On Climate & Environment
Climate & Energy Policy
The debate on climate change is over. Climate change is real and it is caused by human activity. Left unchecked, we can expect global temperatures to rise well beyond the 2 degree Celsius target beyond which climate scientists believe would cause widespread and likely irreversible damage to our planet, our ecosystem, and our economy. It is imperative to wean ourselves off oil and fossil fuels over the next 40 years, both for environmental reasons, as well as to stop spending money on oil provided by oppressive regimes overseas, including but not limited to Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Venezuela.
I am the only candidate running for this position with a background in environmental policy and I will come prepared on my first day in office to begin crafting solutions to combat climate change, reduce our dependence on dirty coal and expensive foreign oil, and transform our economy into one reliant only on clean and renewable energy. I will be ready to work will the electricity companies and regulatory agencies throughout the state to develop appropriate incentives to encourage the state to begin divesting itself of fossil fuels and their pollution externalities, toward renewable energy production and development.
We have a climate uniquely suited to become a global leader in the production of clean energy from solar power, and I want to see the State put its full weight behind developing a clean energy infrastructure, including commercial and rooftop solar installations, high-speed passenger rail systems, investments in high-efficiency Green buildings, and investments in developing energy storage technologies that are critical to ensuring that solar energy can eventually replace fossil fuels completely. When we do so, we will put Arizonans to work in decent paying jobs throughout the state, give workers the skills and training to improve themselves, and boost tax revenue by putting money in the hands of consumers, and creating a massive stimulus. When we have well-educated and well-trained workers, a healthy infrastructure including good roads & bridges, good schools, access to quality health facilities and responsive police and fire departments, we will be able to attract businesses to Arizona without the need to offer those companies 'incentives' in the form of tax credits that are eating away at the state's budget and damaging our long-term economic prospects.
Environmental economists, including myself, are largely in agreement about the need for a carbon tax, national quota system (cap and trade) or a similar policy to curtail the amount of fossil fuel emissions throughout the country and the world. As part of my platform, I am also proposing to fund a reduction in the state sales tax through a small carbon tax levied on fuel sales and energy use within the state. Sales taxes are one of the most regressive taxes within the state, falling disproportionately hard on our lowest-income residents, including predominately Native American, Hispanic, and African-American communities. I also propose eliminating or substantially reducing the preferential tax treatment that fossil fuel companies currently enjoy at the state level, and will lobby Congress to remove the same at the federal level. Two examples of these special exemptions at the federal levels are as follows. First, fossil fuel companies should have to adhere to consistent depreciation standards over the life of their reserves, rather than being able to change which schedule they use from year to year to reap additional deductions. Secondly, Congress should stop allowing pipeline companies to collect 54% more than allowed by mandate to cover income taxes that they are exempted from.
With regard to nuclear energy, the scientific consensus is that for all its faults, nuclear energy is generally safer than coal after accounting for pollution - carbon, sulfur, mercury, and so forth. However, there are still real risks associated with nuclear energy, including the need to develop ways to store nuclear waste byproducts for thousands of years, as well as the risks of nuclear proliferation. We also know that no design can be absolutely foolproof, and we must be cautious that an environmental catastrophe, or simple human error, has the potential to lead to another disaster such as the ones Chernobyl, Three-Mile Island, or Fukushima. While modern developments such as Thorium Molten Salt reactors have the potential for significantly decreased risk compared with older designs and present the potential for waste reprocessing to address the storage concern, it is my viewpoint that nuclear energy should serve only as a transition energy toward an economy based on solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal energy, at least until safe and clean nuclear fusion energy becomes a viable alternative fuel source. I do support continued research in clean nuclear fusion technology, but I do not believe that it is appropriate to incorporate this as a part of our energy strategy until demonstrated fusion reactor prototypes have been developed and proven safe and sustainable.
Mining & Resource Extraction
Southern Arizona, including the metro areas of Tucson and Phoenix, is located in the Sonoran Desert, and economizing our limited supply of water from monsoon rains and our allotments from the Colorado river is crucial to maintaining a sustainable economy for generations to come. However, our scarce water supply is being exploited by mining companies which use large quantities of water for industrial purposes, and by companies such as Nestle which extract and bottle our scarce water supply and sell it back to us for their private profit. With Lake Mead near Las Vegas, the primary reservoir for the Colorado River, at record low levels, and continuing low levels of snowpack in the Sierra Nevadas, we should be preparing for an economy where the amount of water we have for personal and commercial use is significantly lower than it is today. It is imperative that future development recognizes our water limitations; to this effect, I oppose bills such as SB 1268 and 1400 which allow certain developments to skirt requirements to demonstrate a 100 year plan for water sustainability before being permitted.
We must take steps to regulate our mining sector in order to make sure that the pollution externalities associated with the extraction and refining of copper and other minerals are properly accounted for by mining companies. While large amounts of pollution enter our air and toxic chemicals enter our water and our aquifers, mining companies currently enjoy an implicit subsidy in the form of not having to compensate the people of Arizona for the damages to health and well-being caused by the pollution associated with the mining industry. It is my view that if mining companies are not able to pay the costs associated with their pollution byproducts and still remain profitable, they should not conduct business within the state of Arizona. We must hold mining companies responsible for the damages done to our environment, from stripping our land and mountains, to toxic pollution in our air and water supply, to destroying wildlife habitats and the sacred lands of our Native American tribes. The negative impacts of pollution fall disproportionately hard upon our most vulnerable populations, those with the least access to healthcare, clean water supplies, and who often live closest to pollution sources such as mines, power plants, and other heavy industrial zones. I am proud to have demonstrated in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota fighting against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and I pledge my support to the San Carlos Apache tribe at Oak Flat, along with other Native American communities throughout the state and nation.