Arizona gov. slams GOP plan to manage rural groundwater

By Jennifer Yachnin | 03/13/2024 04:22 PM EDT

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs said proposal remains “unacceptable” but that she hopes to find compromise in final weeks of the legislative session.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D).

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) in January 2023 giving the State of the State address at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix. Ross D. Franklin/AP

This story was updated at 5:16 p.m. EDT.

Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Wednesday threatened to veto a plan by GOP state lawmakers to manage rural groundwater, calling the legislation “beyond unacceptable.”

Hobbs, who has made updating the state’s regulations addressing groundwater use a priority in her first term in office, urged state lawmakers to overhaul the proposal.

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“Make no mistake: While proponents claim it will give rural communities a voice, it will silence them instead,” Hobbs said in remarks at the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center’s annual conference.

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