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
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
- 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
I respect to the SB104, I am concerned that it will violate the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, environmental decisions on equal protection grounds. The Title VI bars discrimination on the basis of race, color,or national origin under federally funded programs. Any construction that would expose the communities to higher level of noise, air pollution, including carbon monoxide and benzene. The communities in the Tucson South side area are already surrounded by unequal distribution of hazardous wastes facilities, highways, sewage plants and other polluting facilities. The brunt of any proposed projects that places negative social, human health, and environmental impacts including those associated with noise, and air pollution, the dislocation of persos, the condemnation of homes, and business, chilling of economic development, as well as the disruption of life of the community will be borne by minority residents in the Tucson South side area. AZ must pave a path leading to environmental equity.
ReplyDeleteLinda Robles