation at an annual rental of just $25 per acre, giving it permission to pump unlimited amounts of groundwater to grow alfalfa hay for export to Saudi Arabia. See "Saudi firm has pumped Arizona groundwater for years without paying. Time to pony up"
Bruce Babbitt Biography
Bruce Babbitt served as Secretary of the Interior from 1993 to 2001, as Governor of Arizona from 1978 to 1987 and as Attorney General of Arizona from 1975 to 1978.
With degrees in geology, geophysics and law, Babbitt was elected to statewide office as Attorney General on his first foray into elective politics at age 36. He subsequently served as Governor for nine years.
As Governor Babbitt brought environmental and resource management to the forefront in Arizona. He personally negotiated and steered to passage the Arizona Groundwater Management Act of 1980, which remains the most comprehensive water regulatory system in the nation. He was also responsible for creation of the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and a major expansion of the state park system.
Appointed Secretary of the Interior by President Clinton in 1993, Babbitt served for eight years, during which he led in the creation of the forest plan in the Pacific Northwest, restoration of the Florida Everglades, passage of the California Desert Protection Act, and legislation for the National Wildlife Refuge system.
As a certified fire fighter, Babbitt brought his front line experience to creating a new federal wild land fire policy that emphasizes the role of fire in maintenance and restoration of natural ecosystems. He pioneered the use of habitat conservation plans under the Endangered Species Act and worked with President Clinton to create twenty two new national moments, including the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah.