REFERENCE TITLE: reinstatement; WIFA monies State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025 HCR 2016 Introduced by Representative Griffin A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Expressing the Legislature's commitment to reinstating the water infrastructure Finance Authority's funding to conserve, reuse and augment Arizona's water supply. (TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
REFERENCE TITLE: reinstatement; WIFA monies
State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025
HCR 2016
Introduced by Representative Griffin
REFERENCE TITLE: reinstatement; WIFA monies
State of Arizona
House of Representatives
Fifty-seventh Legislature
First Regular Session
2025
HCR 2016
Introduced by
Representative Griffin
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the Legislature's commitment to reinstating the water infrastructure Finance Authority's funding to conserve, reuse and augment Arizona's water supply.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Whereas, pursuant to Arizona Revised Statutes section 49-1205, subsection A, the Legislature found: "(1) Now and into the foreseeable future, that regions in this state lack access to the necessary water supplies to meet their current and long-term water needs. (2) Protecting current and future residents, the economy and the environment of this state is best achieved through a comprehensive water strategy that conserves water, improves the efficiency and reuse of existing water resources and augments existing water resources with new renewable water supplies of water."; and Whereas, in 2022, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 1740 (Laws 2022, ch. 366) to expand the powers and duties of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (Authority) and tasked the Authority with protecting current and future residents, the economy and the environment of this state through a comprehensive water strategy that includes conservation, reuse and augmentation; and Whereas, since then, the Authority has been committed to working with all Arizona water leaders and policymakers to find a secure path toward accomplishing the Authority's mission and has made significant tangible progress toward achieving this critical goal, including through investing resources in a holistic portfolio of water supply solutions in all areas of this state; and Whereas, in November 2024, the Authority released a solicitation for procurement through the Long-Term Water Augmentation Fund (LTWAF), seeking qualified teams to present water importation projects for analysis and development; and Whereas, two consecutive years of funding cuts have resulted in the Authority obtaining less than half of the promised appropriation for the LTWAF, putting at risk the Authority's ability to attract private capital and increasing the risk that the Authority will be unable to participate fully in the types of projects that are capable of meeting the Legislature's goals of developing or facilitating water conservation, reuse and augmentation projects for the benefit of this state. Therefore Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring: 1. That this state is committed to investing in long-term solutions to alleviate the impacts of water scarcity in urban and rural Arizona. 2. That the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority's mission is critical to Arizona's current and future economic and environmental health, and the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority's solicitation for procurement is an effective way to facilitate the development of sustainable, effective and responsible projects to augment this state's water supply. 3. That the scale of infrastructure that is needed to secure new water supplies will require private capital and private sector partnership to be economically feasible. 4. That, as budgetary conditions improve, the Legislature commits to working with the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority to reemphasize its commitment to long-term water security and to reinstating the full appropriation envisioned and needed to secure new water supplies and enter strategic partnerships with the private sector.
Whereas, pursuant to Arizona Revised Statutes section 49-1205, subsection A, the Legislature found: "(1) Now and into the foreseeable future, that regions in this state lack access to the necessary water supplies to meet their current and long-term water needs. (2) Protecting current and future residents, the economy and the environment of this state is best achieved through a comprehensive water strategy that conserves water, improves the efficiency and reuse of existing water resources and augments existing water resources with new renewable water supplies of water."; and
Whereas, in 2022, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 1740 (Laws 2022, ch. 366) to expand the powers and duties of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (Authority) and tasked the Authority with protecting current and future residents, the economy and the environment of this state through a comprehensive water strategy that includes conservation, reuse and augmentation; and
Whereas, since then, the Authority has been committed to working with all Arizona water leaders and policymakers to find a secure path toward accomplishing the Authority's mission and has made significant tangible progress toward achieving this critical goal, including through investing resources in a holistic portfolio of water supply solutions in all areas of this state; and
Whereas, in November 2024, the Authority released a solicitation for procurement through the Long-Term Water Augmentation Fund (LTWAF), seeking qualified teams to present water importation projects for analysis and development; and
Whereas, two consecutive years of funding cuts have resulted in the Authority obtaining less than half of the promised appropriation for the LTWAF, putting at risk the Authority's ability to attract private capital and increasing the risk that the Authority will be unable to participate fully in the types of projects that are capable of meeting the Legislature's goals of developing or facilitating water conservation, reuse and augmentation projects for the benefit of this state.
Therefore
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:
1. That this state is committed to investing in long-term solutions to alleviate the impacts of water scarcity in urban and rural Arizona.
2. That the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority's mission is critical to Arizona's current and future economic and environmental health, and the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority's solicitation for procurement is an effective way to facilitate the development of sustainable, effective and responsible projects to augment this state's water supply.
3. That the scale of infrastructure that is needed to secure new water supplies will require private capital and private sector partnership to be economically feasible.
4. That, as budgetary conditions improve, the Legislature commits to working with the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority to reemphasize its commitment to long-term water security and to reinstating the full appropriation envisioned and needed to secure new water supplies and enter strategic partnerships with the private sector.