Representatives from several groups announced their environmental priorities for the 2023 legislative session, focusing on water and discouraging desalination in the wake of Colorado River cuts.  

A plan pushed by Gov. Doug Ducey to use desalinated seawater to address Arizona’s water woes crossed a major hurdle today. Despite transparency concerns from lawmakers, the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority board unanimously approved a resolution today directing the board chairman and staff to begin discussions with IDE Technologies, an Israeli company planning to build a desalination plant on the Sea of Cortez in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. 

Progress on Gov. Doug Ducey’s shipping container border barrier has been halted in Cochise County since late November as activists stand in front of heavy machinery. 

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego touted the city Thursday as a model for enduring extreme weather events, during a virtual panel on how local governments can help defend against the impacts of climate change.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality wants more state money to address longstanding problems and to help keep the federal government from stepping in to regulate environmental issues in the state.  

The Legislature is preparing to release this year’s water budget likely expanding WIFA and not – as previously suggested – creating a new agency.  

The Sierra Club is suing Salt River Project in a case that could lead to a legal precedent over SRP’s status regarding public records. 

On April 26, Ducey signed House Bill 2101, which repeals language passed in 1998 that was meant to increase competition in the electricity sector. 

Legislative panels gave initial approval Wednesday to a $100 million plan for fighting fires and their effects, but not before the discussion strayed into the question of climate change and whether humans are responsible for the heat and drought conditions that result in huge blazes.

The future is murky for many Arizona rivers and streams now that changes to the Clean Water Act have narrowed federal oversight. Yet with no map or list delineating where state control begins, the number of vulnerable waterways in Arizona is immense.