72% Support Polk County's Water and Land Legacy Bond

On Tuesday, November 6th, voters supported the Polk County Water and Land
Legacy Bond (PCWLL) in historic fashion passing the measure by 72%. This
large margin of victory clearly shows that there is bipartisan support for
critical water quality, wildlife, trails, and recreation projects.

 

Arizona defeats ballot measure contesting Grand Canyon ownership

Reuters, November 7, 2012

By Tim Gaynor

 

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona voters on Tuesday defeated a ballot measure
contesting ownership of the Grand Canyon and other federal lands in the
state, handing another defeat to the "sagebrush revolt" by Republicans in
Western states.

Proposition 120, which lost by a 2-to-1 margin, would have amended the
state's constitution to declare Arizona's sovereignty and jurisdiction over
the "air, water, public lands, minerals, wildlife and other natural
resources within the state's boundaries."

Republicans argued that federal retention of the land hurts the economy of
the Western states and leaves them struggling to fund public education,
nurture their economies and manage their forests and natural resources.

Opponents, including the Sierra Club, said the measure was unconstitutional
and would have saddled Arizona with lands it could not afford to maintain.

"I'm not surprised because the people of Arizona support public lands. The
legislature has been consistently out of step with that," Sandy Bahr,
director of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon chapter, told the Arizona
Republic newspaper.

The Sierra Club pegged the area targeted by the measure at between 39,000
and 46,700 square miles (101,000 and 121,000 square km) - or 34 percent to
41 percent of the entire state.

The initiative was the latest move in a decades-old federal-state skirmish
over control of a wide range of natural resources in Western states, often
pitting mining, drilling and logging companies against those seeking to
protect the environment.

The efforts have had mixed success. In May, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer
vetoed a state bill calling on Washington to relinquish the title to 48,000
square miles (124,000 square km), arguing that it created uncertainty for
existing leaseholders on federal lands in difficult economic times.

But similar legislation was signed into law by Governor Gary Herbert in
neighboring Utah in March, despite warnings from state attorneys that it was
likely unconstitutional and would trigger a costly and ultimately futile
legal battle.

 


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
[log in to unmask]

Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information:
http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship
e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's
latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent
editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/