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Legislative Updates 2008Sierra Club 2008 Legislative Update #8 “If the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does not suspend the catalytic converter rule, it will cause Ford to shut down and would result in: 1) reduction of gross national product by $17 billion; 2) increased unemployment of 800,000; and 3) decreased tax receipts of $5 billion at all levels of government so that some local governments would become insolvent.” — Lee Iacocca, Former Ford and Chrysler President Lee Iacocca in a 1973 speech February 29, 2008 Hello Conservation Friends! Thanks for making the calls and emails. I wish I had more good news for this week, but I don’t. The session is far from over, however, and there is still time to strengthen a few measures and stop the bad stuff. The auto manufacturers have been out in force and will likely be at Monday’s Clean Car hearing to continue their opposition to anything remotely progressive to clean up the air. They have a long tradition of predicting dire consequences if they are required to enact clean air or safety measures. Please attend the hearing if you can and speak up for Clean Cars. See details below. Without some significant actions and a willingness on the part of legislators to just say “no” to the Central Arizona Homebuilders Association, the prospects for a meaningful clean energy bill are remote at best. Based on discussions this week regarding HB2766 omnibus energy act of 2008, most of the bill will consist of voluntary measures including voluntary standards for energy efficiency for new construction. Isn’t that what we have now? Last week the renewable energy requirements relating to Salt River Project were rendered meaningless and a future amendment will likely remove the other unregulated entities such as a few electric districts and Mesa. The oil companies had already had their way with the bill. The only things left in the bill worth supporting are the provisions dealing with schools and state buildings. The bill is called “omnibus”, but it is more of a “minibus”. HCR2037 was held this past week, but is on the agenda again for Wednesday, so please call members of the House Natural Resources and Public Safety Committee again and ask them to oppose it. HCR2037 constitutional rights; game and fish (JP Weiers, Adams, Barnes, et al) refers to the ballot a constitutional amendment to limit the authority of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to regulate and manage wildlife consistent with its duties and limits the rights of citizens to enact wildlife legislation by initiative. The Sierra Club is not anti-hunting, but this measure is really not about hunting, it is about undermining the rights of the people as well as the commission system relative to wildlife management. At a minimum, this proposal would create inconsistent provisions regarding initiative rights within the Arizona Constitution. Please ask legislators to oppose this power grab. Members of the House Natural Resources and Public Safety Committee include Representatives Barnes rbarnes@azleg.gov , Biggs abiggs@azleg.gov , Burges jburges@azleg.gov, Kavanagh jkavanagh@azleg.gov, McGuire bmcguire@azleg.gov Nelson jnelson@azleg.gov, Pancrazi lpancrazi@azleg.gov, Sinema ksinema@azleg.gov, Ulmer tulmer@azleg.gov , and Jerry Weiers (Chair) jpweiers@azleg.gov. You can find complete contact information by clicking here Legislators. If you're outside the Phoenix area, you can call legislators’ offices toll free at 1-800-352-8404. In the Phoenix area call (602) 926-3559 (Senate) or (602) 926-4221 (House). Just ask them to connect you to the various legislators’ offices. Coming up this week: Monday, March 3 Speak up for Clean Air, Demand Clean Cars - Please attend this important Clean Cars Public Hearing at 6:30 p.m. at Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) 1110 W. Washington Phoenix Tuesday, March 4 House Committee on Counties, Municipalities & Military Affairs at 1:30 p.m. in HHR 5 HB2193 cities and towns; technical correction (Nelson) has a note yet posted strike everything on publication: county minutes. HB2495 real estate disclosure; training ranges (J. Burns, McClure, Nelson, et al) will have a strike everything amendment on it. It is not yet posted. HB2615 solar energy systems; permits (Mason, Ableser, Reagan) requires cities and counties to adopt the Maricopa Association of Governments solar permitting standards and has caps on fees. The MAG standards are coming out of the bill. It will have a strike everything amendment on it. SUPPORT. HB2685 state trust lands; technical correction (Nelson) is a vehicle bill for a strike everything amendment. HCR2057 state trust lands; technical correction (Nelson) is also a vehicle bill. House Committee on Government at 1:30 p.m. in House Hearing Room 4 HCR2018 legislature; split house districts (Crump: DeSimone, McComish et al) refers to the ballot a measure that would give us 60 House districts (currently there are 30) but keep 30 senate districts. I fail to see how this will