"We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right." ~Nelson Mandela
 

March 27, 2015

credit: Jenny Roberts

Dear Conservation Friends,

It is time of the season for strikers. This week, we saw a variety of bills that had died previously come back as strike-everything amendments, including a voter suppression measure. The strike-everything amendment on SB1339 makes it a class 6 felony to collect and deliver more than two early ballots during a two-year period. This appears to be an attempt to limit door-to-door get-out-the-vote activities and to keep voting levels down among many populations. After being defeated last week in another committee, the bill was tacked onto this bill in House Appropriations. The proponents of the bill have still not given any examples of why it is necessary.

Speaking of unnecessary, a bill to limit local communities' ability to promote energy savings and limits on plastic bags continued to advance. Unfortunately, the City of Phoenix cut a deal on the bill and decided to go neutral after getting a minor amendment added. In doing so, the city is helping to limit its ability to deal with waste and energy issues going forward and also hurting the efforts of every other cities and towns in the state. The bill prohibits cities, towns, and counties from having mandatory energy benchmarking and programs for fees on plastic bags and other containers. Please take action on this bill right away. It will likely go to the House floor on Monday. Thank you to Representatives Ken Clark, Stefanie Mach, and others for speaking up against this bill on the floor.

Last week, we forgot to mention the efforts of Senator Olivia Cajero-Bedford to promote an amendment to ban coyote contest hunts. The amendment did not pass, but Senator Cajero Bedford did a great job of outlining why it is needed and several senators said they were not opposed to the idea. Next year?

We are cautiously optimistic that the bill to prevent communities from requiring native plant salvaging and planting (HB2570) may be dead for the session, but we want to keep it on our monitor list. Nothing is ever dead at the Legislature until it adjourns.

Meanwhile, the public lands grab bills continue to advance. Although it appears that a couple of these bills may get combined, there are at least four bills that are still in play, including one to require the attorney general to sue the United States if the US does not turn over federal public lands to the state. Can you say waste of taxpayer dollars?

Please take the actions below and also take a moment to thank legislators who are speaking up for our health and our future.

Ask your legislators to support local control and the ability of your city, town, or county to implement programs to provide accurate information about energy use to local residents. Ask them to oppose prohibiting your community from reducing the use of plastic bags and other disposable containers. Plastic bags in the cities' recycle streams cost us all as they jam up recycling equipment. If you have time, please also send a letter-to-the-editor, objecting to this truly bad legislation. Send a letter AZ Republic. Send a letter AZ Daily Star. Send a letter AZ Daily Sun.


Ask legislators to oppose prohibiting providing accurate information on building energy use and limits on plastic bags!


Please Ask legislators to stop wasting time -- and taxpayer money -- on this public lands grab. Let them know Arizonans value public lands for watersheds, wildlife habitat, recreation, and more.


Please protect our public lands – ask your state senator to vote NO on bills to grab public lands.

credit: Scott Jones

Please help defeat this bill to allow more user-created roads on public lands throughout Arizona. Some of these "roads" cause enormous damage to vegetation, wildlife, and rivers and streams, not to mention cultural sites. This bill will likely go to the full senate this next week.

Ask your state senator to oppose more user-created roads in our national forests, national monuments, and national parks!

Credit: Mark Coryell

• Steven Moss

• Orme Lewis, Jr.
• Shawn Orme