Request to Speak on bills that weaken AMAs, water protections and state agencies

Here are the rest of our Request to Speak actions for this week. Apologies for this being so late when there are so many bills. But there are some really destructive bills that will make it impossible for state agencies to do their job to protect our environment. You might want to weigh in on Tuesday's bills right away because there are several bad water bills mostly sponsored by realtor Gail Griffin and farmer Dunn. They are really trying to neuter the director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources who shared his concerns about some bad bills that Griffin was pushing through last week. In fact, they are trying to take rule making power away from all the state agencies and putting it in the hands of people who aren’t experts – our legislators. They are especially targeting environmental agencies.

Several of the water bills weaken the rules of the Active Management Areas (AMA). Here is the Sierra Club’s video with more information on AMAs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcmZn5oyIXE

Please, sign into the Request to Speak system and weigh in on these bills before they are heard in committee.

 Sign onto the RTS app:
https://apps.azleg.gov/account/signon

Review RTS directions:
https://desktopactivisttucson.blogspot.com/2018/03/request-to-speak-time.html

Register for the RTS system here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdjBMoAJrjHD57GGegmdUCKAowcr93K4vQA6a7_AjyElBtrQ/viewform

Tuesday, January 30th

House Natural Resources, Energy, and Water Committee at 2:00 PM

Members of the public may access a livestream of the meeting here.

• HB2008 commercial; industrial; conservation requirements; rules (Griffin) requires the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) Director to adopt rules by January 1, 2025, for active management areas (AMA) for commercial and industrial water users that provide for greater water efficiency, conservation and on-site water reuse and recycling. However, it prohibits the rules from requiring them to obtain a certificate of assured water supply or otherwise meet a statutory replenishment obligation. OPPOSE
• HB2015 subsequent water management areas; basins (Griffin) says a groundwater basin or subbasin may be designated as an Active Management Area (AMA) or Irrigation Non-Expansion Area (INA) upon petition by 10% of registered voters who receive their drinking water from that groundwater basin or subbasin. The change in the bill is that the only people who can petition for an AMA are residents who receive their drinking water from that basin. This would make it more difficult to establish AMAs. OPPOSE
• HB2062 assured water supply; certificate; model (Griffin) This bill gives applicants that have already been denied a certificate of assured water supply a second chance by using an outdated water model. OPPOSE
• HB2200 groundwater transportation; Harquahala nonexpansion area (Dunn: Griffin) allows ACC regulated private entities to import water from the Harquahala Irrigation Nonexpansion Area into the Phoenix and Pinal AMAs. The issue is Section 2 that gives a 1-year exemption from the rule making requirement of the law which means that there is no requirement for public input or review. OPPOSE
• HB2201 Harquahala non-expansion area; groundwater transportation (Dunn: Griffin) The problem is that it allows water to be transported from Harquahala IMA to the unregulated portions of La Paz County. Also, Section 2 gives a 1 year exemption from the rule making requirement of the law which means that there is no requirement for public input or review.  OPPOSE
• HB2281 solar royalties fund; county residents (Biasiucci: Dunn, Gillette, et al) Imposes a 12½% tax on energy generated by any non-utility solar panel. It doesn’t apply to rooftop solar. This bill could be used to prevent community solar. OPPOSE
• HB2366 physical availability; review; designated providers (Griffin)  Requires the director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources to review the physical availability of groundwater and stored water of each municipality in the Phoenix AMA with an assured water supply designation. This is unnecessary interference with the powers of the director of the ADWR. OPPOSE
• HB2368 transportation; groundwater; Douglas AMA (Griffin)  Yet another loophole grandfathering private water suppliers pumping water outside of the AMA to send to Douglas. OPPOSE
• HB2589 assured water supply; analysis; availability (Dunn) establishes criteria for the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) Director to accept an analysis of assured water supply as a valid demonstration of physical availability of groundwater to meet the estimated demand of a proposed development. This pokes more holes in the groundwater management act and assured water supply requirements. OPPOSE

Wednesday, January 31st

Senate Committee on Government at 9:00 AM

• SB1153 regulatory costs; rulemaking; legislative ratification (Kern: Hoffman, Rogers, et al) This bill sets a really low cap for the regulatory cost of a rule by state agencies and requires the legislature to approve any rule above the threshold. It will make it impossible for agencies to do any rulemaking in the future. OPPOSE
• SCR1012 rulemaking; legislative ratification; regulatory costs (Kern: Hoffman, Rogers, et al) refers the provisions of SB1153 to the ballot. OPPOSE

