Supervisor Elizabeth Archuleta Testifies Before Congress
Courtesy of Coconino County Public Information Officer Brenda Grey
Flagstaff, Az. - On July 21, Coconino County Supervisor Liz Archuleta traveled to Washington, D.C. to testify before the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest and Public Lands in support of H.R. 644.
H.R. 644, the Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act of 2009, was introduced in this session by Representative Raul Grijalva. If adopted, it would permanently withdraw the Tusayan Ranger District and federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (in the vicinity of Kanab Creek and House Rock Valley) from "location, entry and patent under the mining laws, and for other purposes."
The hearing came one day after Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar's announcement to temporarily exempt the area from uranium mining for the next two years, while federal agencies complete an environmental review to determine whether or not claims should be halted for a longer period. Following the results of the review, the Department of Interior could order a ban on new claims for twenty years, although preexisting approved claims would be honored and allowed to continue.
In Supervisor Archuleta's testimony, she referred to previous uranium development operations in Coconino County and the long-term health and environmental effects, specifically on the Navajo and Hopi Nations in the vicinity of Tuba City, as well as remnants of the Orphan Mine in the Grand Canyon National Park.
"Coconino County has witnessed serious negative health and environmental effects associated with uranium mining," said Supervisor Archuleta. "Uranium development operations in the County have caused considerable contamination and environmental degradation, particularly on the Navajo and Hopi Nations, and they have been an ongoing concern in our County."
Coconino County's economy is based primarily on revenue generated by tourism, and long-term uranium mining could potentially have a devastating impact on tourism, particularly near Grand Canyon National Park.
"While Coconino County continues to support regional economic development opportunities, we are cognizant of potential impacts from certain industries," said Supervisor Archuleta.
Budget Update: Senate Falls Short of 16th Vote
After another week of late nights, long hearings and frenzied negotiations, the Legislature adjourned on Friday without passing a comprehensive budget for FY10.
New budget language was released on Wednesday. The plan included many of the elements included in the budget veteod by Governor Brewer at the beginning of July, although a number of agency appropriations were re-written so as to prevent another line-item veto. Added to the plan were a number of tax-reform provisions:
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A referral to the voters of a temporary one-cent sales tax increase for FY10 and FY100, with a step down to .50 cent in FY12 before it's completely eliminated the next year;
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A referral to ask that Prop 105 (voter-protected funding) be suspended for the next three years;
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A freeze on state spending for the next three years at FY09 levels;
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Permanent repeal of the state equalization property tax; and
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Reducing corporate and personal income taxes beginning in FY12 by about $200 million each.
The plan also reinstates over $44 million of county impacts contained in the previous budget, including $22 million in transfers from Maricopa and Pima counties, cost sharing for two programs at the Arizona State Hospital, increasing the county share of Justice of the Peace salaries, and shifting $14.2 million from county HURF to fund DPS for a third consecutive year. The budget also includes a number of policy items affecting counties, including a provision reducing the assessment ratio for all voter approved bonds and overrides down to 16 percent, beginning in 2012. Other policy changes allow counties to furlough employees to deal with budget crises and require proof of legal residence before awarding any "public benefit."
The plan successfully cleared the House of Representatives, but stalled in the Senate due to political and attendance-related challenges. After the Senate Appropriations committee approved the bills at 8:00 p.m. Thursday night, the Governor and Senate leadership spent all night searching for 16 votes. With some Republicans refusing to vote for the package and others absent due to illness or vacation, the Senate was unable to muster the necessary support and adjourned, along with the House, until next Tuesday.
CSA Hits the Road for County Outreach Tour
CSA is beginning its annual outreach tour next week in Mohave County on August 3 and Coconino County on August 4. Other upcoming dates include:
August 10, 2009 - Apache County
August 11, 2009 - Navajo County
August 17, 2009 - Yuma County (morning)
La Paz County (afternoon)
August 19, 2009 - Pinal County
August 25, 2009 - Gila County
August 26, 2009 - Santa Cruz County
More dates are coming soon. See you on the road!
Supervisor Don Stapley (Maricopa) wrapped up his term as the National Association of Counties' (NACo) top official during the organization's annual conference in .jpg)