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HCR 2046

Colorado River; cause of decline

57th Legislature - First Regular Session Introduced by Lupe Diaz and 2 co-sponsors

Arizona OCR 2046 blames forest mismanagement and invasive salt cedar for reduced Colorado River flows and urges federal funding to eradicate salt cedar and thin forests.

Transmit to Secretary of State
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Bill Summary · HCR 2046

Summary — HCR 2046 (Arizona, 2025)

Title: Colorado River; cause of decline
Type: House Concurrent Resolution (non‑binding)
Introduced: Jan 30, 2025 — Sponsors: Reps. Griffin; Diaz; Lopez
Final actions: Passed House Mar 12, 2025; Passed Senate May 6, 2025; Filed with Secretary of State May 7, 2025

Purpose / Intent

HCR 2046 is a formal statement by the Arizona Legislature that identifies forest mismanagement (overgrown forests) and invasive salt cedar (tamarisk) as principal contributors to reduced Colorado River flows. The resolution urges federal action and funding to eradicate salt cedar and to mechanically thin unhealthy, overgrown forests in the Colorado River watershed.

Key findings stated in the resolution

  • The Colorado River has experienced declines in annual inflow from runoff, reducing water available to people, agriculture and businesses.
  • Contributing causes identified include long‑term drought (Basin drought since 2000), evapotranspiration and invasive salt cedar.
  • The resolution cites a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation estimate that nearly 4 million acre‑feet per year are lost from the system to evapotranspiration; Arizona’s Colorado River entitlement/share is cited as 2.8 million acre‑feet.
  • Salt cedar (tamarisk): introduced in the 1800s, now listed as invasive by USDA; claimed coverage of nearly 2 million acres of riverbanks, high local tree densities (e.g., >3,000 trees/acre), and substantial per‑acre and per‑tree water use estimates cited in the text.

Specific provisions / requests

  • Declares that forest mismanagement and salt cedar proliferation reduce annual Colorado River flows.
  • Calls on state and federal legislators and administrators to acknowledge the problem and to support eradication/management efforts.
  • Specifically asks the U.S. Congress to fund salt cedar eradication and to enable responsible mechanical thinning of overgrown forests in the West.
  • Directs the Arizona Secretary of State to transmit the resolution to federal officials (President, congressional leadership, Secretary of the Interior, USFS Chief, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner) and Arizona’s Members of Congress.

Who is affected / addressed

  • Federal land and water managers (US Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior), Congress (for funding), Colorado River Basin stakeholders (states, water users, municipalities, agriculture), and organizations engaged in invasive species control and forest management.
  • As a concurrent resolution, it does not create legal obligations or appropriate funds; rather it expresses the Legislature’s policy position and requests federal action.

Procedural / legal effect

  • Non‑binding concurrent resolution: expresses state legislative opinion and requests federal action/funding but does not change state or federal law or allocate state funds.
  • Passed both chambers and formally transmitted to the Secretary of State (filed May 7, 2025).

Potential impact

  • May increase political pressure and visibility for invasive‑species removal and forest‑thinning programs and could be used to support federal funding requests or grant applications.
  • Does not itself provide funding or authorize projects; implementation would require federal or other funding and programmatic action.

Note: The summary reports the numeric estimates and factual assertions as stated in the resolution; it does not independently verify those figures.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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