Two Republicans in the Arizona State House announced its investigation of Attorney General Kris Mayes over using her office to advance her political career with her recent legal threat against farmers over water use.
State Representatives Austin Smith (R-Surprise) and Jacqueline Parker (R-Mesa) on Wednesday sent a letter to Mayes (pictured above), which they said includes requests for “public records related to recent unfounded attacks she has made on the agricultural industry, her threats to file a public nuisance lawsuit against Arizona’s farmers and using town hall events to make campaign speeches.”
Their letter follows Mayes’ confirmation that she is “considering legal action” against Arizona farmers over alleged groundwater misuse.
In a statement, Parker warned, “The Arizona Attorney General’s duties do not include touring the state to campaign on the taxpayer’s dime and inserting herself into groundwater policy.”
She added that the Committee on Executive Oversight is now “committed to ensuring that General Mayes does not stray from her constitutional lane or continue to abuse her statutory authority.”
Smith added that nuisance issues should be settled by local governments and not Mayes’ office.
“We can’t allow Arizona’s laws to continue to be weaponized by General Mayes,” he stated.
There is ZERO excuse for Kris Mayes to use her office to influence water policy and harass Arizona’s hardworking farming and ranching families. @electjacqparker and I are taking immediate action requesting public records related to recent attacks Mayes has directed towards… https://t.co/2aR7Co5emy
— Rep. Austin Smith (@azaustinsmith) April 3, 2024
The lawmakers raised the importance of Arizona’s farmers in their letter to Mayes, then warned against making political speeches about water policy during government “town hall” events arranged by her office.
Parker and Smith wrote, “We are troubled by your decision to use public resources and host ‘town hall’ meetings to ‘gather evidence’ targeting the agricultural industry and manufacturing a public nuisance lawsuit that could very well result in taxpayers footing the bill.”
They additionally warned Mayes they are “disturbed by allegations that you have conveyed inaccurate information about Arizona’s groundwater code and the scope of your statutory authority” during the public discourse surrounding the Saudi Arabian firms which, until recently, operated alfalfa farms using Arizona water.
The lawmakers demand records of “all town hall meetings” since 2023 that focused on “groundwater or public nuisance issues,” as well as emails from October 2023 until April 2024 that originated from outside of government and discussed the same topics. They’re also looking for records about the town halls from Mayes’ office.
It was also revealed by Representative Gail Griffin (R-Hereford) on Wednesday that previous estimates of Arizona’s groundwater failed to accurately “describe the amount of groundwater that is available in the basin.”
She explained, “The Arizona Department of Water Resources decided unilaterally to model certain wells under the assumption that they would be placed on the side of a mountain rather than in the heart of the aquifer. In addition, the June 2023 model substantially over-estimated groundwater demand while substantially under-estimating future supply to reflect current best practices in water management or the fact that it is currently illegal to build residential subdivisions in the Phoenix metropolitan area without replenishing groundwater.”
Smith, in a press release sent by Griffin, suggested that the findings unearthed by independent hydrology firm Matrix New World are evidence that Governor Katie Hobbs “is targeting single-family homes and the American way of life” with water policies.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Kris Mayes” by Attorney General Kris Mayes. Background Photo “Arizona State Capitol” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
