http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-951285.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – Right now federal regulators can simply go to a home or business
site to check for problems like air or water pollution,
overgrazing of federal lands or even not paying your taxes. The
proposal crafted by freshman Rep. Chester Crandell would first
require the regulators to check in with the sheriff -- who would
then notify whoever the feds were investigating. Crandell
conceded that advance warning could let someone correct the
problem.
(I guess the principle that you would look at is are we there to
collect fines or are we there to fix the problem? So if I know
that they're coming, and I have an opportunity to go through and
say, OK, am I doing what I supposed to do or I'm not doing what
I'm supposed to do, haven't we fixed the problem that we're
trying to get to anyway instead of levying the fine?)
And Crandell said he's not concerned that once the regulators are
gone, the pollution or whatever will just restart.
(We have all those agencies already here in the state of Arizona
that do that, have been elected, our mine inspector, all of those
have been elected, set in statute to be able to do that. But yet
EPA comes in and overrides and they get the money.)
The measure squeaked out of the House Government Committee on a
5-4 vote with foes saying it's probably illegal and will just
result in another expensive fight with the federal government.
For Arizona Public Radio this is Howard Fischer.