improve the representation. HCR2020 legislature; designated seat (Crump, Gorman: Barto, et al) refers to the ballot a constitutional amendment to designate the two house seats per district as A and B. HCR2026 redistricting commission; elected members (Paton) refers to the ballot a measure to have us elect the members of this commission. I think looking at requiring competitive districts might be a better way to go with this. Senate Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 109 SB1465 transportation: innovative partnerships program (Gould: Harper, Huppenthal et al) allows ADOT to establish these partnerships. This would mean even less accountability to the public. OPPOSE. Wednesday, March 5 House Committee on Natural Resources and Public Safety at 9:00 a.m. in House Hearing Room 1 HB2192 state parks board; annual report (Adams) requires a report to the legislature and to the archives. HCR2037 constitutional rights; game and fish (JP Weiers, Adams, Barnes, et al) see above. HCR2068 forest service road management plan (Konopnicki: Brown) is a memorial or “postcard” to congress to express opposition to the Forest Service road management plan and contains several inaccurate statements. The Travel Management Rule will not close up to 80% of existing forest system roads as the resolution indicates, and could in fact result in the creation of additional roads in some areas. In 2005, the U.S. Forest Service passed a long overdue rule to control the rampant off-road vehicle abuse of our public lands. This rule is known as the Travel Management Rule and was passed as a result of decades of unrestricted off-road vehicle use which created a spider web of illegal roads and trails in the forests which damaged historic sites, caused severe soil erosion and destruction of wildlife habitat and watersheds, and also increased the chance of wildfires. Each forest in Arizona is going through a public process to determine which roads will be closed and which will be open. Stating that the legislature is opposed to the closure of any roads is shortsighted at best. OPPOSE. House Committee on Environment at 1:30 p.m. in House Hearing Room 5 HB2141 home sales; water supply disclosure (Ableser: Ch Campbell) requires the disclosure of the water situation with all advertising and sale of property. This is a much needed consumer protection measure. SUPPORT HB2493 solid waste dumping (McGuire, McClure, Nelson, et al) clarifies that waste and debris remains in the ownership of a person or company until it has been properly and legally disposed of. It will have a clarifying amendment to ensure that cities and counties can act to require someone to clean up their property. SUPPORT. House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 p.m. in House Hearing Room 1 HCR2044 voter-protection; temporary budgetary suspension (Pearce, Barnes, Biggs, et al) refers to the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the legislature to reduce appropriations for measures approved by the voters in any year where there was a projected budget deficit. This would eviscerate the Voter Protection Act. OPPOSE. HCR2066 legislative right to reduce appropriations (Adams: Biggs, Farnsworth) is another version of the measure above. This too would gut the Voter Protection Act. It refers to the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment that allows the legislature to reduce any appropriation or spending requirement irrespective of how it was enacted, including those enacted by the people via an initiative or referendum. OPPOSE. HCR2069 state budget; continuation (Murphy: Anderson, Pearce, et al) says that the current budget continues if a new budget has not been enacted by June 30 and requires the agency to reduce its budget if the dollars are inadequate. This is another really ridiculous proposal. OPPOSE. Thursday, March 6 House Committee on Water and Agriculture at 9:30 a.m. in House Hearing Room 1 HB2770 business person property valuations; depreciation (Clark, Adams, Barnes, et al.) will have a strike everything amendment on water supply; disclosure HB2772 groundwater transfers; drought emergency (Mason) has a strike everything ground transfers; Coconino plateau, which will allow the Town of Williams to transfer water from one basin to another. Apparently no one can read a map and did not use GPS, so Williams drilled wells in the wrong place. This bill would ratify this mistake. That is a bad idea. OPPOSE. For more information on bills we are tracking, go to http://arizona.sierraclub.org/political_action/tracker/. To email legislators go to http://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster.asp. If you are not sure who your legislators are, please go to http://www.vote-smart.org (You will need your 9-digit zipcode.) or call the House or Senate information desks. If you're outside the Phoenix area, you can call your legislators’ offices 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.gov.
Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277, Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602) 253-8633 |