Preparing to Advocate for Better Bills at the AZ Legislature

Time to prepare for our vital work advocating at the State Capitol. 

After the Arizona Legislature resumes on January 12th, we will have regular Calls to Action on bills that impact our water and the environment. Unfortunately, they are usually bad bills. You can weigh in on them through the Request to Speak online system while they are still in committee. If these bad bills make it through anyway, our RTS responses support the Governor's vetoes on those bills. 

If you haven't already, please sign up for the Request to Speak system so you are prepared for these important actions. 

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

Another way to advocate for the environment is to attend Environmental Day at the Capitol on  Wednesday, February 11, 2026; 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM. This is your opportunity to express your concerns with your Reps or be there to support other advocates. (For instance, I always advocate for water.) The Sierra Club has simple online training and one-sheets on bills they promote. This rewarding event is a great way to meet other like-minded people who also care about the environment. Transportation and lunch is provided.  

And be sure to register now - especially if you want a ride on the bus (as the bus fills up.) 

 https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=701Po000019vMfuIAE

One way to become better advocates is by staying abreast of what is happening at the state legislature. Towards that end, Sustainable Tucson hosted The Environment in 2026: At the State Capitol & Beyond. Watch recording of meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3eH7XnK6D4 The program included info at what can be expected in coming months from state (and some national) legislative and administrative actions, with a focus on what will have particular impact on Tucson and Southern AZ – and what we can do. As the head of the Environmental Advocacy team, I had the honor of introducing our panelists.

The panel included State Senator Priya Sundareshan (LD 18), Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter, and Kirsten Engel, Chief, Environmental Protection Unit of the AZ Attorney General's Office. They previewed the policies, places, and programs that Arizonans will need to protect and promote. Their perspectives give us a full picture of what we can and should do – as individuals and as an organization – to support an agenda of environmental protection and justice as we work for a sustainable future.

Please look out for more opportunities to learn about the bills that are coming up and how to advocate for our water and the environment by participating in Sustainable Tucson's Request to Speak actions.

Learn About the Arizona Legislature to Better Advocate with It

Sandy Bahr speaking at a committee meeting at AZ legislature

In addition to advocating for water conservation, climate action and environmental policies on the local  level, a big part of our work is weighing in on bills at the state legislature using the online Request to Speak system when the session starts up again January 12th. 

It only improves our advocacy to learn more about how the legislature works. In fact, I was inspired to start this group after attending the Sierra Club's Volunteer Lobby Workshop and Environmental Day at the Capitol. I would greatly encourage you to attend their upcoming Volunteer Lobby Workshop.. 

Volunteer Lobby Workshop! Learn About the Legislature

Date and Time:
Tue, Oct 7, 2025; 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM  (Arizona)

Organized By: Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter

Join the Sierra Club for this workshop to learn more about Arizona government, focusing on the Arizona Legislature, and how to lobby/advocate for change at the Capitol. They will cover the basics, including how a bill goes through the process, plus hear from people who have testified in committee and possibly from one of our legislators. They have allowed extra time for questions and answers.

Register to get the Zoom link:

https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=701Po000019073pIAA

Additional Directions: Send any questions you would like them to address ahead of time, but you will have time to ask during the workshop, too. sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org

Time for Action! Speak to Your Legislators at Environmental Day at the Capitol

Join us for the annual lobby day, Environmental Day at the Capitol, to advocate for environmental issues in our state. This is an opportunity to meet with your legislators, hear from great speakers, and connect with others who are doing advocacy work both inside and outside the Arizona Legislature. No experience necessary. The Sierra Club will be providing online trainings and workshops leading up to this day. They also provide one-sheets on bills they support that protect the environment. Join a small group of fellow citizens from your district to speak to your legislators or just enjoy the presentations! 

Time to Act! Extreme Heat & Climate Justice

Environmental Day at the Arizona Capitol

February 12th, 2025

Arizona Capitol - Wesley Bolin Plaza

1700 W. Washington St.

Phoenix, AZ 85007

RSVP and Register Here.

Please mark your calendar and RSVP. It is important to register so we know what legislative district you are in and also can plan for food and materials. Also, sign up for the free bus that is provided from Tucson.

Arizona Legislature session ends but not without some damage

bye bye

Here is an update on the end of this legislative session from Sandy Bahr from the Sierra Club. 

Phew! The Arizona Legislature finally adjourned sine die last Saturday and we can all breathe a little bit easier. They did more than their fair share of harm before heading out, however, including a godawful budget that does little to prepare Arizona for the challenges we face, a plethora of bad water bills, and a couple more bad referrals.

