Legislative Updates 2004

 

Hi all! Again, thank you all so much for calling and emailing to ask the Game and Fish Department and the Coronado National Forest to look at other options for the Sabino Canyon mountain lions. As of yesterday, they have decided to try and remove the lions and place them in some kind of captive facility. We do not believe this is a good option and still think Game and Fish has not made the case for why the animals should be removed at all. We will continue to push for a thorough explanation and options such as the use of aversion techniques, simulation of occupied habitat, etc. Please page to bottom of this message to find out how you can help some of Arizona’s other wildlife.

And now for a little good news — from outside the legislature. Yesterday, the Pinal County planning and zoning committee recommended a denial of the La Osa Ranch development being proposed by George Johnson. This is a massive development, even with the reduction from 50,000 to 30,000 homes. The Pinal County Board of Supervisors will make the final decision, but this is a great start in defeating this terrible development that would be located northwest of Marana and just north of the Ironwood Forest National Monument

In other good news and at the legislature, SB1039 S/E military facilities preservation; appropriation was amended on the Floor to take the money from the general fund rather than from the voter approved conservation fund. We are now neutral on this bill. Also in the good news category, all the solar bills passed out of the House with very little opposition. HB2526, HB2527, HB2528, HB2613, and HB2703 all passed. These provide for setting up tax credit programs for on-site solar, require the school facilities board to develop adequacy guidelines for renewables in schools, among other things.

Unfortunately, SB1085 solid waste fees (Allen, Blendu, Huffman) passed out of the Senate without much opposition. It steals half of the recycling tipping fee (currently 25 cents) and shifts it to the general solid waste program at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). While we think that the ADEQ should get funding to run the program, an important public health function, diverting these dollars is a bad idea and bad public policy ­ the robbing Peter to pay Paul strategy. It is unlikely that these recycling dollars will ever revert to the intended programs where they fund city, county, and school district work to reduce waste, properly dispose of household hazardous waste, promote composting, and other issues that keep waste out of the landfills, thereby prolonging the life of the landfill and saving everyone money in the long haul. Educating the public about these issues also helps better protect our soil and water. Please thank senators Brotherton, Garcia, Giffords, Mead, Mitchell, and Soltero for opposing this bill. Just go to http://www.azleg.state.az.us/MemberRoster.asp and click on their email address or see the information at the end of this update to call them.

SB1081 animal and ecological terrorism (Verschoor, J. Allen, Harper, et al) also passed out of the Senate 18-12. The most egregious first amendment problems were amended out of it, but we still question the need for the legislation as well as the potential unintended consequences. The Sierra Club has long condemned violence, including that done in the name of protecting the environment. There are ample conditions under current law to prosecute those engaged in illegal conduct of this nature. Why is this needed? We have strong laws against damaging property, trespass, arson and specifically damaging agricultural or lab facilities. They include 11-1023 Unauthorized release of animals; classification; damages, 17-316 Interference with rights of hunters; violation; classification, and 3-114 Liability for unauthorized destruction of field crop product; damages; definition, among others. Please thank senators Aguirre, Binder, Brotherton, Cheuvront, Garcia, Giffords, Hale, Mead, Miranda, Mitchell, Rios, and Soltero for opposing it. (See above for link.)

Today is the Governor’s Second Annual Forest Health Conference: “The Next 100 Years”. Meanwhile the Legislature is busy setting policies suitable for the last 100 years. Representative O’Halleran’s bill with some of the key recommendations from the Governor’s committee has gone nowhere, while the legislature is passing along both SB1212 healthy forest pilot program (Jarrett, Bee, Chase) and HB2549 healthy forest pilot program (Chase, Arnold, Carruthers, et al). These are poorly drafted bills that were the product of some sham legislative hearings last fall. They set up a process for developing a pilot project at the state land department. No environmental perspective was included in the drafting, nothing about protecting old growth or focusing on the wildland urban interface, or really even protecting communities. Instead they talk about logging “deep in the forest” and limiting public review and input.

