Pinal Partnership February Government Relations Committee Meeting Recap: Mining, Legislation and Wildfire Warnings
For the April Pinal Partnership Government Relations Committee (PPGRC) Meeting, Co-Chairs Rebecca Timmer with Wilson & Company and Ben Bitter with the Town of Florence, led the committee through various legislative updates and discussion after hearing an update from Buchanan Davis with the University of Arizona and their efforts to develop a School of Mining.
First things first, Melissa Johnson introduced Tony Smith to the committee as he is serving as the new President/CEO of Pinal Partnership as of March 19, 2021. Harold’s service to the Partnership has been amazing and we are grateful he will continue his involvement by serving on the Executive Committee.
When speaking to the School of Mining, Buchanan shared with the committee the need for such a program in Arizona. Mining is a $6B industry and growing, with over $1B in direct payroll annually, 10k direct jobs and countless supporting jobs. The program will provide a comprehensive education to include engineering, legal considerations and many other contributing aspects to the industry. The program is awaiting funding, a $4M ask that economic studies have shown will pay off within 10 years. The School of Mining will have 260 students at full implementation. For more information, you can reach Buchanan by email.
Next, Ben introduced Senator Shope and Representative Cook to the committee to share legislative updates on this 100th day of the legislative session.
Senator Shope shared his thoughts and updates regarding assured water supply, the recently enacted gaming bill, $2B worth of infrastructure improvements and Wild Horse Pass development projects underway including bringing Phoenix Rising to the area as well as serving as a temporary location for the Arizona State Fair.
Representative Cook talked about the I-10 expansion projects and referred back to Senator Shope in taking the lead on the progressing work being done. He also mentioned how the Intel expansion is helping to fuel the economy and impacts of a flat tax rate bill.
They both referenced the budget process and how it is moving forward, which is still a long process with a lot of moving parts. Both members gave kudos to President Karen Fann for her management of the budget process and how she has shown a great deal of leadership.
Pinal County has the loudest voice its ever had at the legislature before thanks to the previous and current elected leaders. We are thankful for Senator Shope, Representative Pratt and Representative Cook’s continued involvement in this committee.
We invite you to watch a great video Senate Republican Staff created highlighting Senator Shope. View it here.
Senator Shope informed the committee that Arizona, and much of the Southwestern US, is expecting critical wildfire weather conditions on Wednesday, April 21 driven by strong winds and low humidity. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Senator Shope, along with this committee, encourage mindfulness as so many of these wildfires are preventable. CALL TO ACTION: SHARE THIS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA
Mitch Basefsky with CAP shared an invitation for interested parties to participate in the April 29 Joint Colorado River Shortage Preparedness Briefing. More information on the event can be found here.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 25, 2021 via Zoom. We will have various speakers to discuss transportation and infrastructure in Pinal County.
Committee meetings are open to all members of Pinal Partnership. Please contact Melissa Johnson if you would like information to join the committee and/or join as a member of the Partnership.