I will provide a quick overview here, but look for our Environmental Report Card on the Legislature for a fuller picture.

In the last two days of the session, legislators sent nine water bills to the Governor's desk, she signed four of them and vetoed five of them. She should have vetoed them all as none of them make our water future more sustainable and none of them take the comprehensive approach she said she wanted relative to water. Read more about the bills here and here. There is some talk of a special session to address the 80 percent of the state that has no groundwater protections. Frankly, having seen what transpired during the session, I am not optimistic about a special session.

Unfortunately, the Governor also signed a bill to exempt more actions from the Arizona Power Plant and Line Siting Committee process that requires a certificate of environmental Compatibility. HB2003 replacement lines; structures; commission hearings (Griffin) allows a utility that previously received a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) to replace a cable or wire on a transmission line or an existing structure with a new structure without getting a new CEC, but it must be in compliance with the existing CEC. Unfortunately, it includes a big loophole for any lines that were sited prior to 1971. Utilities failed to provide any kind of information on what lines or how many would be affected. The bill could have been easily fixed and Senator Sundareshan offered an amendment to do so, but the proponents refused to remove the pre 1971 loophole. Those lines had no review by the Committee, no CEC, and no terms and conditions with which to comply. Modifications could have significant impacts to natural and cultural resources. This passed and was signed by the Governor.

In the good news category, the Governor vetoed HB2376 federal government; land acquisition; consent (Diaz: Hendrix). It mandated approval by the state legislature for any land sale to the U.S. Government. This was a measure to block acquisitions to protect lands around the headwaters of rivers and springs, inholdings, and to otherwise protect blocks of public lands or areas with special habitat or cultural resources.

HB2377 federal lands; state management costs (Diaz: Hendrix, McGarr) would have required the Auditor General and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee to complete a cost and revenue study of the annual costs to manage all federal public land in Arizona and all current revenue generated by federal lands. This measure did not include the indirect revenues and benefits for these public lands and would provide a skewed perspective on these important lands. This failed to go to a final read in the House, so died.

Also in the good news category was that none of the bad energy and transportation referrals reached the ballot. HCR2040, HCR2049, and HCR2050 all failed to get a floor vote in the Senate.

HCR2040 public monies; prohibited expenditures (Smith: Biasiucci, Carbone, et al.) would have placed a measure on the 2024 ballot to prohibit the state or any political subdivision, including universities, to spend any public dollars to reduce global temperatures, have a climate action plan, participate in anything related to reducing meat consumption, do anything to address impacts of racism, etc. It never came to the Senate Floor.

HCR2049 had a strike-everything amendment that would have referred to the ballot a constitutional amendment to prohibit any fees based on vehicle miles traveled. As we reduce reliance on gasoline and gasoline-powered vehicles, gas tax revenues will continue to decrease and other ways to fund road maintenance are needed such as looking at vehicle miles traveled. This never came to the Senate Floor.

HCR2050 energy source; restriction; prohibition (Griffin: Biasiucci, Bliss, et al) would have put on the 2024 ballot a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit a city, town, county or any other political subdivision of the state from restricting the manufacture, use or sale of a device based on the energy source that is either used to power the device or consumed by the device. This would have made it harder to protect our air, our water, our health, and our communities. It never came to the Senate Floor.

The legislature also failed to bring HCR2056 elections; foreign contributions; donations; certification (Montenegro: Biasiucci, Bliss, et al.), across the finish line. It would have referred a ballot measure to restrict voting accessibility, create more administrative burdens to the detriment of voters, and leave election officials with little to no support. It failed to reach the Senate Floor for a Third Read.

The bad news again is they did refer several bad measures that may appear on the ballot, including the following.

SCR1041 ballot measures; challenges (Mesnard) refers a measure that allows challenges to proposed ballot measures by any person and earlier in the process. This would be hinder ballot measures as they could be challenged while people are still collecting signatures.

SCR1044 judicial retention elections (Gowan: Shamp) refers to the 2024 ballot a measure that eliminates terms of office for judges and allows them to continue to serve during “good behavior" and reduces the frequency of judicial retention elections.

HCR2060 Now: border; benefits; fentanyl; illegal entry (Toma) will be on the ballot for this fall, unless the constitutional challenge to it is successful. LUCHA is suing because the measure includes more than one subject and that is prohibited by the Arizona Constitution. This referral will make it easier for law enforcement to engage in racial profiling and to investigate and detain suspected undocumented individuals. It is very likely unconstitutional, would cost the state a lot, and, of course, is inhumane, seeking to criminalize people for seeking opportunities and reuniting with their families.

