Arizona Republicans engage in a little addition by subtraction

Well, at least they improved the Governor's Water Policy Council.  By not being part of it.

From KPNX (Channel 12 in Phoenix) written by Kyra O'Connor, dated 10/13 (emphasis added by me) -

Arizona Senate Republicans, Farm Bureau withdraw from governor’s water policy council

Senate Republicans and the Arizona Farm Bureau withdrew their membership from Arizona Gov. Katie Hobb’s Water Policy Council calling it “beholden to out-of-state special interests,” according to a press release from the caucus.

Sen. Sine Kerr, who is also the chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Energy & Water, said the council is “nothing more than a forum to rubber stamp the progressive environmental goals of special interest groups.” 

Who knew that protecting our water supply was a partisan issue?  Protecting and maximizing profit for its members may be the Farm Bureau's stated imperative, but protecting the public's interest is supposed to be the duty of public servants like Sen. Kerr.

"Alleged" public servants.

Water?!? Why would the AZLege address AZ's water crisis when there are "red meat for the base" issues to address?

From KJZZ, written by Ron Dungan -

Rural Arizona groundwater bill languishes in the Legislature

A bill to help rural Arizona manage its groundwater has stalled in the Arizona House.

For most of rural Arizona, groundwater use remains much as it did in the frontier — unmanaged, a race to the bottom in which the person who drills the deepest well wins.

[snip]

“You know once the Legislature kind of gets through some of the stuff it’s working on right now hopefully they’ll turn their attention back to water, and we may see movement, and we’re hopeful that people are having those discussions on how we can do this. Because we need it. Communities are crying out for help,” {Audubon Southwest's Haley} Paul said.

She says that {Representative Regina} Cobb has introduced the legislation in the past but it has yet to gain traction.

Given that Cobb has already updated her LinkedIn profile to reflect her new gig as ED of the AZ Dental Association and that her water bill, HB2661 (I think), died without a hearing, I'm guessing that water isn't her highest priority.

The bill (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) could come back as a striker or could be heard in her committee, which can still meet with the permission of the speaker, but Paul (and the rest of Arizona) shouldn't count on any members of the legislative majority doing their jobs - I expect this legislature to adjourn soon, if not this week, and any such measure would still have to go through the entire process in the State Senate.

In other words, probably not gonna happen.