Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ06) has joined with colleagues from seven western states to reconstitute the Colorado River Caucus, which he will co-chair with Democrat Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado.
As Arizona is heavily dependent on water flowing from the Colorado River, with 2.85 million acre-feet allocated to the state annually, the state’s political representation in decisions that govern the river has always been critical.
Initially launched as a bipartisan effort by members of the 118th Congress in 2023, the 12-member Colorado River Caucus includes representation from Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Colorado.
🚨 TODAY: I’m proud to announce the relaunch of the Colorado River Caucus in the 119th Congress with co-chair @RepJoeNeguse, bringing together the seven Western Basin States to protect the river and secure a strong water future for all 🌊🤝 pic.twitter.com/jZ35wTIuN5
— Congressman Juan Ciscomani (@RepCiscomani) August 26, 2025
“The Colorado River is the beating heart of the American Southwest,” said Congressman Ciscomani. “Millions of people in Arizona and six other states depend on it as a source of water for our homes and businesses, our farms and ranches – our way of life. The Colorado River Caucus will help us understand and manage this precious resource as we deal with the impacts of a record-breaking drought that has lasted more than two decades. Collaboration is key and that’s the goal of this bipartisan caucus.”
In May 2023, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and the Colorado River Lower Basin States agreed to a new plan under the Biden administration “to conserve 3 million acre-feet over the next three years to protect the Colorado River system.”
However, in March of this year, Common Sense Institute (CSI) Arizona released a report that pointed to gaps in “infrastructure and ingenuity,” rather than supply scarcity as the state’s greatest water resource issue. CSI advised at the time, “If Arizona opts to address its water future by ending growth and limiting development, rather than investing in infrastructure and addressing water policies, the Grand Canyon state faces the potential of billions in lost economic activity and thousands of new jobs.“
The release from Ciscomani indicated that the Caucus will task itself with advocating for a seven-state solution that incorporates efficient conservation measures to preserve water rights across the board.
Secretary Karen Cesare of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD), representing Pima County, said in a statement, “The Colorado River has been and continues to be one of the most vital issues for the State of Arizona. Since the days of Senator Carl Hayden and Representative John Rhodes, our state has always had leaders in Congress that work on this important issue. I am very happy that Representative Ciscomani is returning as co-chair of the Colorado River Caucus and is continuing this legacy of leadership.”
Arizona State University’s online component, ASU Online, has partnered with several California community colleges to launch a new pilot program. The initiative allows California online undergraduates and alumni to save 22% on tuition—about $130 less per credit hour than Arizona residents pay.
According to a press release issued by ASU Online, the special rate for California students comes “with no income requirements or special applications needed to receive the special tuition.”
The release added that “the pilot program helps break financial barriers and creates an accessible, seamless transfer pathway for California residents to complete a degree.”
“Our university is committed to enhancing access to high-quality education for all students capable of college-level work,” ASU President Michael Crow said in a statement. “Providing top online learning opportunities and making ASU’s world-class faculty available to the enthusiastic learners in our neighboring state will prepare more skilled graduates, strengthen our shared region and support a better future.”
In a post to X, ASU Online posted enthusiastically, “Big news! Students & alumni of our California Community College partners can now transfer to @ASUOnline and save 22% on tuition through the California Community College Achievement Plan! Who’s ready to finish their degree?”
Big news! Students & alumni of our California Community College partners can now transfer to @ASUOnline and save 22% on tuition through the California Community College Achievement Plan! Who's ready to finish their degree?@mypath2asu#TransferSuccesshttps://t.co/Os55dhgULU
The emphasis on the educational outcome of California students and the substantial discount being offered under the pilot program is striking given that the Arizona Board of Regents 2021 Financial Aid Report (the most recent available) found that 55 percent of undergraduates from ASU, 55 percent from NAU, and 47 percent from UArizona graduated in debt. The report explained that “the average debt load at graduation was $24,447 at ASU; $21,461 at NAU; and $25,343 at UArizona.” According to the Board, approximately 4.5% of ASU students are defaulting on their loans.
