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Viewing Category: Environment
Governors demand more action for environmentTRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - Governors of the Rocky Mountain states vented frustration Sunday at an administration and a Congress that they say have done little to combat global warming and develop cleaner energy sources.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Governor]"There's a lot of talk in Washington, D.C. I'd sum it up as about zero action," said Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer. He and Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, both Democrats, took turns bashing federal inaction during a meeting Sunday of the National Governors Association.
Their aim is as much economic as environmental. That's because the West has huge coal resources, which the two men say can be converted into liquid fuel and diesel with new and emerging tech- niques.
Posted by Editor at 07:46 AM
Sierra Club downgrades NapolitanoGov. Janet Napolitano is slipping in her support of environmental issues — at least according to the Sierra Club.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Governor]The organization’s Arizona chapter gave the state’s chief executive a “B” rating for her record in the 2007 legislative session. That compares with Napolitano’s “A-” for 2006.
But at least it’s better than the “C” she got in 2005 after a Sierra Club lobbyist said the governor signed “a bunch of bad bills.”
Posted by Editor at 10:16 PM
Governor: Az's eagles need shieldPHOENIX - Gov. Janet Napolitano is urging the federal government to keep Arizona's bald eagles on the endangered-species list.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Governor]In a letter Wednesday to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Napolitano cited Arizona's unique geographic habitat and the cultural concerns of Arizona tribes, which are uniformly in favor of maintaining the endangered-species protection.
Kempthorne announced the delisting of the nearly 11,000 breeding pairs of bald eagles as endangered in the lower 48 states on Thursday. His department made the recovery official by removing the eagle from the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The bird had been reclassified from endangered to threatened in 1995.
Posted by Editor at 07:39 AM
Worries increase of San Pedro River's health as it runs dryThe San Pedro River is running out of water at a closely watched measuring gauge near Tombstone, raising new alarms about the ailing river's health.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Water]Flow at the Charleston Road bridge all but stopped Thursday and could dry up as early as today, two weeks earlier than in 2005, when hydrologists blamed drought and a late-arriving monsoon.
Conservation groups say excessive groundwater pumping has diverted much of the river's aquifer-fed flow, which helps fill the gap between winter runoff and summer rains.
Posted by Editor at 07:24 AM
Napolitano joins tribes to advocate for eaglesGov. Janet Napolitano joined tribal leaders and conservationists Wednesday in urging the federal government to keep Arizona's bald eagles on the endangered-species list.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Native Americans]In a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Napolitano cited Arizona's unique geographic habitat and the cultural concerns of Arizona tribes, which are uniformly in favor of maintaining the endangered-species protection.
Posted by Editor at 07:31 AM
Burns' bill will aid effort to save the San PedroA bill signed into law on Wednesday reflects the difficulties of life in a desert where competing interests squabble eternally over a small supply of water.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Legislature, Water]The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Burns, R-Tucson, is the most recent attempt to come to terms with the water needs of Fort Huachuca, an Army post, and Sierra Vista, the burgeoning city adjacent to the base.
Both entities want to grow, and both need water to make that possible. The problem, which Burns' bill valiantly seeks to resolve, is that every gallon pumped out of the ground eventually depletes the amount of water in the already threatened San Pedro River.
Posted by Editor at 06:59 AM
New law establishes water-use board for San Pedro ValleyPHOENIX — Gov. Janet Napolitano signed legislation Wednesday to study the water supply problem in the upper San Pedro Valley, and maybe even create a new layer of government.Permalink [Filed under: City County Local Govt, Environment, Legislature, Water]The new law sets up a nine-member board to come up with a comprehensive plan to both conserve and reuse water within the area as well as to find ways to augment the water supply. That panel also would figure out how to organize a permanent water district, elect members, determine how much it would cost to meet the goals and how to raise that money.
