Daily Archives: March 26, 2015

Congressman introduced Life at Conception Act

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Alex X. Mooney, West Virginia

Alex X. Mooney, West Virginia

WASHINGTON — Rep. Mooney, Alexander X. [R-WV-2] has introduced H.R. 816—the Life at Conception act. The act would use the 14th Amendment to guarantee the right to life at all stages of life. The bill would also prevent prosecution of a woman for the death of her unborn child.

The bill defines a human person or human being as:

…every member of the species homo sapiens at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual member of the human species comes into being.

The bill provides:

However, nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child.

The bill is broadly defined to include cloning or any other method of fertilization which results in an embryo.

The bill, which was introduced February 9, has 82 co-sponsors and was referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice on March 16. Only one Democrat has co-sponsored the bill.

Congressional proposal formally extends I-11 to Southern Arizona

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PHOENIX –– As planning for the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor advances, Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski today expressed appreciation for the efforts of U.S. Senator John McCain and U.S. Senator Jeff Flake for their work to introduce the Intermountain West Corridor Development Act of 2015 to Congress.

The bill formally extends Interstate 11 from Wickenburg south through the Tucson area to Nogales, Arizona. Interstate 11 had previously received a congressional designation from Phoenix to Las Vegas. The Intermountain West Corridor Development Act would not only formally designate I-11 across Arizona from border to border by establishing a new international trade corridor, but would also extend the interstate north through Nevada as well, with plans to ultimately connect with existing high-priority corridors to the Canadian border.

This act formalizes and reinforces ADOT’s overall concept for Interstate 11 in Arizona. ADOT, through its two-year feasibility study, which was completed last fall, focused on and supported the concept of Interstate 11 that runs border to border throughout Arizona, beginning at the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge and ending at the Arizona-Mexico border.

“I applaud the efforts of Senators McCain and Flake for their continued support to make Interstate 11 a reality,” said Halikowski. “As a part of ADOT’s Key Commerce Corridor plan, investment in corridors like Interstate 11 provides tremendous opportunities for Arizona to connect to other economic centers and up our game through increased trade, tourism, commerce, job growth and economic development throughout Arizona and the Intermountain West.”

The Intermountain West Corridor Development Act is also supported by Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.).

Other benefits of Interstate 11 include connections to major trade hubs and transcontinental roadways and railroad corridors, while improving safety and travel time along the north-south corridors of the western United States.

Last fall, the Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation completed an initial two-year feasibility study as the first step in the Interstate 11 process. In December, the Arizona State Transportation Board took action to approve $15 million for the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, which will allow ADOT to begin an environmental study in the area between Nogales and Wickenburg. The Tier 1 EIS is expected to begin later this year and is estimated to take three years to complete.

Dirt haul on SR 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley scheduled next week

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CHINO VALLEY — Traffic on State Route 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley will be required to stop intermittently next week to allow trucks to safely cross the highway.

The hauling operation will take place from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday, March 30 through April 2, with intermittent closures for dirt hauling. Drivers can expect minimal delays during work hours.

The work zone will be clearly marked by temporary barricades and signage. ADOT advises drivers to allow additional time to reach their destinations and to proceed through the work zone with caution, comply with the reduced speed limit, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

Upon completion of the $17 million project, ADOT will expand the two-lane roadway to a four-lane divided highway along a five-mile segment of SR 89 (mileposts 320-325) between Road 4 South in Chino Valley and Deep Well Ranch Road in Prescott, just north of the SR 89/SR 89A junction. The project is expected to be complete by August.

ADOT urges drivers to slow down, avoid distractions during National Work Zone Awareness Week

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File photo.

File photo.

PHOENIX — It is one of the most dangerous jobs across the country, that of the highway worker. Operating close to traffic subjects highway workers to safety risks, including speeding, impaired or distracted drivers. But the Arizona Department of Transportation also points to national statistics that show most victims in work zone crashes are likely to be drivers or their passengers.

“Expect the Unexpected” is the theme of this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week, which started Monday.

