edward
04-21-2008, 01:22 PM
One Person Can Make The Difference
Ed O’Brien VP Arizona State Horsemen’s Association
All About Horses.com Publisher
The Arizona State Horsemen’s Association represents the “rights” of all horse owners in the state whether they are members or not. But, we urge you to enroll and support this important organization for without members, attendance at meetings and money, we will fail. Membership Applications are available on line at azasha.com
Maricopa County Update
The following is the presentation I gave to the Scottsdale City Council Meeting on Tuesday April 15, 2008 on behalf of all Horse owners in this state. (With anticipated growth of our population, the Pollution Issue addressed, will also be visiting Pima, Pinal and Coconino counties in the near future)
As you read this please know that Notes and some text was added to help you better understand the issue we addressed. Quotes were taken from the Phoenix Magazine April Issue article about Dust. It is a very well researched article and recommended reading.
Scottsdale City Council Meeting April 15,2008 Dust Issue
Good Evening,
Contrary to some people’s perception, the Arizona State Horsemen’s Association as the $2+ Billion Horse Industry’s representative supports Clean Air. In fact we support the following 8 steps to reduce the pollutants in our air.
1. We support synchronized traffic lights throughout the city that will eliminate the excess pollutants generated by unnecessarily idling vehicles. Why? “Our vehicles are the number one cause of the brown cloud. According to a 1999 Maricopa County Association of Gov’t report, gasoline engine exhaust accounts for about half of the PM 2.5 in Maricopa County and diesel engine exhaust accounts for 15%. Our brown cloud exists not because we live in the desert but because we drive in it,” On any given day our vehicles travel between 65 and 70 million miles in the valley. (Note: Particulate Matter 2.5 is the most serious. Its’ small size enables it to penetrate deep into the lungs and cause serious health issues.)
2. We support fines for Construction sub contractors that are currently exempt and strict commercial construction compliance. Why? Because we know that the major contributors to our dust problem are first construction (and they have big money and an aggressive lobby), then agriculture and next autos traveling on “paved roads”. And one other thing we know is that if dust was the cause of all of our pollution concerns, why is all of Arizona “in attainment” of Federal standards except Maricopa county? Maybe it’s all those 3000sq’ dirt driveways that now have to be paved. Hello, anybody thinking about 65-70 million miles of vehicular traffic?
3. We support Efficient/Effective Planning that limits road re construction to once every 5-10 years. The Pima road mess of reducing a 7 lane road to 4 and adding an island, then digging it up a few months later to add water and sewer or electric and then a year later digging the island up to add 2 lanes back and so on is ridiculous. A similar situation occurred on Dynamite near Alma School. Pima road caused serious traffic backups and cost the taxpayers millions for all the re-do’s.
4. We support independent scientific measurement that will determine and measure the exact location of the source of PM 10 (Note these are the larger particulate matter that comes from dust that do not penetrate as deep into the lungs). We want Scottsdale to show some leadership and pressure the state legislature and EPA to prove that the problem emanates from Scottsdale. Scottsdale should be more like Cave Creek and the city of Gilbert that rejected state mandates.
5. We want complete disclosure of all the data and stats that relate to this issue, not misleading, deceitful sound bytes like the pollution presentation at your March 18 City Council Meeting that painted dust and the Brown Cloud as one and the same. (Note: dust particles are too large to scatter light)
6. We support reduced development & growth in Scottsdale and all areas of Maricopa County. Why? “New development contributes to air pollution not just during its construction, but over its lifespan by increasing the number of vehicles and vehicle miles traveled”, and it creates heat islands that cause Ozone pollution and so on. (Note: Ozone is one of the worst pollutants in our atmosphere.)
7. We support the removal of all requirements, ordinances and/or regulations that violate private property rights or values and that contribute nothing to the reduction of PM 10 (aka dust) or other pollutants and, in fact, increase the amount of Ozone which is one of the most serious pollutants in our atmosphere due in part to the Heat Island Effect. (Note: This was a reference to all the non sensible requirements for dust abatement including paving all dirt driveways 3000 square foot in size or greater that were adopted by Scottsdale on March 18. Maricopa County has 600 miles of dirt roads that when paved would simply exacerbate the pollution caused by a combination of increased traffic and the heat island effect.)
8. We support knowledgeable leaders (elected officials) that have independently researched the issues and are capable of producing reasonable decisions to protect our health.(Note:Pollutants in the Valley can and do kill us). Then and only then will you be in a position to assure your cons***uents that you are competent enough to protect our lives, our rights and our future.
Thank You.
After public comments were completed, council members engaged in lively debate as to their course of action due to the impact of the speakers including an attorney hired by a local horse owner to sue the city.
In their opinion, the state is imposing its muscle on us little guys because we are easy targets. The major dust-pollution creator is the Construction Industry but they are being ignored because they have money for political campaigns and aggressive lobbying. The bottom line was that State legislator Carolyn Allen supports our positions on this issue and the Council is going to pe***ion the state legislature regarding this mess (my word, not the councils)
The bottom, bottom line. We may have made a serious impact on the Dust issue and have given Scottsdale reason to pause and take the time necessary to support our concerns. We will now wait to see what happens.