Here is what’s up in committees this week:

Monday, March 22^nd

House Committee on the Environment at 1:30 p.m. in HHR4

SB1064 regional haze; penalties (Allen) moves the penalties to the appropriate location in the statute.

SB1246 pesticide regulation (Arzberger, L. Aguirre, Brotherton, et al) makes changes to the program to protect Arizona’s groundwater from pesticide contamination. The industry people wanted to get rid of specific numeric values. Instead the compromise allows the agency to use other methods if they find one that is more predictive of groundwater contamination.

Tuesday, March 23^rd

House Committee on Government and Retirement at 10:00 a.m. in HHR3

SB1269 public records; index (Burns, Bee, Johnson, et al) requires state agencies to provide an index of records that have been withheld from the requesting person, plus the agency must state the reason each record is being withheld

Senate Natural Resources and Transportation Committee at 1:30 pm in SHR1

HB2278 assured water supply certificate; assignment (Hart) allows transfer of assured water supply certificate under certain conditions.

HB2403 clean bus fleets (Hart) makes minor technical changes.

HB2483 off-highway vehicles (Konopnicki, Flake, Jayne, et al) allows local authorities to designate routes on certain streets and highways to allow off-highway vehicle operators to gain access to or from a designated off-highway facility. This is probably narrow enough that it does not cause harm. It may be dangerous however.

HB2626 county transportation; acceleration agreements (Mason, Carruthers, O’Halleran, et al) allows local governments and tribes to enter into agreements with the department of transportation for the acceleration of right-of-way acquisition, and design or construction of projects.

Wednesday, March 24^th

Senate Committee on Judiciary at 10:00 a.m. in SHR1

HCR2009 initiatives; filing date (Quelland, Biggs, C. Gray, et al) passed out of the House 31-27-2. Representative Quelland backed off on his commitment to several groups to amend the bill to reduce the number of required signatures as a trade off for pushing back the filing date by three months for filing signatures. The bill got out of Judiciary with the signature reduction amendment and Representative Quelland indicated to all of those with whom he met, that this was going to be how the bill moved forward. This measure hurts grassroots organizations and further advantages wealthy interests relative to initiatives.

Senate Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 p.m. in SHR109

HCR2011 voter approved expenditures; limitation (Konopnicki, Barnes, Gray C, Hubbs, et al) passed out of the House 31-27-2. It undercuts voter approved ballot measures by requiring that any measure involving a mandatory expenditure also include a new revenue source ­ not the general fund. It also allows the legislature to proportionately reduce an appropriation for a specific purpose if the monies approved for the purpose are insufficient to cover all of the costs and allows them to use that amount to compute future expenditures. The legislature is likely to always divert these dollars.

Burrowing Owls ­ On Sunday, March 28^th, please join the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter's Wildlife Committee, Greg Clark and Bob Fox of Wild at Heart at Reach 11 in Scottsdale. We will erect an acclimation tent around the burrows which volunteers constructed in January. The tent will allow the owls who will be relocated here to safely get established in their new burrows. Work at the burrow site will begin at 9AM. You may meet us there or meet at the Sierra Club office parking lot to carpool. Tools and refreshments will be provided ­ bring water bottles to refill. Please bring work gloves if you have them. Remember hats and sunscreen. Please let us know whether or not you plan to participate, so we know how many to expect and can ensure there are enough tools and more importantly enough snacks. Call or e-mail Halina to rsvp or for more information on the project and carpooling. You can reach her at 602-749-2063 or hkubus@yahoo.com

Thanks again for all you do! To email senators go to http://www.azleg.state.az.us/MemberRoster.asp and for house members to http://www.azleg.state.az.us/MemberRoster.asp#house. If you are not sure who your legislators are, please go to http://www.vote-smart.org/index.phtml 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) 926-3559 (Senate) or (602) 926-4221 (House). Correspondence goes to 1700 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2890. For more information on legislation go to http://www.azleg.state.az.us/. To reach the Governor, call 602-542-4331 or toll free 1-800-253-0883. To email her, either click on this link or cut and paste it into your server http://www.governor.state.az.us/post/feedback.htm