Tag: Mayor Regina Romero

$33 Million in Federal Funding to Support Tucson Area Water Resources

The Center Square

Funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be used to for water cleaning resources by developing a new treatment center in Tucson. 

Specifically, the facility would focus on PFAS chemicals, which the United States Environmental Protection Agency describes as “widely used” and “long-lasting,” but could also have negative health consequences when they make their way into water and other consumables. Out of $10 billion targeted toward getting chemicals out of water in the act, $33,520,000 is Tucson bound, according to a news release. 

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Buttigieg Touts New Tucson Bridge in Video About Infrastructure

Peter D'Abrosca

A former Democrat candidate for president and the current Secretary of Transportation posted a video touting a bridge in Tucson as a successful example of the Biden administration’s infrastructure spending package. 

“The 22nd Street Bridge project in Tucson, Arizona is an example of what infrastructure investment looks like in practice — helping people connect to the places and things they need to reach affordably, efficiently, and safely,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, attaching a video message on Twitter. 

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Tucson City Council Moves in Favor of Increased Electric Vehicle Readiness; Rising Costs a Concern

Neil Jones

The Tucson City Council recently approved an amendment to the Unified Development Code to ensure that new commercial development in Tucson is Electric Vehicle (EV) ready.

“These new regulations would require all new commercial development, multi-family, office, and retail to include EV stations or outlets, as well as conduit to support future expansion of EV capacity,” according to the city of Tucson. “These new requirements come after more than a year of stakeholder and public engagement, community input, and technical analysis to develop the proposal.”

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Arizona Mayors Say They Won’t Use City Resources to Uphold Abortion Laws

Peter D'Abrosca

Mayors in two prominent cities in Arizona have signaled that they will not follow the state abortion laws after last week’s Supreme Court reversal of Roe V. Wade.

“I am deeply disappointed by today’s Supreme Court decision,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego (D). “Phoenix is a pro-choice city. A majority of the city council and I have no interest in using city resources to prevent women from accessing health care.”

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Arizona Senator Fires Back After Tucson Vows to Ignore State’s New Abortion Law

Peter D'Abrosca

A Republican State Senator fired back at the city of Tucson, whose Democrat leaders Tuesday passed a resolution saying the city will not enforce the state’s new ban on abortion after 15 weeks of gestation.

“This resolution is meaningless. The City of Tucson does not have the legal authority to block a state law regarding abortion, which is of statewide concern and subject to the sole jurisdiction of the State Legislature. Cities cannot decide the legality of any state law for that matter,” State Sen. Nancy Barto (R-District 15) told The Arizona Sun Times. “That’s outside the scope of their authority. The City of Tucson will be in the position of losing state shared revenues if they persist in this action. We’ve reached out to the Attorney General’s office for comment on this blatant disregard for law and overreach in regulating health professionals that have to comply with our state laws.”

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Tucson Now Requires New Homes to Have Electric Vehicle Outlets

Corinne Murdock

Tucson will require all new constructions of one- and two-family homes, as well as townhomes, to be outfitted with electric vehicle charging outlets. The Tucson City Council finalized this decision in a unanimous vote during last Tuesday’s regular meeting.

According to the new requirement, Ordinance 11844, each one- to two-family dwelling and townhouse unit should have at least one “EV [Electric Vehicle] Ready Space,” with markers identifying the outlet as such. Builders wouldn’t have to provide any EV Ready Spaces if there aren’t on-site parking spaces.

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