In 2013, the latest year for which national statistics are available, 579 people died in work zone-related crashes across the country, according to the American Traffic Safety Services Foundation. About 80 percent of those killed or injured in such crashes were drivers or their passengers.

A review of law enforcement crash reports shows 17 people were killed in Arizona work zone crashes in 2013. It was a noticeable increase over seven such fatalities in 2012 and 10 deaths in 2011.

ADOT and other U.S. transportation agencies have joined together this week to urge drivers to pay attention to signs and other warning devices, slow down and give workers plenty of space in and around work zones along highways and local roadways.

No ADOT workers have been killed in work zone crashes in recent years, and the agency wants to keep it that way.

ADOT has unveiled a new Work Zone Safety public service announcement that highlights the risks construction and maintenance crews face along highways, especially when drivers don’t heed lowered speed limits in work zones. The video shows a close call for a paving crew as a speeding recreational vehicle passes by them.

“A tragedy can occur at any moment within a work zone,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “Our highway workers are somebody’s family member. We’re asking you to slow down and pay attention so those workers can make it home safely to their families at the end of the day.”

State Route 347/Union Pacific Railroad Final Environmental Assessment approved

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation, in partnership with the city of Maricopa, the Union Pacific Railroad and the Federal Highway Administration, has received federal approval for the proposed bridge project on State Route 347 over the railroad crossing, clearing the way for the project to move forward when funding is available.

On March 18, the Federal Highway Administration issued a Finding of No Significant Impact after reviewing the Final Environmental Assessment, the definitive decision-making document federally required for the project.

This grants the final approval necessary for ADOT to begin the process of acquiring right of way, completing the design and beginning construction when funding is available.

The environmental review process, which includes preparing the draft and final environmental assessments, was conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

The estimated $55 million project is intended to alleviate traffic backups at the Union Pacific Railroad crossing in Pinal County by replacing the existing at-grade intersection with an overpass on SR 347, which is the only direct route between the city of Maricopa and metro Phoenix, so vehicle and train traffic do not impede one another.

More than 40 trains run daily through the middle of Maricopa, which has been one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation. Future plans call for more than 100 trains to pass through Maricopa daily.

In June 2014, the project was added to ADOT’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program, including $18.8 million for design and right-of-way acquisition and $36.2 million for construction in fiscal year 2020:

  • FY 2015:$5.5 million allocated for design and $500,000 allocated for right of way
  • FY 2016: $5.5 million allocated for right of way
  • FY 2017: $7.3 million allocated for right of way
  • FY 2020: $36.2 million for construction

For more information on the SR 347 project, including a computer-generated video of the proposed grade separation, please visit the project webpage: azdot.gov/sr347.

Tollsen: PROPOSED ARIZONA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (AZPDES) RENEWAL PERMIT

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Tollsen: PROPOSED ARIZONA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (AZPDES) RENEWAL PERMIT

ADEQ logo resizedPursuant to the Clean Water Act and in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-A907, the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) proposes to issue an Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Permit to discharge pollutants to Waters of the United States to the following applicant, subject to certain effluent limitations and special conditions:

Public Notice No.15-50                    Published on March 26, 2015
Published on Northern Arizona Gazette

AZPDES Permit No. AZ0020338
City of Tolleson Wastewater Treatment Plant
City of Tolleson
9555 W. Van Buren Street
Tolleson, AZ 85353

The City of Tolleson applied for a renewal AZPDES permit for the proposed discharge of up to 17.5 million gallons per day (mgd) of treated domestic wastewater from the City of Tolleson Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to the Salt River in the Middle Gila River Basin in Township 1 N, Range 1 E, Section 33, in Maricopa County, Arizona. The City of Tolleson WWTP is a publicly owned treatment works that receives domestic wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial sources in the city of Tolleson and Sun City. Sludge is stabilized in an anaerobic digester and then thickened and dewatered for further treatment on-site. The biosolids are either land applied or disposed of in an approved landfill according to state rules and regulations.

