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| Political Action |
Legislative Updates 2002To: Conservation Friends Hi all! Well, I have a bit of good news for a change. It appears that HB2638 -- the anti Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan measure -- is dead, at least for now. The word is that a study committee on the issue will be established. We have not seen any language, so I cannot tell you the make up or the mandate of the committee, but this is certainly a step in the right direction. Thanks for all your calls, letters, and emails on this critical issue and others. This week, please call House members and ask them to oppose SB1274 state land; leases and improvements (Martin, Brown, Arzberger, Guenther). This bill imposes additional roadblocks on those who would bid on grazing leases for conservation purposes. It says that if they win a lease, they have to pay the existing lessee for so-called improvements -- fences, structures, etc. -- irrespective of whether public dollars were used to construct them. It limits what can be done with the improvements once they are acquired -- so first you have to buy them and then you cannot remove them to accommodate wildlife and restoration. The bill also says the State Land Department can now consider who has the best right "and equity" to a lease. Equity is not defined but if the Land Department interprets it as they are currently then it is a clear attempt to shut out competition for these leases and give the existing lessee even more of an advantage. BILL UPDATE: HB2161 state trust land conservation exchanges (Flake, Gleason, Brown, et al) sets some parameters for land exchanges involving state trust lands should the voters approve the constitutional amendment this fall. It is the actual constitutional amendment about which we have significant concerns, because this bill is irrelevant without its passage. The bill says public hearings, an analysis, and two appraisals are required. It still does not say anything about three-way trades or how much of the state trust land would have to be conserved. Both of these raise concerns for us. It was amended in the Senate NRAE Committee to include a section on exchanging land around military airports. Haven't those people in the west Valley heard of zoning? This confirms our fears about giving the land department authority to administer exchanges -- with these exchanges the public could now get ripped off at the state and federal level. Coming up in the legislature this week: MONDAY Senate Committee on Finance at 9:00 a.m. in SHR109 HB2457 sales tax; contractor's solar exemption (Graf, Pierce, Kraft, et al) makes minor technical changes. House Committee on Health at 1:30 p.m. in HHR4 SB1375 S/E clean up guidelines; drug labs (Martin, Cirillo) requires the owner of the contaminated property to remediate it and established clean up procedures. TUESDAY House Committee on Counties and Municipalities at 8:30 a.m. in HHR5 SB1354 protected development rights; procedures (Guenther, Brown, Weiers, et al) allows cities and towns to establish an ordinance to give a protected development right without indicating it is a protected development right up front. This will give developers additional leverage in a process where they already have enormous power and will not serve the interests of the public and the public's need for information. As amended, it is certainly better, but we believe it is unnecessary and also would make it more difficult to fight projects that are phased in over time. WE OPPOSE IT. House Committee on Judiciary at 1:00 p.m. in HHR3 SB1329 referendum; required signatures (Mitchell: Arzberger, Brown et al) authorizes the use of an alternative basis for computing the number of necessary signatures required to file a referendum petition in a municipal election. It would effectively allow cities and towns to change the basis for calculating the number of signatures from 10% of the people who voted at the last election to 10% of ALL registered voters in the city or town. These numbers would be overwhelming. It takes away one more tool that citizens' have to stop measures at the local level. WE OPPOSE THIS. Senate Committee on Judiciary at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1HB2595 drug labs; real property; remediation (Somers, Foster, Cummiskey, et al) establishes clean-up procedures and notification for future occupants of properties and creates an oversight committee to address contamination issues relating clandestine drug labs. House Committee on Environment at 1:00 p.m. in HHR5 SB1117 school buses; alternative fuels (Smith: Bennett) is a measure which exempts schools from meeting alternative fuel goals for school buses. WE OPPOSE IT. WEDNESDAY House Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee at 9:00
a.m. in HHR5 House Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture 9:00 a.m. in HHR4 SB1274 state land; leases and improvements (Martin, Brown, Arzberger, Guenther) see above. SB1344 NOW: AGGREGATE MINING (Guenther, Hamilton, Hellon et al) relies on the establishment of "aggregate mining" zoning districts and committees. Considering that such districts and committees haven't been formed despite being available for years, it's unlikely they'll be formed under this bill. (Maricopa County did try this once, but it was a dismal failure.) We continue to ask a pretty basic question about this issue. Why shouldn't the county be able to regulate these operations relative to zoning? How are these operations different than a power plant, a manufacturing facility, etc? The legislature should just remove this special exemption for sand and gravel and give the counties the ability to fully regulate them via zoning. SB1353 Arizona agricultural heritage act (Guenther, Carruthers, O'Halleran, et al) establishes the Arizona Agricultural Heritage Commission and the Arizona agricultural heritage fund for the purpose of purchasing agricultural easements. It says these easements are to conserve agricultural land or the local production of food and fiber plus one of the following: conserve open space, native species and their habitat, large tracts of undeveloped land. THURSDAY Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment 8:30 a.m. in SHR1 HB2162 state land; planning and administration (Flake, Gleason, Guenther, et al). It will promote more sprawl on state trust lands -- as if we need that. The bill makes numerous changes to the urban lands act. It says leapfrog development and sprawl are fine with the land department as long as it is in the cities' or counties' plans. And how is more sprawl in the best interest of the trust? WE OPPOSE IT. House Committee on Military, Veteran Affairs, and Aviation at 8:30 a.m. in HHR5 SB1129 S/E military airport land exchange (Bundgaard) Whatever this is, it can't be good. Thanks for all your help! To email legislators go to http://www.arizonasenate.org/members.html for the Senate and to http://www.azleg.state.az.us/members/45leg/house.htm for the House. If you are not sure who your legislators are, please go to www.vote-smart.org or call the House or Senate information desks. If you're outside the Phoenix area, you can call your legislator's office toll free at 1-800-352-8404. In the Phoenix area call (602) 542-3559 (Senate) or (602) 542-4221 (House). Correspondence goes to 1700 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2890. For more information on legislation go to the web page at www.azleg.state.az.us. Page updated: 04/12/02Back to 2002 Legislative Updates page Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277, Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602) 253-8633 |