House Regulatory Affairs Committee at 2:00 PM

• HB2471 rulemaking; legislative approval (McGarr: Chaplik, Hendrix, et al) requires all rules to be approved by a majority of each House of the Arizona Legislature. If they are not, the rules are invalid. This is another measure to tie the hands of agencies and would affect important rules regarding air, water, wildlife, and more. OPPOSE

Thursday, February 1st

Senate Natural Resources. Energy, Water Committee at 9:00 AM

• SB1172 physical availability credits; water supply (Shope) This is just a loophole that allows for development of prior farmland in an AMA to be developed without meeting the ground water management requirements.  OPPOSE
• SB1181 groundwater replenishment; member lands; areas (Petersen) relates to replenishment obligations on Central Arizona Groundwater District member lands. It appears to create a loophole that allows municipal water suppliers to exclude some lands from replenishment requirements in the groundwater replenishment district by designating them as non-member lands. OPPOSE

Oppose bills w/ loopholes for developers to skirt subdivision laws

This Monday in the Land, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs Committee there are three bills that provide loopholes so developers can skirt the state subdivision laws. This means more unsustainable development! 

Please, weigh in on the bills below before they are heard in committee. Some committee members check the RTS comments before deciding on how to vote on the bills. We have had some influence on how they vote. Unfortunately, there are some bills that pass anyway. Our RTS positions support the Governor when she vetoes those bills.

Sign onto the RTS app:
https://apps.azleg.gov/account/signon

Review RTS directions:
https://desktopactivisttucson.blogspot.com/2018/03/request-to-speak-time.html

Register for the RTS system here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdjBMoAJrjHD57GGegmdUCKAowcr93K4vQA6a7_AjyElBtrQ/viewform

Monday, January 29th

Land, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs Committee at 2:00PM
Members of the public may access a livestream of the meeting here.

• HB2006 real estate; acting in concert (Griffin) weakens the provisions for demonstrating that someone is acting in concert to avoid being regulated as a subdivision and having to do things such as providing an assured or adequate water supply. OPPOSE
• HB2009 subdivisions; acting in concert (Griffin) says it's unlawful for a person to attempt to avoid statutory requirements related to subdivision of lands by acting in concert to divide within a 10-year period a parcel of land or lease or sell six or more subdivision lots by using a series of owners or any other methods. Adding an unnecessary 10-year time period seems to create a loophole that allows persons to act in concert to avoid the current subdivision laws of the state.   OPPOSE
• HB2101 land division; applicant submissions; review (Griffin) requires an application to split a parcel of land to be approved if the applicant provides ANY answer to two questions regarding the applicant's ownership in the application. This will result in approval of more lot splits and more infrastructure issues. OPPOSE

Senate Committee on Finance & Commerce at 2:05 PM
Members of the public may access a livestream of the meeting here.

• SB1167 social credit; discrimination; financial services (Kavanagh) prohibits financial institutions such as banks from using a social credit score to make determinations about services. OPPOSE

Let's get the Watershed Health Bill a hearing!

Once again, the AZ Sustainable Water Coalition is trying to get the Watershed Health Bill a hearing.

The Bill is HB2357 Watershed health; use; survey (introduced by Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton). This bill defines ecological water needs as "water sufficient to sustain freshwater ecosystems that includes the wildlife habitat and human livelihoods and well-being that depend on these ecosystems." The bill recognizes watershed-health uses as a "beneficial use", allowing severance and transfer of water to the environment, and directs the Department of Water Resources to assess surface waters.

1. Please contact Rep.Gail Griffin (chair of the Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee) and ask her to give this bill a hearing. Ggriffin@azleg.gov

2. Please contact Speaker of the House- Ben Toma, and ask him to ask Rep. Griffin to hear the bill or assign it to a different committee. Btoma@azleg.gov

3. Please contact Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton and thank her for introducing this bill (again) sstahlhamilton@azleg.gov

You can also email them thru this az legislature website: https://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster/?body=H

Sierra Club's Enviro Day at the Capitol is this Thursday 1/25  (8:30am-2pm) "Save Water, Save Life" is the theme. If you're in the area - stop by the Sustainable Water Network table and Sustainable Tucson's water committee table.  

