2024 Environmental Report Card for AZ Legislature and Governor
Session Characterized by Inaction on Key Priorities-Water, Climate, and Environmental Justice
In August, Sierra Club, joined by Chispa Arizona and Arizona Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) for Equity, released the 2024 Environmental Report Card for the Arizona Legislature and Governor.
“The 2024 legislative session was disappointing as legislators again missed opportunities to act on climate, environmental justice, and water, and, unfortunately, passed water legislation that does more harm than good, failing to address groundwater issues for rural Arizona or protect any rivers or streams,” said Sandy Bahr, director for Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. “As if that were not bad enough, legislators loaded up the ballot with referrals, including one to make it difficult to advance rules to protect our air and water, one to target immigrants, and one to hinder citizen initiatives.”
Nearly everyone seemed to agree that Arizona needed to take action on water, especially as wells in rural Arizona continued to be pumped dry by industrial agriculture and an assured water supply was no longer available in parts of the Active Management Areas. It turns out, however, that developers, big agriculture, land and water speculators, and private water companies were all interested in continuing business as usual with unsustainable sprawl development and pushing through bills that changed the rules to accommodate that. Rural water issues were left unaddressed.
“How will our younger and future generations see us? To know that we continuously chose profit over one another, over our home, our water, and over the healthy future of our children and loved ones,” said Nile Bunger, climate justice director with Arizona AANHPI for Equity. “One of the biggest acts of love we can give to one another is protecting our water rights and environment for all; although, time and time again, we ignore the concerns that are negatively affecting our BIPOC, rural, and marginalized communities. It is vital that we do not exclude the voices of the community and the future of Arizona’s water. Our rural areas and communities deserve better.”
“The Arizona legislature holds great power and ability to make laws that impact us in our daily lives,” said Alondra Morales, climate justice program coordinator forAZ AANHPI for Equity. “This report card serves as a clear summary of which legislators have the community in mind and which legislators have other priorities. I hope this is helpful guidance to the people of Arizona to get to know their legislators!”
“It’s very clear that lawmakers who hold the majority at the legislature do not look out for the interests of the people of Arizona. Every step of the way during this legislative session we saw them ignore the will of the people and act in ways that benefit private interests,” said Vania Guevara, political and advocacy director for Chispa Arizona.
“We will continue to work diligently to connect our people to their own power by showing up in this space because we belong there.
We will keep partnering with legislators that are environmental justice champions to push this body to protect the air we breathe, our access to public lands, and our right to an easy and accessible democracy.”
The 2024 Environmental Report Card is available in English here and Spanish here
by Sandy Bahr, Chapter Director for the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club