Congressman Biggs’s Response to Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Colorado River Basin
GILBERT, ARIZONA- Today, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released its long-awaited Post-2026 Operational Guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake Mead – Final Environmental Impact Statement.
The framework reduces Arizona’s share of the Colorado River usage through 2036 – though not by as much as the Draft Statement proposed earlier this spring.
Congressman Biggs released the following statement:
“While I am grateful for the cooperation of California and Nevada and the federal government's willingness to listen to the concerns of the Lower Basin States, I am extremely disappointed that the Upper Basin States have continuously refused to come to the table to help bring relief to the entire basin. Over many previous years, Arizona has drastically cut its water usage to prove its responsible partnership with both the Upper and Lower Basin States. We cannot afford to take on more cuts, yet here we are with another framework that puts Arizona last.
“Over the past two years, I worked with the federal government on a solution that could be less harmful to Arizona than the options presented by the Upper Basin States. I understood, however, that Arizona could not rely solely on this new framework for its water future security, so I have worked in Congress on other solutions to help our state enhance existing infrastructure and bring relief to stakeholders most affected by existing drought conditions and ongoing cuts. I will continue to take action to bring relief to our state and ensure that we can protect our citizens, agriculture industries, and everyone else relying on this life-giving resource.”
In March 2026, Congressman Biggs led Arizona’s Republican Members of Congress in submitting a formal comment letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum expressing serious concerns about the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
In April 2026, Congressman Biggs co-led a letter with Congressman Greg Stanton (AZ-09) to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, successfully urging the Bureau of Reclamation to release federal funds to address the ongoing drought across the Colorado River Basin. Reclamation announced they would release $450 million – $350 million of which will flow to Lower Basin States.
Earlier this month, Congressman Biggs led a letter to U.S. House leadership, urging the inclusion of funds in the recently introduced emergency funding package to address the increasingly dire condition of the Colorado River Basin. The funding would support water infrastructure, investments, upgrades, and long-term planning for the future of this vital resource.
In addition to these efforts, Congressman Biggs worked behind the scenes to meet with federal, state, and local stakeholders to put Arizona in the best-possible position for this new framework. Because, in large part, of this advocacy, the Grand Canyon State received a better share of the new framework than what was previously introduced.
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