It’s time to sound the alarm for what many fear will be an environmental disaster in Arizona. After the Clean Elections debate for LD11, I cannot be silent. Many questions dealt with funding. Democratic candidate Hollace Lyon stressed the need for fiscal responsibility and non-partisan audits to identify inefficiencies in Arizona’s current tax policy. The GOP candidates called for privatization of public lands as a “silver bullet.”
To be clear, privatization means selling or leasing public lands to developers. Whether residential or commercial, those interests will generate profit for themselves and limited tax revenue for the state. At what cost? Loss of public lands will adversely affect hikers, bikers, hunters, and tourists. More importantly though, diminishing water resources will be further endangered and air quality will be harmed with an increasing frequency and severity of dust storms.
We, as stewards of our public lands, must not allow short sighted interests to undermine clean air, fresh water and what we leave to future Arizonans. Who we elect matters!
Brian Bickel
Foothills
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