The budget, again, was not great on many levels, but certainly from an environmental perspective. Even during the best of times, environmental programs are underfunded. This budget included nothing for the State Parks Heritage Fund, no dollars for the Arizona Trail, no funding for Trees for Kids, and a lot of environmental fund diversions. It did include some funding for water quality programs at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and at least there was no funding for the Water Augmentation Fund -- that was intended for the big desalination project.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support and actions throughout this session. You make a difference! You can see more bills we tracked here and look for the report card on the Legislature in the coming weeks.

See below for an interim committee at the Legislature.

Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Study Committee on Water Security Friday, June 28 at 1:00 PM

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

https://www.azleg.gov/videoplayer/?clientID=6361162879&eventID=2024061051

 

AGENDA

1.	Overview of Amended SB 1221 – Senate Research Staff
2.	Comparison of AMAs, INAs, and BMAs – Dan Jones, Salmon Lewis & Weldon PLC
3.	Agricultural Perspective on Groundwater Management Act Origins – Ron Rayner
4.	Overview of Changes and Concessions Made from Introduced SB 1221 to Current SB 1221 – Stefanie Smallhouse, Arizona Farm Bureau Federation
5.	Significance and Value of Closing a Basin on Rural Economies, Groundwater Conservation, and Aquifer Protection – a.   Arizona Department of Water Resources b.   University of Arizona Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics c.   Bas Aja, Arizona Cattle Feeder' Association
6.	Agricultural Industry Testimony on Good Faith Negotiations – a.   Phil Bashaw, Arizona Farm Bureau Federation b.   Nicholas Kenney, Maricopa County Farm Bureau c.   Zach Fort, United Dairymen of Arizona d.   Rob VanHofwegen Jr., Paloma Irrigation & Drainage District e.   Robert Meddler, Western Growers Association f. Jadee Rohner, Arizona Cotton Growers Association g.   Patrick Bray, Arizona Farm & Ranch Group

 

Fate of Arizona's recent environmental legislation: 25 bills introduced, one new law

Solutions for Pollution - Sign up to Speak or Provide Written Comments on Soot Rule!

 

The current standards for deadly and dangerous soot pollution (also known as particulate matter pollution or PM 2.5) set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are outdated and insufficient to protect our health and environment. EPA just came out with its new proposed standards and they are not nearly strong enough to adequately protect public health. 

Stronger soot pollution standards will save lives. EPA must set the strongest science-based soot standards to protect our health, advance environmental justice, and ensure clean air for all. By tightening public health protections from soot, EPA could save nearly 20,000 lives a year.

EPA will be holding virtual comment sessions on Tuesday, February 21 and Wednesday, February 22, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST


Please sign up to speak at one of the public comment sessions here.

You can learn more about the health impacts of soot and the proposed soot rule by viewing this video.

Please submit a written comment here.

-Sierra Club, Grand Canyon chapter 

What's happening at the State Capitol and how to get involved

As I mentioned in the last post, our state legislature is back in session. Please, sign onto Request to Speak so you can weigh into environmental bills (some very bad) while they are still in committee. Does it make a difference? Sometimes. I have seen committee members - who were on the fence on a bill - ask to see the request to speak comments. Sometimes our support is enough to empower them to do the right thing. In the coming days, I will be sending out more request to speak actions. To stay involved, please sign up now. It may take a day or two because someone has to sign you up at the Capitol. Here's the link to have someone sign you up for Request to Speak.

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

DIRECTIONS FOR REQUEST TO SPEAK. It's really easy once you've done it once or twice. It only takes a couple of minutes to weigh in on a bill - once you've got it. 

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

Another way to support environmental bills at the state legislature is to attend Environmental Day at the Capitol.  (Either on Zoom or in person.) 

Please, find the link to RSVP below.  The Sierra Club will send you one-sheets on each of the bills they are lobbying for so you can prepare.  They also have a Zoom meeting before the event - if you need more information. 

Environmental Day at the Capitol 

Wednesday, Feb 9 

 hybrid event. RSVP here

https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=7013q000002FwnfAAC&mapLinkHref=https://maps.google.com/maps&daddr=Environmental%20Day%20at%20the%20Capitol!@33.448097,-112.097024

One last point on reaching out to your legislators. They have so much on their plates, that they aren't always aware of what is in certain bills. I've found that some legislators appreciate a friendly heads up.