Year after year, more than a million citizens in rural Arizona communities walk a precarious path — with virtually no real tools to secure our long-term water future.

While urban regions continue to benefit from immediate, well-funded water solutions, rural areas are left to fight a losing battle against unchecked groundwater exploitation and political neglect.

This is not just a crisis of policy. It is a crisis of principle that has played out before our eyes this legislative session.

Both Sen. Tim Dunn’s rural groundwater bill (Senate Bill 1520) and the governor’s proposed legislation (Senate Bill 1425) contain provisions that are heavily influenced by special interests.

The Arizona Farm Bureau — which has heavily influenced SB 1520 — has prioritized large-scale agricultural operations over our generational family farmers, even walking back previously agreed negotiations from last year.

While organizations like the Sierra Club — which have........

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