Arizona PIRG is an advocate for the public interest. When consumers are cheated, or our natural environment is threatened, or the voices of ordinary citizens are drowned out by special interest lobbyists, Arizona PIRG speaks up and takes action. We uncover threats to public health and well-being and fight to end them, using the time-tested tools of investigative research, media exposés, grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation.
Arizona PIRG’s mission is to deliver persistent, result-oriented public interest activism that protects our environment, encourages a fair, sustainable economy, and fosters responsive, democratic government.
Projects:
Clean Energy Arizona
How Bright Will Arizonas Energy Future Be?
Will Arizonas leaders seize opportunities to solve our energy problems?
While partisan bickering and a special interestfueled energy debate deepen our nations dependence on dirty, unsustainable energy sources, our state stands poised to make critical decisions about Arizonas energy future. It couldnt come at a more crucial time. Our current energy plan is dangerous, unreliable and wasteful. Right now the governor, the Arizona Corporation Commission and the state Legislature are positioned to make decisions that could set us on the path to a safer, cleaner energy futureone where renewable energy and energy efficiency play a key role.
The question is: are Arizona policy makers going to do enough?
The challenge of an unhealthy legacy
Cheap coal and gas have been among the leading pillars of Arizonas energy policy for the last century. Now these pillars are beginning to crumble. Finite reserves, shifting world affairs and dangerous waste and pollution point out a limited future for fossil fuels and nuclear fission.
In addition to using dangerous and unstable energy sources, Arizonans are usingand wastingtoo much energy. Two-thirds of the power used to generate electricity is lost before it reaches our homes and businesses, despite the existence of technologies that could help power Arizona with less energy, and at a lower cost.
Charting our own clean energy path
These short-sighted energy practices bear formidable price tags for public health, security and energy stability. According to the EPAs consultants, smog from coal-fired power plants triggers an estimated 1,960 asthma attacks, 10,971 lost work days and over 140 additional health effects in Arizona each year. And the threat
of summer blackouts reminds us of our over-dependence on imported fossil fuels and an interdependent electric system.
Unfortunately, our energy problems are being met on the national level by a deepened commitment to old, unsustainable energy practices. It is time for Arizona to chart our own path toward clean sources, efficient use and energy independence.
Clean Energy Now
What’s New
Arizona produces 99 percent of our electricity from coal, nuclear and other dirty and dangerous energy sources. The burning of fossil fuels is the biggest source of air pollution known to harm human health.
The Arizona Corporation Commission, the state’s utility regulatory commission, is poised to make a landmark energy decision that will impact Arizona for years to come. We need to make sure our officials choose a solid path to clean, renewable energy, such as wind and solar power – starting now
Defend Our Democracy
Arizona PIRG joined with the Defend Arizona’s Democracy Campaign to celebrate Arizonans rejection of Propositions 100 (bad land swaps) and 104 (effort to hurt grassroots citizen efforts). Arizona PIRG was disappointed Arizona voters passed Propositions 101 (effort to take power away from the voters) and 200. While Arizona PIRG takes no position on immigration issues, we are concerned that ID requirements in Proposition 200 could make it harder for Arizona citizens to vote.
Save Our Wild Forest
America’s national forests provide clean drinking water for 60 million Americans across the country, critical habitat for one-quarter of America’s endangered species, and endless opportunities for recreation and solitude. The Bush administration and the timber industry are working to weaken protections for our last remaining roadless areas, including 1.2 million acres in Arizona. Arizona PIRG has joined forces with other state PIRGs to save our wild forests