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Representative Lucy Mason (R-1) plans to take her fight for renewable energy in Arizona back to the legislature for a second year.  This week, Mason convened a series of small stakeholder group meetings to work on last year's omnibus energy act  to ready it for introduction in the 2009 legislative session.

 

Representatives from CSA, the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, homebuilders associations, and renewable energy groups met with Mason to discuss the challenges of the current economy and the role of state and local standards in supporting construction and economic development.  While housing industry representatives confirmed that the year ahead will be a significant challenge for builders, Jeff Schlaegel with the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project said that energy efficient homes were outperforming the market.

 

Mason declared that she wanted to make Arizona "open for business in the renewable energy sector."  Mason cited the loss of solar energy businesses to other states and said that her bill would be an effort to incentive solar development in the state.

 

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A gathering of prominent water experts from around the state took place in Phoenix this week, an effort that allowed stakeholders to evaluate possible legislative proposals and potentially unify water interests prior to legislative hearings.  The group heard legislative proposals from several entities that plan to bring their ideas forward to the legislature next year. 

 

A representative from the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) explained their legislative proposals, which have previously been presented to SWAG and other water stakeholder groups.  The legislation would add enforcement authority against entities that violate surface water permits and prohibit the transportation of reclaimed water outside of a water basin in which it was generated.  The department is also evaluating potential funding sources that could generate revenues solely for ADWR.  (Click here for a summary of the ADWR legislative proposals.)

 

The group also heard from the Central Arizona Project and the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, who are each working on legislation that will address funding and operations of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) and the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District (CAGRD).  Additional stakeholder meetings will further develop the details of their proposals.

 

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More bad news about the impacts of the Arizona state budget deficit emerged at Wednesday's meeting of the Arizona Judicial Council (AJC) in Phoenix.  The AJC met to approve their legislative package for the year and approve new projects, but legislative and budget staff from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) warned them that they were operating in a climate likely to bring giant cuts in court-related funds.

 

The AJC, chaired by Arizona Supreme Court Justice Ruth McGregor, oversees the administrative processes of Arizona's Supreme Court and other courts under its jurisdiction.  Kevin Kluge, Chief Financial Officer for the AOC, informed the Council that last year, the courts lost $12.3 million in FY08 and FY09 to legislative fund sweeps.  Due to the large deficits forecast for both FY09 and FY10, the courts estimate at least 5-10 percent cuts across the board.

 

In light of the dire fiscal situation, AJC's approved legislative proposals contain mostly administrative measures which includes changes to licensing procedures for court-appointed fiduciaries and authority for juvenile courts to enter into intergovernmental agreements.

The AJC also approved a plan for a new case management system to update software in justice courts across the state.

 

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Forum to Highlight Energy Options for Local Government