On Monday, the Arizona Legislature will start its 2024 session, kicking off with the live State of the State address from Governor Hobbs.
The Sierra Club and other environmental organizations presented a list of priorities for the Arizona Legislature and Governor at the Capitol. The focus of the priorities is water, but climate/clean energy, democracy, and environmental justice are also included. You can read the priorities here.
On Tuesday, legislators will start hearing bills in committees. You can weigh in on bills (listed below) by using the Request to Speak app anytime before they are heard in committee.
Sign on to the RTS app:
https://apps.azleg.gov/account/signon
Review Request to Speak directions:
https://desktopactivisttucson.blogspot.com/2018/03/request-to-speak-time.html
If you haven’t already, register for the RTS system here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdjBMoAJrjHD57GGegmdUCKAowcr93K4vQA6a7_AjyElBtrQ/viewform
Monday, January 8th
First Day of the 2024 Legislative Session.
Governor Hobbs’s State of the State address at 2:00 PM. You can view it live here.
Tuesday, January 9th
House Natural Resources, Energy, and Water Committee at 2:00 PM
View a livestream of the committee here.
Presentations:
- “Overview of the Central Arizona Project,” Brenda Burman, General Manager of the Central Arizona Project
- “Overview of the Salt River Project,” Kyle Tilghman, Director of Water Strategy and Bill McClellan, Manager of Resource Development
- “Overview of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority,” Chuck Podolak, Executive Director of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority
Bills with Sierra Club recommendations:
- HB2016 grandfathered right; subsequent AMA; extension (Griffin) is an emergency measure, meaning it will become law immediately if the Governor signs it. The bill extends the deadline for a person to claim a grandfathered right to withdraw or receive and use groundwater in the Douglas active management area
(AMA)*. This will further delay getting this AMA on track to limiting groundwater pumping. OPPOSE - HB2027 subsequent AMAs; assured water supply (Griffin) exempts proposed subdivisions from the requirements of an ordinance that has been adopted by either a municipality or a county if the proposed subdivision is included within the boundaries of a subsequent active management area (AMA)*. This would affect counties such as Cochise and Yuma and would give subdivisions an automatic assured water supply if there was an adequate water supply. There is no good reason for this. OPPOSE
- HB2099 active management area; groundwater right (Griffin) allows a groundwater user located in an area previously designated as an irrigation non-expansion area (INA) that becomes designated as an AMA* to receive a water duty (maximum amount of water per acre) based on the groundwater user’s highest annual withdrawal since the INA was established. This will maximize rather than minimize groundwater pumping in this new AMA. It also has an emergency clause on it. OPPOSE
*For more information on the Arizona Groundwater Management Act, attend the workshop on January 9th at 6:00 PM – RSVP here.
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Griffin is trying to make worse what she has made terrible for 40 years as she has hopped back and forth between the legislature and the Cochise County board. If her name’s on it, unless lightning strikes, it can only be bad. Her and old Bill English back in the day. If it was dirt, it needed to be chopped up, water not necessary, commissions essential, however.
I’ll read the bill before I reject it; I won’t presume bad faith by Griffin. Even an old dog can learn new tricks.