Advocate for Water (and other concerns) at the AZ Legislature or on the Request to Speak app

I hope to see some of you at Environmental Day at the Capitol Thursday. Sustainable Tucson's water committee will be there tabling and advocating for water. Dan Stormont will be there to answer your questions about rainwater harvesting! You can listen to a recording of his Sierra Club presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHb6famFFKg

The prospects for positive water legislation are not looking good as no good water bills have yet been scheduled for a hearing (because the majority party will only schedule their own bills). Representative Gail Griffin, the chair of the House Natural Resources, Energy, and Water Committee, did hear more of her bad water bills, including bills to skew groundwater modeling in the Phoenix Active Management Area. All of these bills were introduced for development interests. Interestingly enough, several were held as they failed to gain enough support to make it out of the committee. That is unusual and a bit of good news.

Scroll down to find more bad water bills (and two good bills). Please, weigh in on them before they are heard in committee. Maybe we can stop some more bad bills.

Sign onto the RTS app:
https://apps.azleg.gov/account/signon

Review RTS directions:
https://desktopactivisttucson.blogspot.com/2018/03/request-to-speak-time.html

There are more bad bills to come. If you haven't already, please, register for the RTS system here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdjBMoAJrjHD57GGegmdUCKAowcr93K4vQA6a7_AjyElBtrQ/viewform

Helpful Hint: Try entering just the number in the RTS search box if it doesn't go through. Example: 2244 

Monday, January 22nd

Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee at 2:00PM

• HB2244 misbranding; misrepresenting; food products (Nyguyen: Biasiucci, Bliss, et al.) prohibits intentionally misbranding a product that is not derived from livestock or poultry as meat or poultry. This is targeting cell cultured and veggie derived "meat" products. OPPOSE 
• HB2406 agricultural vaccinations; disclosure (Gillette: Biasiucci, Bliss, et al.) This allows the livestock producers to put a label on their product that states that it is vaccine free. The most concerning thing is that it prevents the state veterinarian from requiring or administering a vaccine that has only received emergency approval. OPPOSE
• HCR2002 supporting Arizona's beef producers (Smith: Shamp) includes a lot of misinformation about cattle and expresses the legislature's support for the industry. OPPOSE

Senate Elections Committee at 2:00 PM

• SB1008 voter registration events; posting (Hoffman) requires the Secretary of State and county recorders to post a list of events where they do voter registration. This is a bill to facilitate intimidation. OPPOSE

Tuesday, January 23rd

House Natural Resources, Energy, and Water Committee at 2:00 PM 
Members of the public may access a livestream of the meeting here.

• HB2013 water improvements program; nonprofit corporations (Griffin) includes non-profits for eligibility for these grants. SUPPORT
• HB2096 tiny homes; construction; requirements; exemptions  (B Parker)  Out on rural land counties can't require building permits for tiny homes, accessory dwelling units, detached garages or green houses. Also, no permits required for solar power or wind equipment. SUPPORT
• HB2097 gray water; definition; residential standards (B Parker) includes requirements for the use of gray water. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality already has rules for gray water. This bill would appear to prevent counties and municipalities from restricting gray water use where there's potential for contamination of ground water. OPPOSE 
• HB2123 wells; water measuring devices; prohibition (Smith) prohibits the state or any political subdivisions from requiring water measuring devices on wells in areas where there are rivers. OPPOSE

Wednesday, January 24th

House Municipal Oversight & Elections at 2:00 PM

• HB2547 voting centers ban; precinct size (Jones: Gillette, Kolodin, et al.) prohibits boards of supervisors from establishing voting centers to accommodate additional voting for a specific election as needed. This will limit access to voting. OPPOSE
• HCR2032 voting centers; precinct voting (Jones: B Parker, Smith, et al.) refers the provisions of HB2547 to the ballot. OPPOSE

​​​​Thursday, January 25th

Environmental Day at the Capitol!

https://desktopactivisttucson.blogspot.com/2023/11/preparing-for-environmental-day-at.html

Senate Natural Resources, Energy, Water Committee at 9:00 AM in SHR2.