ASU reported in the release that it currently has approximately 15,000 California students enrolled online. Anecdotally, citing one alum’s story, they claim that these students are “making meaningful contributions to the state’s economy,” specifically California’s economy, not Arizona’s.
AZ Free News has reached out to Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives Steve Montenegro, who sits ex officio on the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee (JLAC), which has legislative oversight over ASU, the Arizona Board of Regents, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Horne. No comments were received before filing this story.
The week just passed was a rough one for California Governor Gavin Newsom. Early in the week, Newsom’s complete lack of leadership in his home state combined with a similar dereliction of duty by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to justify President Donald Trump’s move to activate both the National Guard and 700 U.S. Marines to move into downtown Los Angeles to control escalating riots there.
As if that weren’t humiliating enough, President Trump held a White House ceremony Thursday during which he signed a series of three resolutions passed under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) designed to kill California’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate which has been a centerpiece of Newsom’s regulatory policies.
“Under the previous administration, the federal government gave left-wing radicals in California dictatorial powers to control the future of the entire car industry all over the country,” Trump said in remarks preceding the signing. “It’s been a disaster for this country.”
In response, Newsom said in a statement, “The weaponization of the Congressional Review Act to attack California’s waivers is just another part of the continuous, partisan campaign against California’s efforts to protect the public and the planet from harmful pollution.” It’s pretty weak sauce, but it’s all he has at this point.
Well, except for another round of lawfare, that is. Within minutes of Trump’s affixing his signature (no autopen involved) to the resolutions, California Attorney General Rob Bonta had filed a lawsuit challenging the resolutions in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Bonta was joined by Democrat attorneys general from 10 other states.
KCRA Channel 3 TV in Sacramento pointed out that this suit is the 26th time Bonta has sued the Trump administration since January. Bonta admitted during his press conference that his office has already spent $5 million in pursuing its Trump-focused lawfare agenda, but no worries: The state assembly recently authorized a $25 million boost to Bonta’s budget to continue his Quixotic strategy.
repeal a waiver under the clean air act issued by the Biden EPA in 2023 which allows California to mandate all new cars sold by 2035 be what the California Air Resources Board (CARB) classifies as “zero emissions vehicles,” or ZEVs;
block rules requiring zero-emission sales targets for commercial trucks; and
eliminate higher standards for heavy-duty diesel engines to reduce smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution.
The central claim in Bonta’s lawsuit is that Congress’s use of the CRA to revoke California’s Clean Air Act waivers is unprecedented and illegal. Enacted in 1996, the CRA gives congress authority to revoke regulations that are finalized by an outgoing administration. Passed on a bipartisan vote of congress, it is designed to limit the exact sort of effort witnessed in the final months of the Biden administration to shove through as many new regulations as possible before leaving office.
CRA actions are exempt from the Senate filibuster and not subject to judicial review. However, because the CRA has rarely been invoked since it became law, it has never previously been used to rescind a waiver issued by EPA or any other federal regulator. Bonta is banking on the federal courts being willing to intervene based on an argument that the issuance of a waiver does not constitute a regulatory action. While what we’ve seen over the last five months indicates a likelihood that Bonta and his fellow plaintiffs will be able to shop for a district court judge who will be willing to issue a temporary injunction, their prospects of prevailing at the appellate level or the U.S. Supreme Court seem dim.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who authored one of the resolutions, frames the issue as a defense of consumer choice, telling Politico, “These mandates force Americans into vehicles they don’t want or can’t afford, all while ignoring the realities of our grid and supply chains.” The reality is that few Americans really want to buy EVs, which is the motivator for Newsom’s attempt to force them.
It’s all bad news for Gov. Newsom, who has been relegated to a complaining bystander in his own state as others act to address problems of his own creation. That’s no way to run a state, Governor.
David Blackmon is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation, an energy writer, and consultant based in Texas. He spent 40 years in the oil and gas business, where he specialized in public policy and communications.
