Tell AZ legislators: Uphold the Clean Energy Initiative and the Safe Drinking Water Act

This week at the Arizona State Legislator, there some actions being taken to undermine the Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona initiative and a Safe Drinking Water Act program.

Please, contact your Reps and Senator regarding HB2005 and SB1493 & SB1494. I have included the Sierra Club's prepared message below so you can copy and paste into an e-mail or use it as a script when you call them. (For more impact, feel free to personalize those messages.) Under that find two links to help you locate your Reps and Senator.

According the the Sierra Club, APS drafted a strike-everything amendment that got introduced by Senator Borrelli. The amendment seeks to undermine and effectively preempt enforcement of the Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona initiative (50% renewable energy by 2030). Please contact both your senator and representatives and ask them to oppose HB2005 with this striker. It could come to the floor of the Senate as early as Tuesday and then be voted out of the House soon after that.

Ask your senator and representatives to vote NO on HB2005 and for clean energy:

Please vote NO on HB2005 that now includes a strike-everything amendment on corporation commission; penalty. This sneaky strike-everything amendment was drafted by Arizona Public Service (APS) lobbyists to block more clean energy such solar for Arizona. The amendment would allow utility companies, including APS, to break the law and not comply with basic requirements for renewable energy, with just a slap on the wrist -- a maximum fine of $5,000, which is small potatoes for these large monopoly utilities.

It is clear that this measure is intended to undermine the Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona ballot initiative that requires utilities such as APS and Tucson Electric Power to obtain 50 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Instead of investing in our future and taking advantage of the power of Arizona's sun and the local sustainable jobs that can come with clean energy, APS is trying to protect its shareholders by stopping our clean energy economy from developing.

As if this all is not bad enough, the amendment would infringe on the Arizona Corporation Commission's constitutional authority as well.

Please reject HB2005 with this strike-everything amendment.

Thank you for considering my comments.

The Sierra Club also encouraged us to keep up the pressure on the bills that give the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality authority to pursue control of an important Clean Water Act permitting program and a key Safe Drinking Water Act program. These bills could open the door for weakening these important protections.

Ask your representatives to vote NO on SB1493 and SB1494 to protect Arizona waters:

Please protect Arizona waters and oppose both SB1493 and SB1494.

SB1493 (environmental quality; dredge, fill permits) allows ADEQ to adopt a Clean Water Act dredge and fill permit program no more stringent than the federal program. I oppose this effort as I am concerned that ADEQ will not provide for a robust public involvement process, nor do I believe there is adequate funding, staffing, and enforcement for the program at the agency. This means less protection for our state's waters. The bill also does not mention consideration of endangered species or cultural resources.

SB1494 (environment; underground injection control program) directs ADEQ to develop a program to permit underground injection wells. I am opposed to this as well due to the potential risk to our groundwater and the focus on streamlining rather than on having protective permits, plus the agency's failure to have an adequate stakeholder process upfront. That does not bode well for the permit process itself. Protecting Arizona's waters is critical to our future. Now is not the time for backsliding. Now is the time for ensuring strong protections for the future.

Please vote No on both SB1493 and SB1494.

Thank you for considering my comments.

----- Find your Representatives and Senator ----

To find out who your Representatives and Senator are, first find out which district you are in - at this sight:

https://azredistricting.org/districtlocator/

Use that district to find your Reps and their contact information here:

https://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster/

Urgent Request to Speak action: Oppose undercutting the Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona initiative

Some serious issues have surfaced that need immediate action, including the strike-everything amendment on HB2005 that is designed to undercut the Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona initiative (50% renewable energy by 2030) by preempting its enforcement. The strike-everything amendment would not only undermine enforcement of the proposed initiative, but would also interfere with enforcement of the current Renewable Energy Standard by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC). The measure is also likely unconstitutional as it would infringe on the ACC's constitutional rate-making authority.

Wednesday, March 14th

Senate Committee on Government at 2:00 P.M. 

• HB2005 municipal economic development; sale; lease (Leach) has a strike-everything amendment on corporation commission; penalty that hinders enforcement of a renewable energy standard, as noted above. Oppose. 

Please, sign in on the Request to Speak system before the 2:00 P.M. hearing today (Wednesday March 14th) in the Arizona Senate Government Committee and express your opposition to HB2005. You might add a note in your comments that you are opposing the strike-everything amendment.

While signed onto Request to Speak, you can register your opposition to HB2498 also being heard today at 2 p.m. in the Arizona Senate Government Committee:

• HB2498 historic preservation; rangeland improvements; requirements (Cook: Barton, Bowers, et al.) requires the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) to develop a streamlined survey report process for range improvements -- fences, corrals, stock ponds, etc. -- and requires the process to allow an individual who has completed a national culture resources training program to perform the survey. It provides for some minimal buffer zones. This is still a bad bill as it allows people with minimal training to sign off on activities that could do great harm to cultural resources. If livestock interests are doing work on state trust lands, they should have to do the proper clearance. Oppose. 

Wanna do more? You can call members of Senate Government Committee and ask them to oppose HB2005 with the striker and also HB2498, the bill that undermines protection of cultural resources.

Senate Government Committee

Sen Borrelli, Chair, (602) 926-5051
Sen. Kavanagh Vice-chair (602) 926-5170
Sen Contreras (602) 926-5284
Sen D Farnsworth (602) 926-3020
Sen Griffin (602) 926-5895
Sen Mendez (602) 926-4124
Sen Meza (602) 926-3425

While signed in you might want to go ahead and register your opposition to SCR1034 that will be heard Thursday morning: 

Thursday, March 15th

SCR1034 independent redistricting commission; membership (Yarbrough, Griffin, Kavanagh, et al.) is on the House Government Committee Agenda on Thursday at 9:30 A.M.. Please sign in on the Request to Speak system in opposition to this bill, as well. The bill refers to the ballot a measure to add four members to the Independent Redistricting Commission and also require that a certain number be from the two largest counties. Only the chair of the commission would come from a pool of candidates provided by the Appellate Court Commission. This is unnecessary tinkering with the commission and will result in more partisanship as more partisan appointments are made. OPPOSE

Heads up: Griffin is a real estate agent who profits from development.

In summary, please, sign in against HB2005, HB2498, and SCR1034 on the Request to Speak system. - Sierra Club Ready to Request to Speak?  If you're signed up for Request to Speak sign in here: https://apps.azleg.gov/account/signon If you've signed up for Request to Speak, this is your opportunity to put it to good use. You can register your position Request to Speak anytime that a bill is on the agenda to be heard in committee. Signing up for Request to Speak doesn't mean that you speak in person at the committee meeting. It means that you register your position "For, Neutral or Against" the bill on the system. Your position will become a part of the public record.  Directions for navigating Request to Speak: When you get to Request to Speak page- On the menu in the left column, click on New Request. At the Request to Speak Topic Search, type HB2498 into the Search Phrasebox and click the search button. In the Search Results, is a list of all the committees the bill is being heard in. In the Request to Speak column on the right-hand side, click ADD REQUEST. Register your position on the bill by clicking on: For, Neutral or Against. Click "no" on: Do you wish to speak (because you have to be in Phoenix to speak in person.) You can leave a short, one sentence comment if you wish. Then click on Submit.  You can then go back and do it again for the next bill.  ---- If you don't haven't, please, sign up for Request to Speak. If you don't get it in time for today's hearing, you will be prepared for the next Request to Speak action. To request a Request to Speak account: http://www.cebv.us/ It's actually pretty easy to use Request to Speak once you've done it - much easier than it is to explain. Next time it should be a snap! Or a few clicks anyways!  :)