Presentations:
Driving Efficient Water Use in Industry, Supporting Arizona's Economic Growth - Jessica Hancock, Director of Sustainability - Ecolab
WIFA Overview and Outlook - Chuck Podolak, Director, Water Infrastructure Finance Authority

• SB1081 exemption area; assured water supply (Kerr: Carbone, Dunn) says an area in the Phoenix Active Management Area that is also within an irrigation and water conservation district is deemed to have an assured water supply. This seems like another loophole.  OPPOSE

Senate Judiciary Committee at 9:00 AM in SHR1

• SB1073 obstruction highway; large event; classification (Kavanagh) includes provisions relating to obstruction of a roadway which really means making a protest where you stop traffic a felony. OPPOSE

AZ legislature loves traffic and unsustainable development

The Arizona Legislature is back in session and those in power are up to their old tricks. This week several bills are being proposed that weaken environmental protections for some state utilities and departments. There is even a bill, SB1013, that prohibits the state treasurer from considering any social or environmental factor when investing state dollars.

SB1014 goes even farther. It prohibits a financial institution, insurer or credit reporting agency from considering an environmental, social, or governmental score or similar values-based or impact criteria in their decisions. This would include not being able to divest from fossil fuels.

Rep. Gail Griffin (District 14) is wielding her power as the chair of the House Natural Resources, Energy, and Water Committee to push through some bad bills that benefit her personally as a realtor. HB2028 requires Arizona Department of Water Resources to assume that unpledged long-term storage credits (paper water) are available for use in a groundwater model and relative to evaluating whether or not there is an assured water supply. This is another way to allow for unsustainable development in areas that really do not have an assured water supply.

These bills must be approved in committees before going to a vote on the floor. You can weigh in on the bills (listed below) by using the Request to Speak (RTS) app any time before they are heard in committee.

Sign onto the RTS app:
https://apps.azleg.gov/account/signon

Review RTS directions:
https://desktopactivisttucson.blogspot.com/2018/03/request-to-speak-time.html

There are more bad bills to come. If you haven't already, please, register for the RTS system here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdjBMoAJrjHD57GGegmdUCKAowcr93K4vQA6a7_AjyElBtrQ/viewform

Tuesday, January 16th

Senate Transportation, Technology, and Missing Children Committee at 9:00 AM

• SB1012 transportation system performance; ADOT(Hoffman: Wadsack, Heap, et al) Redefines all the transportation performance factors to emphasize automobile traffic over other modes of transit. Also, prohibits ADOT from considering any plans that would reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled. OPPOSE
• SCR1002 prohibit tax; monitoring; vehicle mileage (Hoffman: Kern, Petersen, et al) refers to the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit fees based on vehicle miles traveled, an alternative to gas tax or other fees to pay for roads. OPPOSE

Joint House and Senate Appropriations Committees at 10:00 AM
Members of the public may access a livestream of the meeting here.

• Presentation
  • Executive Budget Proposal by Governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting - Sarah Brown, Director

House Natural Resources, Energy, and Water Committee at 2:00 PM

• HB2002 power plants; transmission lines; definition (Griffin) excludes switchyards and substations from review by the AZ Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee. This is one of the few entities that considers environmental factors relative to siting. We're concerned that they are adding even more exemptions to siting after exempting some lines in 2023. OPPOSE

• HB2003 replacement lines; structures; commission hearings (Griffin) allows utilities to replace structures on a transmission line without pursuing a new or amended certificate of environmental compatibility. This could mean replacing a low voltage pole with a much higher one and with significantly more impact. OPPOSE
• HB2004 utilities; electronic filings; corporation commission (Griffin) allows a utility to submit an application for a certificate of environmental compatibility for a power plant, transmission line, etc. in an electronic format. This would save a lot of paper! SUPPORT
• HB2028 groundwater model; unpledged storage credits (Griffin) requires Arizona Department of Water Resources to assume that unpledged long-term storage credits are available for use in a groundwater model and relative to evaluating whether or not there is an assured water supply. This is another way to allow for unsustainable development in areas that really do not have an assured water supply. OPPOSE
• HB2057 appropriation; long-term water augmentation fund (Dunn) appropriates an additional $143,800,000 to the water augmentation fund, which is for augmentation projects outside Arizona. OPPOSE

