NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 31, 2016
Contact: Sandy Bahr, Sierra Club (602) 253-8633 – office, (602) 999-5790 – mobile
Sierra Club Releases 2017 Environmental Report Card
Legislature’s Attacks on Direct Democracy and Requests to Weaken Environmental Laws Characterize Session
Phoenix, AZ – The context of the 53rd Legislature, First Regular Session, included the backdrop of efforts to weaken and eliminate environmental protections at the federal level. Laws such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act have generally provided a floor for Arizona, but that floor is significantly threatened by actions in Washington, DC. These federal-level threats may explain why Arizona legislators introduced fewer bills aimed at weakening local environmental programs; these legislators were, instead, looking to Congress and the White House to deliver on an anti-environmental agenda.
The big hits were directed at the people’s rights to initiate laws and to stop bad laws via ballot measures. Having already erected a few roadblocks in previous sessions, this legislature attacked citizen rights with a vengeance by introducing eight measures to make it extremely difficult for citizens to put a measure on the ballot or to make it easier for legislators to amend and weaken those measures the voters pass. Six of those measures passed out of House of Representatives, and two additional measures passed out of both the House and Senate, landing on the Governor’s desk. He signed them, so they will become law unless the legal challenges or referenda that have been mounted are successful.
“We must fight this effort by the Legislature to take away our important right to citizen initiative and referendum – these are important tools for advancing environmental protection and stopping harmful actions by the Legislature,” said Sandy Bahr, Chapter Director for Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. “We must also demand more of our state legislature and the governor when it comes to environmental protection. Rather than hindering efforts to protect air, water, and wildlife, and sending messages to Congress to do the same, legislators and the governor should be working with our communities to strengthen protections and to address historic pollution and environmental injustice.”
Although many of the bills to advance an anti-conservation agenda didn’t make it to the Governor, a harmful water bill was signed into law. It advantages certain livestock interests to the detriment of tribes and federal public lands and may be used to rob precious flows from the San Pedro River. Likewise, the Governor signed a bill to discourage Pima County from protecting lands in Marana from development as part of its Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.
On the plus side, thanks to the Arizona Senate, the State Parks Board will be around for another year to help steward our state parks and our state parks system. This is the second year that the Governor, the state parks director, and the majority in the House of Representatives attempted to push through a bill to eliminate this important board. State park advocates hope this is the last of it, but . . . .
“We are pleased that the Arizona Senate removed the provisions to repeal Arizona’s State Parks Board and recognized the important stewardship responsibilities for our 27 state parks and three natural areas,” said Bahr. “We hope this puts the idea to eliminate that State Parks Board to rest, but we will remain vigilant.”
Also defeated by the Senate was a bill that authorized use of “snake shot” in urban areas. This bill could have been used to declare open season on snakes, small mammals, and even birds in our urban areas, plus it would have created additional public safety issues.
Legislators sent an excess of bad messages to Congress and the administration in Washington, DC, asking for weakening of health-based standards for air quality, replacement of the Clean Power Plan with a coal-friendly alternative, and repeal or weakening of the Antiquities Act so that larger monuments, many of which are in Arizona, could not be established. Senator Griffin was again the most profligate member of the legislature when it came to memorials and resolutions. Eight anti-environmental messages had her name on them as prime sponsor.
Once again, the Legislature passed no bills to significantly advance conservation or environmental protection. Even a bill to re-enact some tax credits for rainwater harvesting could not make it out of the House Rules Committee. Legislators did continue the waste tire program and a couple of councils, including for outdoor recreation and archaeology.
Nearly the entire Republican majority in both houses received failing grades. Ironically, only one person voted wrong on all bills Sierra Club graded – Representative Rusty Bowers, who chairs the House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee. Five senators and 17 representatives earned an “A+,” which means they voted 100 percent pro-environment and also did not miss a vote on the key bills Sierra Club scored. Three senators and five representatives also received an “A.”
Senators were graded using seven bills and three memorials. House members were graded using nine bills, three memorials, and one referendum.
Governor Doug Ducey earned an “F” on the 2017 Environmental Report Card. He was graded on six bills.
Everyone was graded on a curve. The bills Sierra Club graded focused on citizen initiatives, water, wildlife, and state parks.
Sierra Club is one of the country’s oldest grassroots environmental organization with more than 60,000 members and supporters in Arizona as part of the Grand Canyon Chapter. At the end of each legislative session, the Grand Canyon Chapter develops its report card in order to inform Arizonans about their legislators’ voting records on key environmental issues.
The Sierra Club report card is available on the website in English here and Spanish here