The permit and fact sheet may be viewed online at http://www.azdeq.gov/cgi-bin/vertical.pl by typing the permit number in the box left of “Search Event”. The public notice and related documentation also are available for public review, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the ADEQ Records Center, 1110 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. In Phoenix, please call (602) 771-4380 or e-mail recordscenter@azdeq.gov 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment to review the file.

Persons may submit comments or request a public hearing on the proposed action in writing, to Chiou Chen, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, 1110 W. Washington St., 5415B-3, Phoenix, Arizona 85007. All written comments received by ADEQ by the close of business on the date 30 days after publication of this notice will be considered in the final permit decision. A public hearing request must be in writing and must include the reasons for such request. If there is a significant degree of public interest, the Director will hold a hearing in accordance with A.A.C. R18-9-908(B).

 

PROPOSED ARIZONA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (AZPDES) RENEWAL PERMIT

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ADEQ logo resizedPursuant to the Clean Water Act and in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-A907, the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) proposes to issue an Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Permit to discharge pollutants to Waters of the United States to the following applicant, subject to certain effluent limitations and special conditions:

Public Notice No. 15-47                               Published on March 26, 2015
Published in the Buckeye Valley News

AZPDES Permit No. AZ0025836
Arizona Public Service
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station
P.O. Box 52034, M/S 7626
Phoenix, Arizona 85027

Arizona Public Service (APS) has applied for a renewal AZPDES permit for the proposed discharge of up to 19.5 million gallons per day (mgd) of treated domestic effluent from the APS Water Reclamation Supply System (WRSS) Pipeline to the Buckeye Canal, tributary to the Hassayampa River in the Middle Gila River Basin. The pipeline has a total of 21 outfalls located between Township 1N, Range 2W, Section 25 and Township 1S, Range 3W, Section 5 in Maricopa County, Arizona. Discharge typically occurs once every three years when the pipeline needs to be drained for maintenance and inspection activities. Effluent in the pipeline is supplied by wastewater treatment plants operated by the cities of Phoenix, Tolleson, and Goodyear. All plants contributing effluent to the pipeline have AZPDES permits and treat to secondary standards. The permittee operates the pipeline to provide the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station with cooling water.

The permit and fact sheet may be viewed online at http://www.azdeq.gov/cgi-bin/vertical.pl by typing the permit number in the box left of “Search Event”. The public notice and related documentation also are available for public review, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the ADEQ Records Center, 1110 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. In Phoenix, please call (602) 771-4380 or e-mail recordscenter@azdeq.gov 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment to review the file.

Persons may submit comments or request a public hearing on the proposed action in writing, to Ramona Chomor, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, 1110 W. Washington St., 5415B-3, Phoenix, Arizona 85007. All written comments received by ADEQ by the close of business on the date 30 days after publication of this notice will be considered in the final permit decision. A public hearing request must be in writing and must include the reasons for such request. If there is a significant degree of public interest, the Director will hold a hearing in accordance with A.A.C. R18-9-A908(B).

Good Friday procession on Route 66 to precede Easter weekend events

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good-friday-1WILLIAMS — A Good Friday procession is planned for Williams on Friday, April 3 starting at 6:30 p.m. The procession will start at the Mustang Gas station on the east end of town on Route 66. They will travel west along Railroad Avenue to the Family Harvest Church. People wishing to participate can call (928)635-2430 for more details. This is the first time this event has been held.

File Photo

File Photo

Following Saturday is the annual Community Easter Eggstravaganza. The event held at the Recreation Center will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event features Easter egg hunts for the kids, prizes and other family fun. There is some news about a special guest, but we have not been told who. We could hazard a guest. Call the Recreation Center at (928) 635-1496 for more information.

After your attendance at Easter service on Sunday, you can witness the Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center 5th Annual Ducky Egg Race. The proceeds fund the activities of the Friends through the months when the Aquatic Center is open. Eggs are $5 each or 6 for $20. The location of the race is TBD the day of the race. Tickets can be purchased prior to the race in front of Safeway on March 27, March 28, and April 3. They can also be purchased at the Community Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 4. Monies raised will be used for pool publicity in Williams and the surrounding areas.