Rapid economic and population growth in Arizona’s dry central valley has created tremendous wealth and opportunity. Rapid development also has caused many state and national leaders and several members of the media to declare the region “out of water” and to demand an end to growth as the solution. Like other southwestern states, it is clear the valley is in need of more water than the Colorado River alone can reliably support. There are other water supplies available, however, given the means to use them. Development and growth do not need to be curtailed.

Given the relatively small water needs for most non-agricultural purposes and for residential development in the water-efficient urban core of our state, Arizona could solve the valley’s water problems with infrastructure — even if that water ends up being relatively expensive and if rural agriculture continues demanding the lion’s share of the supply. Current law treats water as a common public good; there have been only limited experiments so far with privatization and exchange. While these markets have not yet been tested, they show promise.

On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Glenn Farley joins Chairman and Host Earl Wright to discuss our research report "Arizona's Urban Desert Miracle" and unpack the issues surrounding water in the desert, the creativity required to address those issues, and how Arizona can move forward with a growth mindset while ensuring enough water for all.

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Common Sense Institute recently published a study titled "Highway Detours: The Ongoing Shift of Transportation Dollars." It was authored by our Transportation Fellow Ben Stein, who, in 2006 became the Budget Director for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). At CDOT he oversaw the development and execution of the annual budget for the department which then had an annual budget in excess of $1 billion and more than 3,000 employees. In October 2010, Stein was selected to become CDOT’s Chief Financial Officer (Senior Executive Service). During his tenure at CDOT he also managed numerous complex financial transactions. These included private placements, the inaugural issuance of bonds by the Colorado Bridge Enterprise, the U.S 36 Public Private Partnership, and the I-70 Central Viaduct replacement project.

In the report, Ben explores four issues that contribute to the state’s difficulties: geography and demography, a focus on environmental impacts, inflation, and revenues and funding. Additionally, in the past, ballot initiatives have had limited success. In this episode of Common Sense Digest, Ben joins Chairman and Host Earl Wright to discuss these problems and offer a path forward that will help meet the transportation needs of state residents in a fiscally responsible way.

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In this special edition of Common Sense Digest, we feature discussion from one of our recent events. On Tuesday, March 4, Common Sense Institute hosted its quarterly Eggs & The Economy Event. This edition was titled "Over Easy or Overpriced? The Growing Cost of Living in Colorado." Our panelists included:

Tamra Ryan - CSI Coors Economic Mobility Fellow

Lynn Granger - President & CEO of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association

Ross Kaminsky - CSI Free Enterprise Fellow

Vince Bzdek - Editor-in-Chief of the Colorado Springs Gazette (Moderator).

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.