Courtesy of U.S. Rep Greg Stanton
Congressman says It’s more than an environmental issue
Tara Kavaler
Arizona Republic USA TODAY NETWORK
It has been nearly a decade since Rep. Greg Stanton first served as Phoenix’s mayor.
His six-year tenure as Phoenix’s mayor from 2012 to 2018 has profoundly shaped his approach to legislating in Congress.
Stanton’s signature issue is water and one of his crowning achievements is the Arizona Environmental Infrastructure Authority. Congress has provided Stanton, a three-term Democrat who represents Arizona’s 4th Congressional District, the opportunity to continue his work as mayor to combat Arizona’s 23-year drought on a broader scale.
Stanton argues that water is not just an environmental issue, but an economic and national security issue. He said that in order to properly address water scarcity, Arizona must build up its environmental infrastructure.
In Congress since 2019, Stanton has been able to address water topics, something he has worked on since he was Phoenix mayor. He is a member of the House Transportation and Infra-
structure Committee and sits on the panel’s Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee.
“I’m passionate about the issue of water. … We did some really innovative things when I was mayor of the city of Phoenix, including the creation of the Colorado River Resiliency Fund,” Stanton said, explaining that the program took a portion of Phoenix residents water bill and used it for water conservation projects throughout the state.
“It’s a natural area for me because I have been working on being on the cutting edge (with water) my entire time in political life,” he said.