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen announced on Wednesday that Arizona and fifteen other states are celebrating a legal win over the State of California. The victory came over costly regulation under the ‘Advanced Clean Fleets’ mandate, which required trucking firms to purchase electric trucks to replace all diesel models. The states reached a settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday.
The “radical” rule, as Petersen described it, would have particularly impacted Arizona trucking companies who operate large fleets in California. It would have imposed costs of over $100,000 per vehicle, “dramatically raising costs for local trucking companies and their customers,” according to a Senate release.
A report from the International Council on Clean Transportation noted that in response to the regulatory change, the Port of Oakland purchased 10 Peterbilt 579EVs at a cost of $5.1 million, or approximately $510,000 per semi-truck, not including maintenance.
“For years, California has operated with near impunity as its leaders passed unconstitutional regulations that brought great harms to Arizona consumers,” Petersen said in a statement.
Petersen offered a direct criticism of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes for her “absence” on the matter.
“In the absence of our Attorney General holding California accountable to the rule of law, the Arizona Legislature gladly stepped up to protect our citizens from this egregious abuse of power and emerged victorious. We are grateful for the coalition of attorneys general who helped force California to capitulate from its misguided position on this illegal mandate, and we vow continued vigilance on behalf of the citizens we serve.”
According to the AZ Senate GOP Caucus, California’s regulators have pledged to launch rulemaking proceedings to officially strip the new rule from the state’s regulations. They conceded that California’s 2036 ban on the sale of internal-combustion trucks is unenforceable unless and until the ban receives a Clean Air Act preemption waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Citing an “absence” of action from AG Mayes and the Hobbs administration, Petersen stated that he has led and/or joined over 60 legal efforts in state and federal courts “to defend the rule of law on behalf of the Arizona Legislature.”
California is poised to lose a significant portion of its oil refining capacity by the end of 2026, as Valero announced the closure of its Benicia refinery—its second largest in the state—just months after Phillips 66 declared plans to shut down its Los Angeles facility. Together, the closures will eliminate roughly 17.4% of California’s total refining output, a shift expected to ripple beyond state borders, potentially triggering gasoline price spikes and supply disruptions in neighboring Arizona and Nevada.
These developments come on the heels of new state regulations introduced under Governor Gavin Newsom, which impose strict oversight on refinery operations. The rules limit when refineries can conduct maintenance, mandate increased inventory storage, and aim to curb perceived “price manipulation.” However, the energy industry and regional leaders argue these measures are accelerating refinery shutdowns and undermining fuel stability across the Southwest.
California operates as an “energy island,” with limited ability to import refined fuel from other U.S. regions due to the federal Jones Act, which restricts domestic shipping to U.S.-built and -crewed vessels. With U.S. shipbuilding capacity far behind that of countries like China, domestic maritime transport remains scarce and costly. As a result, California will increasingly rely on foreign tanker ships for fuel imports—an emissions-intensive, volatile, and expensive solution.
Governor Newsom claims California’s high gas prices are due to refinery “price gouging,” despite his own administration’s lack of evidence. His regulatory push has faced bipartisan opposition, including a joint letter from Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo warning that new refinery laws could lead to “higher costs for consumers” in all three states. Chevron echoed this concern, stating that the regulations would increase both the likelihood and duration of fuel shortages, while permanently raising consumer prices.
Refineries in California are already operating at or near full capacity. With no new facilities planned—especially as the state pushes to ban new gas-powered car sales by 2035—any closure tightens supply margins. The upcoming shutdowns will reduce daily refining capacity to 1.34 million barrels, well below the state’s consumption level of 1.8 million barrels per day, necessitating a shortfall of over 140 million barrels per year.
Due to California’s requirement for a specialized gasoline blend, few out-of-state refiners can meet demand, further narrowing supply options. These vulnerabilities were recently exposed when the temporary shutdown of the Martinez refinery sent gas prices soaring across the region, including in Arizona and Nevada.
With California gas prices already the nation’s highest—averaging $4.86 per gallon—experts warn that future supply shocks could bring about even more dramatic volatility and potential fuel shortages across the Southwest.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
