An Arizona Tea Party-backed bill that would gut government-run green programs in the state may have the support it needs to go before Gov. Jan Brewer (R).
In a preliminary voice vote on Wednesday, the Arizona House approved a bill introduced by Tea Party member Rep. Judy Burges (R-Sun City West) with the stated goal of preventing “social engineering … including where we live, what we eat.”
Burges’ bill, Senate Bill 1507, targets a United Nations declaration promoting international environmental sustainability, which was adopted by the governments of 172 nations — including the United States under the George H. W. Bush Administration — in 1992. Conspiracy theories about the non-binding plan to foster environmental stewardship have long been entertained by conservative organizations such as the John Birch Society, which refers to the declaration as “Agenda 21.”
Arizona Tea Party-Backed Bill Gutting Sustainability Efforts Advances
With mutant seafood devastating Gulf Coast fisheries, we are sending a picture of a mutant shrimp to Speaker John Boehner. We are including a petition telling Boehner to pass legislation mandating that fines paid by BP go toward the clean up and restoration of the Gulf Coast.
Daily Kos Action: Send John Boehner a mutant shrimp picture
When BP’s Deepwater Horizon well exploded two years ago and spewed nearly 200 million gallons of Louisiana crude into one of the world’s most productive fisheries, people of the Gulf prayed it would be a fleeting disaster. It took BP nearly three months to plug the blowout, and despite assurances from government and industry scientists that a crisis largely had been averted, many fishermen and residents of the Gulf knew that was not the end of the oil.
Now two years later, many on the front lines of this disaster are still worried about their livelihoods and the future health of the Gulf fisheries—as well as the people exposed to the toxins that washed and blew ashore. BP used millions of gallons of chemical dispersant to break up the oil and drop it underwater, where many say it still lies, churned up with every storm and blown into the bayous and beaches with every strong south wind. New studies show the sticky tar balls are a potential threat to beachgoers and contain toxins like dangerous vibrio bacteria can poison fish consumers.
Meanwhile, dolphins continue to die in record numbers.
Stories from the Gulf Reveal BP Disaster Still Hurts