Posted by Editor at 07:28 AM
5 Western Republicans targeted over global warmingWASHINGTON - An environmental group that last year helped defeat conservative House Resources Committee Chairman Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., is taking aim at five more Western Republicans over global warming.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Republicans]The lawmakers from California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico have their "heads in the sand" about the dangers of climate change, the Defenders of Wildlife action fund charges in a radio and Internet ad campaign that began Thursday.
"We're looking to send a clear message that the American people won't tolerate representatives who continue to favor big polluters and their special interests," Defenders action fund president Rodger Schlickeisen said.
Schlickeisen said in an interview that all five lawmakers _ Reps. John Doolittle and Ken Calvert of California, Rick Renzi of Arizona, Dean Heller of Nevada and Steve Pearce of New Mexico _ have opposed measures that would rein in oil and gas development in the West and control greenhouse-gas producing pollution.
Posted by Editor at 06:55 AM
Valley residents may face air-quality restrictionsPHOENIX -- Valley of the Sun residents would face new restrictions on use of leaf blowers, new laws to pave parking lots and limits on use of off-road vehicles under the terms of air-quality legislation approved Wednesday by House and Senate conferees.Permalink [Filed under: Clean Air, Environment, Legislature, Pollution]The panel also agreed to force local governments to pave or "stabilize" dirt roads and shoulders, and to ban virtually all open fires during the summer. And developers would have to have an on-site dust control coordinator.
These restrictions would cover virtually all of Maricopa County as well as portions of Pinal County around Apache Junction.
But the provisions of SB 1552 also would, for the first time ever, force businesses and residents in the rest of Pinal County to buy cleaner burning -- and probably more expensive -- gasoline during the summer.
Posted by Editor at 06:48 AM
Ariz. lawmakers settle on steps to combat Phoenix air pollutionPHOENIX - Legislative negotiators agreed Wednesday on a menu of steps, ranging from tougher restrictions on outdoor burning to requirements to pave roads, to help reduce particulate air pollution in the Phoenix metropolitan area and avoid federal sanctions.Permalink [Filed under: Clean Air, Environment, Legislature, Pollution]The agreement by a legislative conference committee adds numerous provisions to versions of a bill previously approved by the House and Senate and is subject to final votes by each chamber.
However, Senate Majority Whip John Huppenthal, R-Chandler, said it's apparent that months of negotiations have produced a compromise that should be easily approved. "This is perhaps the most critical bill of the session," Huppenthal said.
Posted by Editor at 12:26 AM
Yuma's Army site expansion seen as environment perilYUMA — A military training facility could expand its boundaries by up to 500,000 acres, potentially crossing into several protected wilderness areas, authorities said.Permalink [Filed under: Environment]The U.S. Army has been looking into enlarging the 840,000-acre Yuma Proving Ground, about 30 miles northeast of Yuma, where the military tests weapons and hardware.
Officials there want to be able to test artillery with greater firing ranges than weapons used there now, said Chuck Wullenjohn, public-affairs officer for the proving ground.
Posted by Editor at 07:22 AM
Ariz. Senate advances river billPHOENIX — State senators approved a measure Thursday designed to let Cochise County residents protect the San Pedro River and, by extension, Fort Huachuca.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Legislature, Water]The preliminary vote came after lawmakers tacked some new restrictions onto legislation that would set up a nine-member board to come up with a plan to create an agency whose job it would be to ensure there is enough water in the upper San Pedro basin to keep the stream flowing.
But the final word — including whether to levy a tax — would be up to the Cochise County Board of Supervisors and, ultimately, voters of the district.
HB 2300 is designed to help Fort Huachuca comply with its agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to have the area reach "sustainable yield" by 2011.
Posted by Editor at 07:17 AM
Feds to release preferred plan for Colorado River useDENVER -- Federal officials this month plan to publicize their preference for managing the Colorado River in the face of ongoing drought as part of the lead-up to a final plan expected by the end of the year.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Water]The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is working on a final environmental impact statement on dealing with water shortages on the river that provides water to seven Western states and Mexico.
