Urban Sprawl
Urban sprawl costs everyone through destruction of our fragile
desert and mountains, increased air pollution, loss of open space
or time spent traveling. Arizona’s current “Growing Smarter”
plan ineffectively deals with these costs. Do you support the
Citizen’s Growth Management Initiative (CGMI) – Proposition 202
- as a means to give Arizonans more control over the growth and
development of their communities?
Currently the state of Arizona has a “Growing Smarter” plan,
which fails to meet the needs of the fast-growing state. Most
of its guidelines are voluntary, which is no change from the pre-plan
situation prior to its implementation. The Citizen’s Growth Management
Initiative (CGMI) was developed to protect Arizona’s high quality
of life and unique natural heritage. Its main goals are to ensure
that developers, not taxpayers, pay the costs of growth and that
citizens have the final say on land use decisions in their communities.
In addition, CGMI mandates that 100% of “Growing Smarter”
funds be used to acquire natural open space, includes citizen
enforcement provisions, and protects Arizona’s precious water
supplies. Arizona must act now to keep growth from destroying
the natural beauty and resources of the state.
For more information,
contact:
• www.sierraclub.org/chapters/az/growth.asp,
• www.users.uswest.net/.../Fact_CGMIvGS.htm.
Clean WaterArizona’s aquifer is a valuable source of clean water,
but is very vulnerable to contaminants from a variety of sources.
Do you support full implementation of the Aquifer Protection Permit
(APP) program in an effort to protect aquifer waters from contamination?
The Aquifer Protection
Permit (APP) program was implemented in 1986 with the agreement
that it is the responsibility of all discharging facilities, new
or existing, to use the Best Available Demonstrated Control Technology
(BADCT) to prevent releases that might reach the aquifer. Fourteen
years later, there are still facilities that have not implemented
the BADCT program because the Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality (ADEQ) has not asked them to submit a permit application.
ADEQ’s failure to enforce the permit program is detrimental to the
health and safety of communities in Arizona and is inexcusable.
This failure of the ADEQ is inexcusable. The legislature has, over
the years, denied adequate funding for the enforcement of the BADCT
program, granted exemptions to some industries, established fee
caps for violations and attempted to weaken narrative standards
for water quality. Under such internal opposition Arizona’s waters
are doomed to pollution. Arizona’s elected officials must value
clean water as much as the public does, if Arizona hopes to have
safe drinking water now and in the future.
For more information,
contact:
• www.sw-center.org/swcbd/news/State.html.
Clean Air
Gas and diesel fueled automobiles are responsible for greater
than 40 percent of the air pollution in Arizona cities. Cleaner
burning fuels, adequate mass transit and meaningful growth management
are essential in reducing the transportation sector’s contribution
to air pollution. How will you work to clean up transportation
so that Arizona’s air will be clean and safe to breathe?
Air pollutants in Arizona cities are principally nitrogen oxides,
ozone, carbon monoxide and particulates. Phoenix residents
are all too familiar with the city’s “brown cloud.” It is calculated
that brown cloud material would be reduced by 1.8 metric tons
per day in 2010 if the use of clean burning diesel fuel were implemented.
This calculation is likely underestimated because it does not
reflect the use of diesel fuel by stationary sources. Other areas
in the state would also benefit from cleaner fuels. In Pima County,
vehicle emissions are responsible for up to 70 percent of area
air pollution, making them a prime candidate for reduced emissions
and cleaner- burning cars. Air pollution has serious health effects
and has been correlated to reproductive, musculoskeletal, respiratory
and gastrointestinal problems. It is of particular concern to
children and older people, as their immune responses are less
capable of dealing with the stresses caused by pollutants. Acting
now to reduce air pollution will provide visible benefits now
and in the future, and must be viewed as top priority by our elected
officials.
For more information,
contact:
• www.sw-center.org/swcbd/news/State.html.
• www.deq.co.pima.az.us/airinfo/health.html
(Pima County),
• www.peds.arizona.edu/.../airpollution.htm,
• http://www.nutramed.com/.../airpollutionintro.htm.
Endangered Species
In the State of Arizona, there are currently 59 federally
listed endangered or threatened species. What is your plan to ensure
that this biodiversity is protected both now and for future generations?
The greatest cause of extinction is loss of
habitat – and urban sprawl is the major cause of habitat loss
in Arizona. Unfortunately, there has been increasing hostility
within the state against preserving habitat for these endangered
species, under the guise of having to decide between jobs and
animals. In order for these species to survive the threats of
extinction that development and habitat loss pose, it is essential
that our elected officials recognize the importance of keeping
endangered species regulations strong. The Citizen’s Growth Management
Initiative (CGMI) – Proposition 202 - was developed to protect
Arizona’s high quality of life and unique natural heritage. In
addition, CGMI mandates that 100% of “Growing Smarter”
funds be used to acquire natural open space, which would help
preserve Arizona’s precious and shrinking list of endangered species.
For more information,
contact:
• www.sw-center.org/swcbd/news/State.html.
