Category: State News

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona lawmakers approved a bipartisan budget deal Saturday that erases a $1.4 billion shortfall by curbing spending on higher education, trimming funding for state agencies and raiding a host of special funds.
The spending plan is the result of weeks of negotiations between Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican legislative leaders. Some conservative Republicans say the plan still spends too much money, while some Democratic lawmakers were disappointed they were not part of the negotiations.

PHOENIX – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking public input on five draft Recreation Business Plans that would modernize the way recreation fee sites are managed for the following locations: Kingman Field Office, Lake Havasu Field Office, the Arizona Strip Field Office’s Virgin River Canyon Recreation Area, the Phoenix District’s Recreational Shooting Sites, and the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument’s Paria Canyon/Coyote Buttes Special Management Area and White Pocket.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Corporation Commission voted 4 – 1, with Commissioner Anna Tovar dissenting, to reverse the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee’s Order regarding an expansion project at the Black Mountain Generating Station operated by UNS Electric, Inc. The Request by UNS Electric, Inc. for a Disclaimer of Commission and Committee Jurisdiction has been granted pursuant to A.R.S. 40-360, and this Decision is effective immediately. The decision means that the Commission does not have mandatory jurisdiction over electric generating plants under 100 MW for line siting purposes, a result dictated by law.

The Department of the Interior has announced an initial $700 million allocation from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for long-term water conservation projects across the Lower Colorado River Basin.
This investment – which has the potential to save more than 700,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead – will fund innovative projects like water distribution structures, advanced metering infrastructure, farm efficiency improvements, canal lining, turf removal, groundwater banking, desalination, recycling water and water purification.

PHOENIX – Effective Thursday, June 6, at 8 a.m. seasonal Stage 1 fire restrictions will be implemented on Bureau of Land Management-managed lands in the Colorado River District and Phoenix District. This includes BLM-managed lands in La Paz, Maricopa, southern Mohave, northern Pinal, western Pima, Yavapai and Yuma counties. Fire managers have noted an increase in wildfire activity, which is anticipated to peak as the weather continues to get hotter and drier in the coming months. Fire restrictions help to limit activities on public lands that are known to be the most common causes of wildfires.

PHOENIX – Arizona is currently facing a surge in human-caused fires; to date there has been 473 wildland fires in the state, with 332 determined to be human-caused contributing resulting in 28,772 acres burned. Through an established collaborative effort to address these preventable unplanned ignitions, area fire managers have enlisted the support of a National Fire Prevention and Education Team (NFPET).