Cochise County Update
by Anne May ASHA County Rep
March 19th,I attended Cochise Trails Assn meeting that focused on access to public land. There are only 13 official access points to all public lands (many access points currently being used are on private land and considered illegal access points.) State and Fed agencies are working with Cochise Trails and property owners to try to increase the total number, but have asked Cochise Trails to pin point those trails/access areas used most by the public since these agencies are faced with funding issues.
March 25th I attended breakfast meeting with Mary McCool, president of Cochise Trails and several other interested horse people. We shared thoughts and ideas regarding the Linear Park project as well as getting the county to adopt a countywide trail system ASAP to ensure future access for hikers/bikers/equestrians. Also discussed rails to trails project in the Riparian Area.
April 11th I attended a breakfast meeting with Mary McCool, several members of SE AZ Horseman’s Assn, and some horse owners and non-horse owners who live in the SE end of Linear Park where a major parking lot is proposed. The general thought was a parking lot in this area is not feasible for horse trailers nor safe access to the trails. We have come up with a plan to ride/bike/hike the entire area with assessor maps and GPS’. Homeowners at this meeting did not know that the upkeep of Linear Park was coming from sales tax. Now they understand why equestrians wanted to be assured access to public lands.
Department of Agriculture Horse Rescue Meeting
AZ dept of AG conducted a meeting that ASHA attended regarding standards for Horse Rescues in Arizona. Representatives from the Humane Society of the United States, In Defense of Animals, and Pet Smart Charities Division were in attendance. The majority of attendees were Horse Rescue owners.
There was general agreement that the Dept of Ag would ins***ute a voluntary certification program that would certify Rescues that followed a modified version of the Am Association of Equine Prac***ioners Rescue Care Guidelines and Checklist and would be signed off by an Arizona Vet. ASHA recommended that Rescues be certified at different levels with the fundamental level requiring a credit check to establish responsibility, proof of financial resources to feed and care for animals for a minimum of 1 year and reasonable experience with horses. There was strong disagreement with our recommendation. The basis of which was concern that rescued horses actually are rescued and stay rescued and that if not adopted their caretakers have sufficient funds to feed and tend to their needs and from experience know the signs of pain or disease. The American Horse Council has expressed concerns on this issue due to substantially increased numbers of horses going to rescues following the closure of all slaughter facilities in the US. There have been numerous rescues throughout this country that have been accused of neglect. The real concern is that it will only get worse if a law is passed that prevents horses being exported for slaughter to Canada and Mexico.
Ed O’Brien VP Arizona State Horsemen’s Association
All About Horses.com Publisher
The Arizona State Horsemen’s Association represents the “rights” of all horse owners in the state whether they are members or not. But, we urge you to enroll and support this important organization for without members, attendance at meetings and money, we will fail. Membership Applications are available on line at azasha.com
Maricopa County Update
The following is the presentation I gave to the Scottsdale City Council Meeting on Tuesday April 15, 2008 on behalf of all Horse owners in this state. (With anticipated growth of our population, the Pollution Issue addressed, will also be visiting Pima, Pinal and Coconino counties in the near future)
As you read this please know that Notes and some text was added to help you better understand the issue we addressed. Quotes were taken from the Phoenix Magazine April Issue article about Dust. It is a very well researched article and recommended reading.
Scottsdale City Council Meeting April 15,2008 Dust Issue
Good Evening,
Contrary to some people’s perception, the Arizona State Horsemen’s Association as the $2+ Billion Horse Industry’s representative supports Clean Air. In fact we support the following 8 steps to reduce the pollutants in our air.
1. We support synchronized traffic lights throughout the city that will eliminate the excess pollutants generated by unnecessarily idling vehicles. Why? “Our vehicles are the number one cause of the brown cloud. According to a 1999 Maricopa County Association of Gov’t report, gasoline engine exhaust accounts for about half of the PM 2.5 in Maricopa County and diesel engine exhaust accounts for 15%. Our brown cloud exists not because we live in the desert but because we drive in it,” On any given day our vehicles travel between 65 and 70 million miles in the valley. (Note: Particulate Matter 2.5 is the most serious. Its’ small size enables it to penetrate deep into the lungs and cause serious health issues.)
2. We support fines for Construction sub contractors that are currently exempt and strict commercial construction compliance. Why? Because we know that the major contributors to our dust problem are first construction (and they have big money and an aggressive lobby), then agriculture and next autos traveling on “paved roads”. And one other thing we know is that if dust was the cause of all of our pollution concerns, why is all of Arizona “in attainment” of Federal standards except Maricopa county? Maybe it’s all those 3000sq’ dirt driveways that now have to be paved. Hello, anybody thinking about 65-70 million miles of vehicular traffic?
3. We support Efficient/Effective Planning that limits road re construction to once every 5-10 years. The Pima road mess of reducing a 7 lane road to 4 and adding an island, then digging it up a few months later to add water and sewer or electric and then a year later digging the island up to add 2 lanes back and so on is ridiculous. A similar situation occurred on Dynamite near Alma School. Pima road caused serious traffic backups and cost the taxpayers millions for all the re-do’s.
