Request to Speak and Petitions on Bad Environmental Bills

Sandy Bahr mentioned in the Sierra Club Legislative update that last week was the last week to hear bills in the standing committees. It was not. Legislators extended the deadline for hearing bills in committee until March 31st, What does that mean? Very full agendas for this next week and a bunch of strike-everything amendments where they replace the underlying bill with a brand-new bill but keep the number. This is super confusing for the public and is frequently used for controversial bills.

One of the strike-everything amendments up next week is on SB1278 and it will be heard in the Health and Human Services Committee on Monday, March 27th at 2:00 pm. The strike-everything amendment would take away local control on home appliances and limit local leaders’ ability to establish local building code provisions related to affordability, energy, and public health. This strike-everything amendment could also have long-lasting effects on health and safety regulations in International Codes related to hazardous chemicals, fire, plumbing, and water. If this striker is passed, it will also thwart local government decision-making related to appliances, zoning, building energy codes, and possibly affordable housing policies.

Please help stop this bad striker by signing in on the Request to Speak system against SB1278, calling committee members and asking them to vote no on SB1278. Find details on how to take all of these actions here.  Don't forget to both sign in against bills on the Request to Speak System, but to also use the links provided to send a message to your own legislators. Please, contact your senator on these harmful transmission bills that have already gone through committee: HB2437 transmission lines; applications; exceptions (Griffin) exempts a transmission line that is entirely on private land from being required to obtain a certificate of environmental compatibility from the Arizona Power Plant and Line Siting Committee, so there would be no environmental review.  HB2496 transmission lines; definition (Griffin) changes the definition of a transmission line to include only those lines that are one mile or longer. This means the siting of the lines that are less than one mile would have no review by the Arizona Power Plant and Line Siting Committee.  USE THIS LINK to contact your senator & ask them to oppose HB2437 &  HB2496! Also, keep up the pressure to oppose bills that undermine efforts to reduce traffic and support for public transportation and accommodation of bicyclists and pedestrians.  USE THIS LINK to contact your representatives and ask them to oppose SB1312, SB1313, SB1314, and SCR1018.          REQUEST TO SPEAK ACTIONS Sign in here: https://apps.azleg.gov/account/signon

Monday, March 27th House Committee on Health and Human Services at 2:00 PM SB1278 housing trust fund; rural areas (Shamp) has a strike-everything amendment S/E: state preemption; appliances; restrictions; prohibitions that will limit local control regarding health and safety for appliances. (See above for details.)  OPPOSE Tuesday, March 28th House Committee on Commerce at 2:00 PM SB1161 probation; work time credits; reporting (Kaiser: Shamp) has a strike-everything amendment S/E: affordable housing; development standards; report  that seems like a step in the right direction – except that the language in the bill makes sure that it applies to municipalities with population greater than a very specific 525,000 people (Tucson is just above that at 549,000), doesn’t allow for development less than 80 feet in height, doesn’t allow for less than the maximum density specified by current zoning, and doesn’t allow for general plan amendments or permit review. While urban infill is a desirable goal, this looks like a giveaway to developers specifically aimed at Tucson and Phoenix. OPPOSE House Committee on Natural Resources, Energy, and Water at 2:00 PM SB1104 procurement; information disclosure; bidders (Carroll: Gowan) has a strike-everything amendment on S/E: corporation commission; electric generational resources  that seeks to pre-empt the renewable energy standard  or any subsequent clean energy standard at the Arizona Corporation Commission by codifying a weak standard. We are opposed to this because the ACC is proper venue for establishing a clean energy standard as what is required or allowed has a significant impact on rates and ratemaking is within the exclusive purview of the ACC. We are also opposed to codifying a low weak standard. OPPOSE SB1247 technical correction; waste; enforcement; venue(now: recycling fund; appropriation (Shope) appropriates $2.5 million from the Recycling Fund to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to provide grants for recycling research, demonstration projects, new technologies, market development and source reduction studies. SUPPORT SB1432 assured water; small residential developments (Wadsack: Jones) requires those seeking a building permit for six or more residences within an active management area in an unincorporated area of a county to demonstrate an assured water supply. This closes one loophole in these requirements. SUPPORT SB1660 water; effluent; credits(now: water; storage; effluent; credits) (Kerr: Kaiser, Dunn) allows certain industrial facilities to construct and operate an on-site wastewater treatment facility for wastewater, and store the water underground. They must get an aquifer protection permit and treat the water to drinking water standards and they must leave 25 percent of the water they store in the aquifer. SUPPORT Wednesday, March 29th House Committee on Government at 10:00 AM SB1611 public entities; contracts; prohibition (Kern) prohibits a public entity from requiring a company to implement an environmental, social or governance policy as a condition of a contract. OPPOSE SB1694 public monies; ideology training; prohibition (Hoffman: Borrelli, Kern, et al.) prohibits any public entity from requiring and spending public monies on a diversity, equity and inclusion program and allows an employee who is required to participate in the program to bring action against the public entity. OPPOSE SCR1023 charter cities; repeal (Wadsack: Jones) refers to the ballot a measure to repeal provisions in the constitution that allow for charter cities, which would really affect local planning for climate and other environmental protections. OPPOSE House Committee on Appropriations at 2:00 PM  SB1392 appropriation; state park; Verde River (Kerr) appropriates an undesignated amount for a state park at the headwaters of the Verde River. It is good to see legislators supporting parks again and this area of the Verde River is beautiful and worthy of protection as a state park. Establishing a park there could help indirectly limit groundwater pumping there too, which is a serious threat to the river. SUPPORT Thursday, March 30th Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Energy, and Water at 9:00 AM HB2618 decommissioning; solar and wind; standards (Griffin) proscribes requirements for solar and wind facilities, including decommissioning. It is odd that she is calling out only these and not including anything on coal or gas. OPPOSE HB2669 solid waste; sludge; water quality (Now: prohibition; biosolids; land application) (Dunn, Griffin) includes limits on the application of biosolids. SUPPORT HB2806 state parks heritage fund; appropriation (Carbone: Biasiucci, Blattman, et al.) makes a onetime appropriation of $10 million to the State Parks Heritage Fund. While we support this, we want to see SB1224 adopted as it includes ongoing funding for the Heritage Fund from the lottery. SUPPORT HCM2008 air quality; ozone standards; opposing (Carbone) asks Congress and the Biden administration to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing any sanctions on Arizona for not meeting clean air requirements. OPPOSE