Brewer uses Earth Day speech to promote continued involvement in WCI 

At a luncheon celebrating Earth Day on April 22, Gov. Jan Brewer said her administration will work to make the concept of sustainability in Arizona a reality and also reiterated the importance of Arizona's continued involvement with the Western Climate Initiative.

"Arizona will likely have very different perspectives and interests from other states throughout the west, and we can educate and advocate for Arizona's best by being part, rather than apart, from the WCI discussion," Brewer said.

Brewer said it is important that Arizona collaborate with and understand what other states, Congress and the Obama administration want to do on environmental issues.

"As someone once said ‘If you're not at the table, you're likely to be on the menu," Brewer said. "We cannot let the rest of the country decide what is best for Arizona."

Arizona's participation in the WCI began during the tenure of former Gov. Janet Napolitano and Steve Owens, a former director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Enacted without approval from legislators, the move raised concerns among Republican lawmakers who say the state should not spend money on regional efforts that don't specifically advance the priorities of Arizona.

Rep. Andy Biggs, a Republican from Gilbert, has sponsored legislation in the House that would end the state's involvement with the WCI. A similar bill was vetoed last year by Gov. Janet Napolitano.

In March, Biggs said he views the WCI as an "organization that seeks to emasculate the economy" of Arizona by pushing forward an anti-global warming agenda based on "pseudo-science."

At the luncheon, held by the Valley Forward Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the efforts to improve the environment and livability of Valley communities, Brewer also said her administration will set up a voluntary program to increase awareness and action to conserve Arizona's water "because in Arizona every drop of water counts."

Brewer said the program asks Arizonans to reduce water waste and inefficiency, reuse water and remember the value of "Arizona's greatest liquid asset."

"April is water awareness month, but in Arizona it should be a year long campaign," Brewer said. "I look forward to making the three "Rs" a part of that effort."

Ben Grumbles, who in June will be the state's director of the Department of Environmental Quality, said he looks forward to and plans to work closely with the Department of Water Resources to focus on water recycling and to draw more attention to conservation.

Natural Resource Policy Adviser Mike Anable said the Governor's Office will spend the next few weeks working out a plan to distribute $55 million from the Department of Energy as part of the federal stimulus package.

"Given the budget situation, we should focus on jobs, on getting this money out into the economy," Anable said. "We should focus on efficiency, bringing down the cost of state government, and also trying to filter some of this stimulus money out to what I call ‘mom and pops.'"

One way to do that, Anable said, would be to let schools use some of the money to improve energy efficiency.

"There are existing programs, especially within the utilities, to install solar on schools, install efficiency measures in schools, weatherization in schools," Anable said. "So there is an opportunity, because of this flush of new money, to augment that and extend that to more and more schools, which is very good for the state in the long run because it'll reduce their energy bills and reduce the cost for k-12 education."

Arizona must apply for the federal stimulus money by May 12.

Anable said the Governor's Office is meeting, almost on a daily basis, with companies interested in building solar facilities in Arizona. But he said some solar energy facilities use extensive amounts of water, which is an obstacle that must be overcome in the Valley of the Sun.

"It's going to be interesting to see how that affects Arizona's opportunity to become the nation's leader," Anable said. "I mean water ends up being something we have some competitive disadvantage on against some other states."

Brewer said her approach to the environment was the same as her approach to government; lean and clean.

"Government should be lean and efficient, and the environment should be clean and healthy," Brewer said.

As for continued involvement in the WCI, Biggs told members of the House Environment Committee last month that in order to join the group, Arizona was forced to adopt fuel-economy standards first devised in California.

"I'd rather they stand up to this steamrolling tank that's running over Arizona," Biggs said. "California is driving this."