PRESS RELEASE
Jonathan Nez: Arizona’s Water isn’t just a Worry, it’s a Crisis. Eli Crane Has Failed Us.
FLAGSTAFF, AZ - The Bureau of Reclamation last week announced a new two-year framework requiring the Lower Basin states to significantly reduce their use of Colorado River water, with Arizona facing some of the steepest cuts.
In 2024, Jonathan Nez warned that water is a worry. Today, it’s a full blown crisis for Arizona, and Congressman Eli Crane has made the problem worse.
Water is a Crisis, and Congressman Crane is Making it Worse
While Arizona’s leaders work to secure our water rights during this crisis, Congressman Eli Crane is making it even harder to protect the water we have.
In Congress, Crane has consistently refused to bring projects to Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District that keep clean water flowing to rural Arizona, instead sending taxpayer dollars to states like California. As a result, Arizona is missing out on critical projects that could protect the state’s water supply, while states like California and Nevada are draining our share of water.
What’s more, Congressman Crane voted to give massive tax breaks to data centers that come into rural communities, drain their water, and raise electricity prices.
Before Crane went to Congress, he was in business with one of the country’s biggest data center developers. Then he took $40,000 from donors with a financial interest in data centers. Crane has opened the door to these out-of-state companies that take advantage of rural Arizona and drain our resources for profit.
Jonathan Nez will be a Water Warrior for Arizona in Congress
As a child, Nez grew up without running water, hauling water to his family’s home from a community well. Unlike Eli Crane, who lives in a gated community in Oro Valley, Nez understands deeply that in rural Arizona, water is life.
That’s why as Navajo Nation President and Vice President, Nez worked with the Trump administration to deliver water to rural Arizona, and worked to improve water infrastructure and expand access to clean, reliable water for thousands of rural families, farmers, and ranchers.
Nez will bring that same commitment and be a Water Warrior for Arizona in Congress. As rural Arizona’s congressman, Nez will fight for the resources to modernize Arizona’s water systems, replace aging Arizona water infrastructure, and protect Arizona’s water rights.
His 2024 ad outlines his emphasis on fighting for Arizona water.
For more information on Jonathan Nez’s fight for Arizona’s water, watch his water video series:
SEE ALSO:
The University of Arizona: Where does our water come from? (8/20/24)
New York Times: America’s Desert Metropolis Is on the Short List to Lose Water (8/23/26)