"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."
~ Marcel Proust

January 30, 2015

Credit: Sandy Bahr

Dear Conservation Friends,

As predicted, some of the really wacky bills will start to move next week – after the Super Bowl. On the agendas is a bill to include nuclear power in the definition of renewable energy and a bill to fund litigation to hinder recovery of Mexican gray wolves. There are also a plethora of bad messages to Congress coming primarily from the Arizona Senate.

Please contact members of the Senate Appropriations Committee and ask them to oppose SB1185 appropriation; wolf recovery; litigation costs (Griffin, Allen, Burges, et al.). It appropriates $250,000 to challenge any expansion of the Mexican wolf recovery program in Arizona. This is just wrong as it seeks to hinder recovery of these highly endangered animals.


Ask Senate Appropriations Committee members to reject SB1185 – it would hinder wolf recovery.


Please also send a message to members of the Senate Committee on Water and Energy and ask them to oppose SB1134 renewable energy; definition (Smith). It includes nuclear power in the definition of renewable energy. This is a bill that has been introduced repeatedly. It was a bad idea last year and the year before and continues to be a bad idea this year. If you have to mine the fuel for an energy source, it is not renewable!


Ask Senate Water and Energy Committee members to vote no on SB1134 and reject defining nuclear power as renewable.

• Presentations
• Cattle – Bas Aja
• Nursery Industry – Cheryl Goar
• Cotton – Rick Lavis

• HB2072 ballot measures; proposition 105 disclosure (Ugenti) is similar to a bill that was introduced by Rep. Ugenti the last two years. It requires that any campaign literature and the publicity pamphlet contain language that says the measure can "never be changed in the future" except via a three-fourths vote of the legislature that furthers the purpose of the measure or by referral to the ballot. This statement is inaccurate because referring a measure to the ballot changes nothing as the change must be APPROVED BY THE VOTERS and using the word “never” is misleading as a measure can clearly be changed under the conditions outlined. OPPOSE.

• HB2394 air quality; agricultural management practices (Pratt, Bowers, Cardenas, et al. ) clarifies that agricultural interests must immediately comply with the agricultural general permit regarding particulate emissions. MONITOR.
• HB2412 renewable energy credit; refundable; cap (Stevens) lowers the cap for the renewable energy production tax credit from $20 million to $18 million. MONITOR.

• Presentations – AZ Department of Water Resources – Director Tom Buschatzke, AZ Department of Environmental Quality – Director Henry Darwin
• SB1134 renewable energy; definition (Smith) includes nuclear power in the definition of renewable energy. See above. OPPOSE.
• SCM1013 rulemaking; electric generating units; opposition (Griffin, Allen, Burges, et al.) expresses opposition to the Clean Power Plan and asks Congress to oppose it and the attorney general and governor to take action against it. The Clean Power Plan is a rule to implement carbon pollution reductions from existing power plants to address climate change. Opposing it is short-sighted. Apparently the legislature's alternative is to do nothing to address climate change and that is totally unacceptable. OPPOSE.

• SCM1009 military bases; endangered species act (Griffin, Allen, Burges, et al.) is a message to the United States Congress asking it to enact legislation exempting United States military bases and training facilities from the Endangered Species Act. This, despite the fact that the military has not indicated that protecting endangered species hinders its mission. In fact, the military actually promotes its efforts to protect threatened and endangered species. OPPOSE.
• SCM1010 PILT program; SRS; full funding (Griffin, Allen) asks Congress to fully fund the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program on federal public lands and several other items.  MONITOR.
• SCM1012 endangered species transparency act (Griffin, Allen, McGuire, et al. )asks Congress to enact the "21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act" to require the federal government to disclose to affected states data used prior to an ESA listing decision and require the "best available scientific and commercial data" used by the federal government to incorporate data provided by states, tribes and local county governments. The ESA requires  the best available science already. This is an attempt to make it less effective. OPPOSE.

• SB1187 services outside municipal boundaries; requirements (Griffin) exempts smaller cities from requirements related to providing garbage service outside their boundaries. MONITOR.
• SCM1003 technical correction; urging the president (Griffin: Shooter) has a strike everything amendment on Mexican wolf; urging USFWS. The striker is not yet posted, but you know it cannot be good.
• SCM1006 urging Congress; Keystone pipeline; support (Griffin) asks Congress to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. Too late, it already did. The President says he will veto it, so that is good news. We oppose this memorial. OPPOSE.

• SB1185 appropriation; wolf recovery; litigation costs (Griffin, Allen, Burges, et al.) appropriates $250,000 to challenge any expansion of the Mexican wolf recovery program in Arizona. This is just wrong as it seeks to hinder recovery of these highly endangered animals. OPPOSE.

• HB2316 small water systems fund (Barton, Borrelli: Bowers, et al) limits use of this fund to emergencies – no training, education, etc. MONITOR.
• HB2366 fire suppression; federal reimbursement (Thorpe, Coleman) says the state shall pay claims on fire suppression costs if the federal government does not pay them within 30 days. There is no specific appropriation in the bill, however. MONITOR.