After House Speaker Rusty Bowers created a kerfuffle by pushing a bill that threatened to tank Arizona’s efforts to sign onto a multi-state drought plan and craft a similar intrastate plan, he asked at the last minute for the contentious proposal to be held.

House Speaker Rusty Bowers is blowing off a threat by the Gila River Indian Community to pull out of the drought contingency plan − and deny the state its water − if he pursues his own legislation on forfeiture of water rights.

A major player in the drought contingency plan on Thursday yanked its scheduled ratification of its part of the deal, potentially upending any chance of the state meeting the March 4 deadline set by the Bureau of Reclamation.

The Gila River Indian Community is threatening to blow up the drought contingency plan because of efforts it says will undermine its claim to water rights.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has been prodding Western states to wrap up drought contingency plans, one each in the lower and upper basins.

A new ruling Monday by the U.S. Supreme Court could open the door to Arizonans legally betting for -- or against -- the Diamondbacks, the Cardinals and even the Wildcats, Sun Devils and Lumberjacks.

Overall, the agreement represents incremental progress – but even more significant may be the much-needed spark it provides to re-energize drought contingency discussions within Arizona and across the entire Colorado River Basin.

In a unanimous decision, the justices rejected arguments by the Gila River Indian Community that Arizona court must transfer such cases to tribal courts. Writing for the court Chief Justice Scott Bales said while such transfer is permissive, it is not a right.

The latest agreement will allow the City of Phoenix to store water in underground storage facilities on Gila River Indian Community land in exchange for supporting the revitalization of the Gila River through various diversion projects.

A federal appeals court has refused to issue an emergency order to stop construction of a new Phoenix- freeway.