4. We support independent scientific measurement that will determine and measure the exact location of the source of PM 10 (Note these are the larger particulate matter that comes from dust that do not penetrate as deep into the lungs). We want Scottsdale to show some leadership and pressure the state legislature and EPA to prove that the problem emanates from Scottsdale. Scottsdale should be more like Cave Creek and the city of Gilbert that rejected state mandates.
5. We want complete disclosure of all the data and stats that relate to this issue, not misleading, deceitful sound bytes like the pollution presentation at your March 18 City Council Meeting that painted dust and the Brown Cloud as one and the same. (Note: dust particles are too large to scatter light)
6. We support reduced development & growth in Scottsdale and all areas of Maricopa County. Why? “New development contributes to air pollution not just during its construction, but over its lifespan by increasing the number of vehicles and vehicle miles traveled”, and it creates heat islands that cause Ozone pollution and so on. (Note: Ozone is one of the worst pollutants in our atmosphere.)
7. We support the removal of all requirements, ordinances and/or regulations that violate private property rights or values and that contribute nothing to the reduction of PM 10 (aka dust) or other pollutants and, in fact, increase the amount of Ozone which is one of the most serious pollutants in our atmosphere due in part to the Heat Island Effect. (Note: This was a reference to all the non sensible requirements for dust abatement including paving all dirt driveways 3000 square foot in size or greater that were adopted by Scottsdale on March 18. Maricopa County has 600 miles of dirt roads that when paved would simply exacerbate the pollution caused by a combination of increased traffic and the heat island effect.)
8. We support knowledgeable leaders (elected officials) that have independently researched the issues and are capable of producing reasonable decisions to protect our health.(Note:Pollutants in the Valley can and do kill us). Then and only then will you be in a position to assure your cons***uents that you are competent enough to protect our lives, our rights and our future.
Thank You.
After public comments were completed, council members engaged in lively debate as to their course of action due to the impact of the speakers including an attorney hired by a local horse owner to sue the city.
In their opinion, the state is imposing its muscle on us little guys because we are easy targets. The major dust-pollution creator is the Construction Industry but they are being ignored because they have money for political campaigns and aggressive lobbying. The bottom line was that State legislator Carolyn Allen supports our positions on this issue and the Council is going to pe***ion the state legislature regarding this mess (my word, not the councils)
The bottom, bottom line. We may have made a serious impact on the Dust issue and have given Scottsdale reason to pause and take the time necessary to support our concerns. We will now wait to see what happens.
Cochise County Update
by Anne May ASHA County Rep
March 19th,I attended Cochise Trails Assn meeting that focused on access to public land. There are only 13 official access points to all public lands (many access points currently being used are on private land and considered illegal access points.) State and Fed agencies are working with Cochise Trails and property owners to try to increase the total number, but have asked Cochise Trails to pin point those trails/access areas used most by the public since these agencies are faced with funding issues.
March 25th I attended breakfast meeting with Mary McCool, president of Cochise Trails and several other interested horse people. We shared thoughts and ideas regarding the Linear Park project as well as getting the county to adopt a countywide trail system ASAP to ensure future access for hikers/bikers/equestrians. Also discussed rails to trails project in the Riparian Area.
April 11th I attended a breakfast meeting with Mary McCool, several members of SE AZ Horseman’s Assn, and some horse owners and non-horse owners who live in the SE end of Linear Park where a major parking lot is proposed. The general thought was a parking lot in this area is not feasible for horse trailers nor safe access to the trails. We have come up with a plan to ride/bike/hike the entire area with assessor maps and GPS’. Homeowners at this meeting did not know that the upkeep of Linear Park was coming from sales tax. Now they understand why equestrians wanted to be assured access to public lands.
Department of Agriculture Horse Rescue Meeting
AZ dept of AG conducted a meeting that ASHA attended regarding standards for Horse Rescues in Arizona. Representatives from the Humane Society of the United States, In Defense of Animals, and Pet Smart Charities Division were in attendance. The majority of attendees were Horse Rescue owners.
There was general agreement that the Dept of Ag would ins***ute a voluntary certification program that would certify Rescues that followed a modified version of the Am Association of Equine Prac***ioners Rescue Care Guidelines and Checklist and would be signed off by an Arizona Vet. ASHA recommended that Rescues be certified at different levels with the fundamental level requiring a credit check to establish responsibility, proof of financial resources to feed and care for animals for a minimum of 1 year and reasonable experience with horses. There was strong disagreement with our recommendation. The basis of which was concern that rescued horses actually are rescued and stay rescued and that if not adopted their caretakers have sufficient funds to feed and tend to their needs and from experience know the signs of pain or disease. The American Horse Council has expressed concerns on this issue due to substantially increased numbers of horses going to rescues following the closure of all slaughter facilities in the US. There have been numerous rescues throughout this country that have been accused of neglect. The real concern is that it will only get worse if a law is passed that prevents horses being exported for slaughter to Canada and Mexico.