The final guidelines, expected to be released in September, will also look at coordinating operations between Lake Powell, the upstream reservoir in Utah, and Lake Mead in Nevada. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, who oversees the Bureau of Reclamation, will make a final decision by the end of the year.
Posted by Editor at 07:06 AM
Series of talks on water use begin todayA series of five public educational talks on Tucson's water issues starts today.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Tucson, Water]Water use and management, as well as water sources, will be discussed at all presentations, which are sponsored by the regional Pima Association of Governments. Claire Zucker, the association's watershed planning manager, will give the talks.
Posted by Editor at 06:29 AM
Napolitano signs bill on rural water suppliesPHOENIX -- Gov. Janet Napolitano on Monday signed into law a bill expanding the state's growth management efforts by permitting rural counties and municipalities to place new restrictions on development in areas lacking adequate water supplies.
The bipartisan bill, sent to the Napolitano by the Legislature last week, will give the new power to rural counties, cities and towns in areas not subject to existing state water-adequacy regulations.
Under the bill, (SB1575), the rural local governments could hinge their approval of new subdivisions on whether the projects have assured water supplies. In a bow to property rights advocates, ordinances imposing the requirement would have to be enacted by a unanimous vote of a county's board of supervisors.
Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Governor, Legislature, Water]Posted by Editor at 01:50 AM
Legislative effort to clean Phoenix air comes to headPHOENIX - A push by some lawmakers and Gov. Janet Napolitano to take new steps to clean the Phoenix area's dirty air is coming to a head as the multipronged measure is prepared for formal consideration later this week.Initially a sweeping array of anti-pollution steps mostly targeting particulates and ozone, the bill introduced by Republican Sen. Carolyn Allen of Scottsdale was immediately gutted early in the legislative session.
However, following months of behind-the-scenes negotiations by state officials, health advocates, industry representatives and others, numerous provisions would be restored or added under a proposed large amendment that is tentatively scheduled to be considered by a House-Senate conference committee on Thursday.
Permalink [Filed under: Clean Air, Environment, Legislature]
Posted by Editor at 01:30 AM
Richardson: Americans need to sacrifice to protect climatePHOENIX - Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson on Monday said Americans will have to sacrifice to make the country more energy-efficient.Permalink [Filed under: 2008 Presidential, Elections, Environment]Richardson, who is New Mexico's governor, touted himself and his stance on energy issues at an informal gathering of about 70 people at Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix.
"I'm going to ask everybody in America _ listen to this word _ to sacrifice a little bit, sacrifice a little bit for the common good," he said. "That doesn't mean wearing a sweater or turning down the heat, but it means doing something."
Posted by Editor at 01:23 AM
Yuma Desalting plant again idle
The Yuma Desalting Plant is quiet once again. Its 90-day demonstration run to reduce salinity in water returned to the Colorado River ended at midnight Thursday.It was the first time in 14 years the $245 million plant had operated - and its output has exceeded federal officials' expectations.
Jim Cherry, Bureau of Reclamation manager in Yuma, said the plant ran "wonderfully."
"We had anticipated a little less than 3,000-acre-feet (one acre-foot is 325,851 gallons) and we got a little over 4,000 sent back to the river," he said.
Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Water]
Posted by Editor at 09:42 PM
Panel OKs San Pedro water districtPHOENIX — A Senate panel approved a compromise plan Thursday to allow residents of the upper San Pedro Valley to create a new layer of government to cut water use, restrict growth and possibly levy a tax.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Legislature, Water]Backers of the legislation say it is the only way to ensure water continues to flow in the river. But they conceded the real aim is to save Fort Huachuca, which could be severely curtailed, or even shut down, if the river's water supply remains endangered.
The 6-1 vote by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Rural Affairs came over the objections of Mary Ann Black, a supervisor in the Hereford Natural Resources Conservation District.