Senate Appropriations Committee at 2:00 PM
Members of the public may access a livestream of the meeting here.
Presentation
• Joint Legislative Budget Committee – Baseline

Wednesday, January 17th

House Government Committee at 9:00 AM

• HB2100 administrative completeness review; licensing (Griffin) adds a sentence that directly contradicts the other sentence currently in the law, essentially saying that if an agency notifies an applicant that there are significant deficiencies in their license application, it will be marked complete. That makes absolutely no sense and contradicts the previous sentence that says when an agency provides notice that an application has defects it will not be marked complete. It goes on to add a paragraph that seems to say that an agency can't provide the status of an application during the review period - also contradicting the previous paragraphs. OPPOSE 

Senate Committee on Government at 10:00 AM

• SB1005 public monies; ideology training; prohibition (Hoffman: Wadsack, Chaplik, et al) prohibits public entities from requiring or spending public monies on a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program. OPPOSE
• SB1013 government investments; products; fiduciaries; plans (Hoffman: Wadsack, Heap, et al) prohibits the state treasurer from considering any social or environmental factors when investing state dollars. OPPOSE
• SB1014 business; discrimination prohibition; social criteria (Hoffman: Wadsack, Chaplik, et al) prohibits a financial institution, insurer or credit reporting agency from considering political affiliation, or social credit, environmental, social, or governmental score or similar values-based or impact criteria in their decisions. This would include not being able to divest from fossil fuels. OPPOSE

Help "Plan Tucson" at Community Forums

PLAN TUCSON COMMUNITY FORUMS:
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY

Plan Tucson invites all community members to participate in our upcoming Community Forums, a crucial step in updating the City’s General Plan. This long-range policy document is central to defining the future of Tucson, addressing vital areas such as housing, transportation, climate action, and growth.

Event Details:

• Virtual Forum: Wednesday, January 17, 2024 from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
• In-Person Forum: Saturday, January 20, 2024, from 10 a.m. -12 p.m. at the new Ward 2 office, 7820 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 100

 

REGISTER HERE https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_9R0YaemMOHHw8U0czSjZU40B5hqmV9q9PL8v0FJVFbSzqQ/viewform

Both events will have prizes, and the in-person event will have food and family-friendly activities.

These forums are an opportunity for residents to provide feedback on the draft goals and strategies impacting both current and future plans and developments in Tucson. Your input will also help update our Future Growth Map, guiding where and what type of development is encouraged across the city.

The Plan Tucson Community Forums aren’t just about shaping policy - they’re about building a community vision. The more feedback we receive, the better the plan reflects our shared values and aspirations.

For more information and to register, visit plantucson.tucsonaz.gov.

 

Your Voice Matters in the Future Growth Scenario
Community Mapping Activity

As we update Plan Tucson, a key question is: How can we best plan for the city's growth and evolution? The Future Growth Scenario Map is a vital tool for this purpose. Your input is essential in updating the map to reflect our community’s vision.

Have ideas about where to encourage new homes, retail, or employment centers? Want a store or a new sports stadium in your neighborhood? Your preferences for housing and development are crucial.

Join the conversation and show us your vision in our Mapping Activity on the Plan Tucson website. The survey closes on Monday, February 5, 2024.

Together, let's shape the Tucson of tomorrow.

FOROS COMUNITARIOS DE PLAN TUCSON:
DANDO FORMA AL FUTURO DE NUESTRA CIUDAD

Plan Tucson invita a todos los miembros de la comunidad a participar en nuestros próximos Foros Comunitarios, un paso crucial en la actualización del Plan General de la Ciudad. Este documento es fundamental para definir el futuro de Tucson, abordando áreas vitales como vivienda, transporte, acción climática y crecimiento.

Detalles del evento:

• Foro Virtual: miércoles 17 de enero de 2024 de 17:30 a 20:30 horas. - 7 p.m.
• Foro presencial: sábado 20 de enero de 2024, de 10 a. m. a 12 p. m. en la nueva oficina del Distrito 2, 7820 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 100

 

REGISTRAR AQUI

Los dos eventos tendrán premios y el evento presencial contará con comida y actividades familiares.

Estos foros son una oportunidad para que los residentes proporcionen comentarios sobre los borradores de metas y estrategias que impactan los planes y desarrollos actuales y futuros en Tucson. Sus comentarios también ayudarán a actualizar nuestro Mapa de Crecimiento Futuro, guiando dónde y qué tipo de desarrollo se fomenta en toda la ciudad.

