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After marathon hearing, committee advances Basin Management Area bill as amended amid fierce local opposition
Summary
The committee passed Senate Bill 15‑20 as amended, creating a new Basin Management Area framework limited initially to Wilcox, Gila Bend and Hualapai basins; the bill drew hours of testimony from residents, farmers, environmental groups and industry disputing caps on mandatory reductions, council composition, and funding.
A lengthy and often emotional committee hearing ended with the Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee returning Senate Bill 15‑20 with a do‑pass recommendation after adopting an amendment by Chair Griffin.
Sponsor Senator Tim Dunn said the bill aims to provide local tools and a management framework for basins experiencing severe overdraft — targeted to Wilcox, Gila Bend and Hualapai — including basin councils, certificates of groundwater rights, flexibility accounts and a statutory process for designation. Dunn said the measure is meant as a pragmatic, negotiable framework: "We need something to negotiate on," he told the committee.
But the hearing devolved into hours of public…
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