GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING RECAP 3/26/24
Each year the Government Relations Committee works to organize joint meetings with other Pinal Partnership committees for collaboration and educational purposes. Co-chairs Richard Rosales of APS and Rebecca Timmer of Stantec worked with the leadership of the Water Resources Committee (Co-chairs, Mayor Craig McFarland, Casa Grande and Fred Schneider, Arizona Water Company, along with Board Liaison Ron Fleming) to put together this joint committees meeting to discuss water legislation and how the Committees and Partnership can make a positive impact and educate legislators on important bills.
Co-chair Richard Rosales, APS introduced Jake Lenderking, Global Water Resources
Background on Water Resource Committee
- Multiple phases originally came together when ADWR stopped issuing CAWS (Certificate Assured Water Supply)
- Provided a stakeholder group to address Pinal County water issues
- Eloy and Maricopa Stanfield Basin Study became focus over last 3 years; study can now be utilized to support grant funding for water infrastructure projects
Water Resource Committee 3.0 goals for 2024
- Utilize collective resources through Pinal Partnership to weigh in on legislative issues affecting Pinal County
- Policy and public perception paramount as 80+ bills on water issues came into focus during current year legislative session
- Get leadership of Pinal Partnership re-engaged
- Major landowners and water providers need a singular voice, as Phoenix has proven the value in their AMA issues
HB 2017 Co-mingling Bill
- Bill addresses need for developer/utility could comingle new water supply with existing groundwater credits
- Comingling is very important to Pinal County – Griffin sponsoring
SB 1181 Replenishment bill
- Brought forward by Queen Creek and Heather Wilkey explained need for QC to move this bill forward to support their efforts to obtain a designation of assured water supply
- Prevents huge spike in water bills as cost filters down to property owners
Senate bill 1056
- Supervisor Miller has learned this bill will not get through the executive branch but will stay vigilant with the legislators to work on bill for next session
HB2200 and HB2201 Harquahala Bill
- Allows private water providers to access this water supply
- Both bills have an opportunity to move forward; one includes La Paz County and has less bi-partisan support due to perception of competition with neighboring communities
SB 1243 Marketplace Bill
- Supervisor Miller explained it basically provides the option to move water from existing basin to subbasin.
- If the bill moves, it will likely be a pilot program for Tucson
- Mechanism to sell water from one location to another
- Does not anticipate any major movement this year on this bill; needs funding to move forward
- Terri Sue Rossi of AZ Water added this bill includes changes to grandfathered water rights
Bills SB1172 AND HB 2647 – Physical availability credits
- Allows irrigation grandfather right to become physical availability credits
- Major impact to water rights for agricultural land development
- Pinal Stakeholder group focused on farmland rights
- All the right stakeholders in the room negotiating on these bills, warranting potential for this bill to have future
- Advocating for this bill extremely important since it lays the groundwork for agricultural land development in Pinal County
- 2647 has replenishment component to it and goal is to amend 1172 to mirror 2647
- Acre feet allowance for conversion and timeline still being negotiated
- Heather Wilkey added support for these bills as Queen Creek sees this as important tie into replenishment issue
- Water Resources Committee sees these bills as top priority with most potential benefit to Pinal County this session
Pinal Partnership Letter Writing Campaign
- The Phoenix AMA is receiving immediate focus by ADWR for relief through legislation and by rule for issues that have plagued Pinal County for years with no action
- Letter Campaign intended to resurface need to address the Pinal County issues and make our voice heard
- Download the letter and talking points: Click here
The next PPGRC Meeting will be on April 23rd
Our next Monthly Breakfast Meeting on March 29th will focus on the Pinal County Maintenance Fund on the ballot for renewal this November. Breakfast and board meeting will take place at the Elements Event Center, Ak-Chin Circle in Maricopa.
Visit https://pinalpartnership.com/meetings-and-events/ for more information.
