Richard Morrison, Morrison Institute for Public Policy Board of Advisors chairman, former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, and Grady Gammage Jr., Morrison Institute senior research fellow, speak about the future of Arizona’s water supply at a forum in the Phoenix Airport Marriott Hotel on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo by Shawn Raymundo)Former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., told a room of approximately 200 people Tuesday that he is pushing for those in charge of Arizona's water to have a more open dialogue on the state's precious resource.
Kyl joined professor and real estate developer Grady Gammage Jr., Morrison Institute for Public Policy co-founder Richard Morrison and Sandra Fabritz-Whitney, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, for a panel discussion about water hosted by the Morrison Institute.
The speakers said they hope governmental agencies charged with regulating water in Arizona — local, state and federal — will be able to freely voice their issues and ideas about long-term water planning, to ensure the state is prepared for years to come.
Kyl said trust and communication is needed before any policy or legislation is proposed about water issues.
“(Arizona) is a leader in the country when it comes to water issues,” he said. “We need to begin development of long-term water dialogues right here in Arizona so participants don’t feel like water will be taken away from anybody.”
Kyl said he believes discussion on water rights will allow for constructive policies to take shape, but only if all parties at the table don’t feel threatened or pressured to give up their share of water. This includes both government agencies and private entities.
Kyl sponsored legislation concerning water obligations to Arizona's American Indian communities while in Congress and is very familiar with Arizona's ongoing battle to manage water in the state's arid climate.
Gammage Jr. said he understands the issue and has written studies about water in the state, most recently in 2011. He said he believes it is not easy to get state policymakers to focus on water discussions that focus on long-term planning for Arizona.
“This is very hard to talk about when there is such a disconnect between what a perceived 'water crisis' is and what the state actually thinks is a water crisis coming 30 years down the road,” Gammage Jr. said. “We cannot solve this by simply conserving (water). We need a long-term solution.”
Former Arizona Attorney General and past gubernatorial candidate Terry Goddard said forums such as this are vital to bring awareness about major environmental and water issues affecting the future of Arizona growth. This often takes a back seat to other issues, such as immigration debate.
"There is just so much misinformation out there," he said. "These talks help the state keep track of how we are doing over all.”
ASU alumnus Taylor McArthur, who is running for the state senate in the 16th Legislative District, which includes Mesa and Apache Junction, attended the luncheon and said he believes students at ASU have an amazing resource in the Morrison Institute. They should be listening to these types of public policy forums, because they are issues they will have to face in the near future, he said.
“This affects everyone in Arizona, and anyone in government in Arizona needs to know about water,” McArthur said. “Morrison continues to watch what is going on in Arizona.”
The water symposium is a part of a larger speaking series billed as “State of Our State: 2013,” organized by ASU’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy and sponsored by the Arizona Community Foundation, a philanthropic group based in Phoenix.
Reach the reporter at rvalcho@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @rvalcho
