March Meeting Summary
The AZ Trout Unlimited-Public Policy Committee (AZTU-PPC) held its normal meeting on March 14, 2024. Jim Strogen, a member with the TU Gila Chapter, was the guest speaker and provided an update on the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program as well as a recent SEIS issued in connection with the smallmouth bass invasion into the Lees Ferry fishery and the impact on the rainbow and brown trout populations. He stated that AZTU would provide a response to the SEIS by March 22, 2024.
On February 24, 2024 the AZTU-PPC recognized Tom Osterday for his service and leadership of AZTU-PPC. Tom founded the committee in early 2018 and served as its chair through September 30, 2022. His leadership created the foundation for the ongoing activities of the AZTU-PPC.
Legislative Update
As the bills below progress, I will continue to provide updates on the most effective ways to voice your opposition. Thank you!
Bills Summary:
HB2377: Primarily Sponsored by AZ Representatives Diaz, Hendrix, and McGarr
This bill mandates that the state auditor general shall conduct and complete a cost study of the annual price to manage all federal land in this state. The study assumes that all federal land (except for lands managed by the Department of Defense or the Bureau of Reclamation) is given to the state at no cost. This bill has passed the House and Senate Natural Resource Committee.
HCM2006: Primarily Sponsored by AZ Representative Griffin
Calls for Congress to enact legislation that requires the express authorization of Congress, the state, and each county affected before any additional federal land may be declared in Arizona.
HB2376, HB2377, and HCM2006 ignore the economic benefits of public lands and view them only through the myopic lens of property taxes. Arizona’s public lands support a 12-billion-dollar outdoor recreation economy and provide over 106,000 direct jobs. Scroll down to see examples where small transfers of private land to the Federal Government provided access to tens of thousands of acres of public lands for outdoor recreation. This bill has passed the House and Senate Natural Resource Committee.
HCM2005: Primarily Sponsored by AZ Representative Smith
This resolution urges Congress and the President to pass and sign legislation transferring 30% of federally protected public lands to their respective states by 2030.
HCM2005 is a misguided rebuttal to the 30X30 Initiative. The 30X30 initiative is no threat to Arizona’s private land owners and is not an attempt to obtain more federal lands in our state. It’s rather an initiative that aims to conserve 30% of our nation’s wild places. An attempt to transfer 30% of our lands — the same lands that we hunt and fish on — to the state that is mandated to profit from them can only be seen as an outright attack on, and complete disregard for, Arizona’s hunting and angling community. This bill has passed the House and Senate Natural Resource Committee.
HCM2007: Primarily Sponsored by AZ Representative Biasiucci
Urges the President to repeal the recent designation of the Grand Canyon Footprints National Monument in Northern Arizona and oppose any such designation in the state of Arizona in the future. This bill has passed the House and Senate Natural Resource Committee.
HCM2008: Primarily Sponsored by AZ Representative Gillette
Calls for the Antiquities Act of 1906 to be repealed or amended to reaffirm that entire landscapes, animate life, such as birds and mammals, and common plants and vegetation are not considered “landmarks, structures, or objects” under federal law. In 1950, Congress amended the Antiquities Act to provide an exemption for the state of Wyoming, which requires the “express authorization of Congress” to declare any additional national monuments in that state. HCM 2008 calls on Congress and the President to extend the exemption to all Western States.
HCM2007 and HCM2008 call to repeal the newly designated Grand Canyon Footprints National Monument (which explicitly calls out hunting and angling as activities to be protected) and the Antiquities Act that was used to create it. If these resolutions were to come to fruition, it would leave Arizona’s greatest wilderness and one of the world’s finest mule deer herds without protection from the consequences and habitat fragmentation of uranium mining and energy development like solar and wind farms. Further, repealing the Antiquities Act, which has been used by eighteen past presidents (nine Republicans and nine Democrats) would leave us without a powerful tool in the effort to conserve our wildlife and habitat for future generations. This bill has passed the House and Senate Natural Resource Committee.
Groundwater News in Arizona
This past month, the AZ legislature passed SB1221, which was then vetoed by Governor Hobbs. Shepherded by Sen. Sine Kerr and Rep. Gail Griffin, this legislation was their attempt to block any future legislation that would actually empower local communities to protect their groundwater. It was characterized as a "sheep in wolves' clothing" piece of legislation. It purported to provide protections, but the process was so convoluted that it would make it virtually impossible for local rural communities to protect their water in the future.
A competing piece of legislation that we supported in the House was blocked from receiving a hearing in the Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee by its chair, Rep Gail Griffin.
The fight continues!
Background: Groundwater regulation is a hot topic in this legislative session. The Ad-hoc Committee in Arizona continues to promote the message that local control of groundwater in rural communities is critical to their livelihoods. Twenty percent of Arizona's groundwater became managed in 1980 with the "Groundwater Management of 1980". But the other 80% of groundwater in Arizona still has no protection. Landowners can pump as much water as they want, without measurement, reporting or limit. The group working with the Arizona Department of Water Resources is looking to find an executable protocol for managing water outside of the Active Management Areas (AMA) of Phoenix, Prescott, Pinal County, Tucson, and Santa Cruz which were established by legislation in 1980. The Douglas AMA was established in 2022. The draft legislation would empower local and rural communities to create Rural Groundwater Management Areas if the groundwater in their rural community became threatened.
Upcoming Public Policy Events
There will not be a normal meeting of the AZTU-PPC on Thursday, April 11, 2024. The meeting has been canceled so that members can attend the annual AZ Game & Fish Department Native and Wild Trout Conference to be held on April 11, 2024 at the AZGFD offices located at the Ben Avery Shooting facility which starts at 8:30 am till 3:00 pm.
Emily Olsen with Trout Unlimited will be our guest speaker at the May 9, 2024 AZTU-PPC meeting and she will discuss Priority Waters.
The AZTU-Public Policy Committee hosts a virtual meeting on the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 until 8:00 PM. If you are interested, please contact Ron Stearns at PublicPolicyChair@az-tu.org.
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