Los Foros Comunitarios de Plan Tucson no solo tratan de dar forma a políticas, sino que también tratan de construir una visión comunitaria. Cuantos más comentarios recibamos, mejor reflejará el plan nuestros valores y aspiraciones compartidos.

Para obtener más información y registrarse, visite plantucson.tucsonaz.gov.

 

Su voz es importante en el mapa de escenarios de crecimiento futuro
Actividad de mapeo comunitario

A medida que actualizamos el Plan Tucson, una pregunta clave es: ¿Cómo podemos planificar mejor el crecimiento y la evolución de la ciudad? El Mapa de Escenarios de Crecimiento Futuro es una herramienta vital para este propósito. Su opinión es esencial para actualizar el mapa para reflejar la visión de nuestra comunidad.

¿Tiene ideas sobre dónde fomentar nuevas viviendas, comercios minoristas o centros de empleo? ¿Quieres una tienda o un nuevo estadio deportivo en tu barrio? Sus preferencias de vivienda y desarrollo son cruciales.

Únase a la conversación y muéstrenos su visión en nuestra Actividad de mapeo en el sitio web de Plan Tucson. La encuesta cierra el lunes 5 de febrero de 2024.

Juntos, demos forma al Tucson del mañana.

AZ Legislative Update and Request to Speak Action, 1/7/2024

On Monday, the Arizona Legislature will start its 2024 session, kicking off with the live State of the State address from Governor Hobbs.

Sustainable Tucson joined the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations in signing onto the priorities for the Arizona Legislature and Governor at the Capitol. The focus of the priorities is water, but climate/clean energy, democracy, and environmental justice are also included. You can read the priorities here.

On Tuesday, legislators will start hearing bills in committees. Please, look out for weekly REQUEST TO SPEAK actions. You can weigh in on bills (listed below) by using the RTS app anytime before they are heard in committee.

Sign onto the RTS app: 

https://apps.azleg.gov/account/signon

Review Request to Speak directions:

https://desktopactivisttucson.blogspot.com/2018/03/request-to-speak-time.html

If you haven't already, register for the RTS system here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdjBMoAJrjHD57GGegmdUCKAowcr93K4vQA6a7_AjyElBtrQ/viewform

Monday, January 8th

First Day of the 2024 Legislative Session.

Governor Hobbs's State of the State address at 2:00 PM. You can view it live here.

Tuesday, January 9th

House Natural Resources, Energy, and Water Committee at 2:00 PM in House Hearing Room (HHR) 1 
View a livestream of the committee here.

Presentations:

• “Overview of the Central Arizona Project," Brenda Burman, General Manager of the Central Arizona Project
• “Overview of the Salt River Project,” Kyle Tilghman, Director of Water Strategy and Bill McClellan, Manager of Resource Development
• “Overview of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority,” Chuck Podolak, Executive Director of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority
• 
  
• HB2016 grandfathered right; subsequent AMA; extension (Griffin) is an emergency measure, meaning it will become law immediately if the Governor signs it. The bill  extends the deadline for a person to claim a grandfathered right to withdraw or receive and use groundwater in the Douglas active management area
  (AMA)*. This will further delay getting this AMA on track to limiting groundwater pumping. OPPOSE
• HB2027 subsequent AMAs; assured water supply (Griffin) exempts proposed subdivisions from the requirements of an ordinance that has been adopted by either a municipality or a county if the proposed subdivision is included within the boundaries of a subsequent active management area (AMA)*. This would affect counties such as Cochise and Yuma and would give subdivisions an automatic assured water supply if there was an adequate water supply. This is a loophole to weaken the requirements for Assured Water Supply in a newly approved Active Management Area. OPPOSE
• HB2099 active management area; groundwater right (Griffin) allows a groundwater user located in an area previously designated as an irrigation non-expansion area (INA) that becomes designated as an AMA* to receive a water duty (maximum amount of water per acre) based on the groundwater user's highest annual withdrawal since the INA was established. This will maximize rather than minimize groundwater pumping in this new AMA. It also has an emergency clause on it. OPPOSE
  

*For more information on the Arizona Groundwater Management Act, here is the recording of the workshop.