Posted by Editor at 07:27 AM
Arizona lawmakers OK new water management power in rural areasPHOENIX - Arizona lawmakers voted Thursday to expand the state's growth management efforts, approving a bipartisan bill to empower counties and municipalities to place new restrictions on development in rural areas lacking adequate water supplies.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Legislature, Water]The House's 50-1 vote completed legislative action on the bill, which now goes to Gov. Janet Napolitano, a supporter. The Senate approved the bill on March 8 on a 26-2 vote.
Legislative approval of the measure came a quarter-century after the 1980 enactment of a historic groundwater management law imposing new pumping and irrigation restrictions in "active management areas." Those areas include Phoenix, Tucson and Prescott. Those urban-oriented restrictions were aimed at curbing overdrafts that saw groundwater being depleted faster than natural replacement.
Posted by Editor at 12:44 AM
County wants spot on board: Supervisors discuss water district proposal at CapitolBISBEE — With so much at stake, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors want a seat on the organizing board that would determine the future of the Upper San Pedro Water District.Permalink [Filed under: City County Local Govt, Environment, Water]“Once the request left the county, we’ve been left out,” Chairman Richard Searle said during Tuesday’s board meeting. “There’s been no input from us requested.”
The wording in the bill notes that the governor will appoint five people. One will be from a city located within the district that has a population of 35,000 or more, and one will be from another city in the district with less than 35,000 people. One may represent a conservation organization involved in the Upper San Pedro Partnership. The fourth may represent an investor-owned utility, and the fifth is someone who has retired from the military.
Posted by Editor at 07:16 AM
Yuma's water system loses a billion gallons per yearRoughly a billion gallons of water goes unaccounted for each year for the city of Yuma, but utilities manager Hank Baer said this loss is normal and the cost to ratepayers remains minimal.Permalink [Filed under: City County Local Govt, Environment, Water]The water may be considered an unaccounted-for loss, but that doesn't mean that Baer has no idea where it goes - he said it is used by the Yuma and Rural/Metro fire departments, taken by theft or, in some cases, lost through leakage. The city compares its metered production to metered sales to track the loss. "At last check, it was at 11 percent," he said.
Posted by Editor at 07:16 AM
Cities' goal: Save waterPhoenix maintenance crews will patch more than 8,000 water leaks this year, most of them 3 feet or deeper underground, many buried beneath busy streets. Nearly all are invisible until the first backhoe arrives.Makes fixing that bathroom faucet a little less daunting, doesn't it?
Leaky pipes are an unavoidable part of delivering water to a big city, especially one growing rapidly, where each new connection creates another potential leak. The best Phoenix and other cities can do is maintain their systems well enough to keep lost water to a minimum.
Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Phoenix, Water]
Posted by Editor at 03:35 AM
Council to cover array of sewer project itemsThe 11-year sewer expansion project takes center stage at City Council chambers Tuesday night.Permalink [Filed under: City County Local Govt, Environment, Water]With average wastewater bills around $57, residents are looking for help from any source. It looks unlikely that the state Legislature will pass an annual $250 tax credit originally proposed by Mayor Mark Nexsen.
On council's plate are federal grants to cover the $2,000 sewer hookup fee, the establishment of a “rate stabilization fund,” a presentation on the project's finances and new loans requiring authorization.
Posted by Editor at 07:51 AM
Phoenix ranks fifth-driest among U.S. citiesIt's a dry heat out there, but it's not the driest.Permalink [Filed under: Environment, Phoenix, Water]Phoenix, according to an analysis of rainfall data, is America's fifth-driest city, averaging 8.2 inches of rain each year.
Las Vegas, with an average of 4.5 inches of rain a year, ranks as the driest of 195 cities in the 48 contiguous states examined by WeatherBill, a company that helps protect businesses from bad weather.
Posted by Editor at 07:39 AM
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