Blog: The Safety and Resilience of Our Communities Depends on Bold Investments in the Build Back Better Act

Mesa City Councilmember Francisco Heredia represents District 3.

Mesa is the third largest city in Arizona with a diverse population of over 518,000 people. As this number increases, it is urgent that we prioritize solutions to curb the impacts of the climate crisis so that we can build the safety and resilience our communities deserve.

The City of Mesa is taking action to make sustainable improvements for our residents, and have released a Climate Action Plan to protect and conserve Mesa’s environment and natural resources.. To bolster this effort, we need to make investments that tackle the climate crisis, and have tangible benefits for Arizonans. Fortunately, Congress is working on a bill, the Build Back Better Act, that would make a difference for our city and state that will mitigate wildfires and protect forests and watersheds, address drought impacts and land and water issues, and act boldly on the climate crisis, and we need Senator Kelly and Senator Sinema to support it.

Guest Blog: The Connecting Power of Time Spent Outdoors

By Arizona State Representative Alma Hernandez

I was born and raised on the South Side of Tucson. My father grew up on a farm in Van Nuys, California and my mother emigrated from Nogales, Mexico. I’m the youngest of three, and proud to carry the strength and resiliency of my ancestry and my community. The district that I’m from and also represent is predominantly Hispanic and low-income. Our community is beautiful, with vendor-lined streets and a strong sentiment of care.

Press Release: Hispanic and Hispanic-Serving Community and Elected Leaders Urge Senate to Pass the Build Back Better Act

The Build Back Better Act passed the House of Representatives with bold investments to Create Jobs, Restore Public Lands, Act on Climate, and Reform the Federal Gas Leasing Program

(Arizona/Washington, DC) -- A group of Hispanic and Hispanic-serving community and elected leaders, including Hispanics Enjoying Camping Hunting and the Outdoors (HECHO), sent a letter to Members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources urging them to pass the Build Back Better Act with nature-based investments that will restore natural systems, protect communities against climate-fueled disasters, create millions of jobs, and reform the federal oil and gas leasing program.

Statement: HECHO Applauds Interior Department’s Recommendations to Reform Broken, Antiquated Oil and Gas Leasing Program

The report follows a comprehensive review of federal leasing practices and priorities and highlights how the oil and gas industry has benefitted at the expense of taxpayers, wildlife, and public lands.

Today the Department of the Interior (DOI) released a long-awaited report on the state of the federal oil and gas leasing program and includes a path forward to bring the program into the 21st century so that it works for everybody.

“For too long, our oil and gas leasing program has been utilizing outdated practices that have long-term implications for the health, stewardship, and economics of our public lands. We are excited to see that the DOI has put forward recommendations that address long-standing problems with an antiquated leasing program. Congress should use this report as a guide for reforming the fiscal policies of federal oil and gas leasing program as part of the Build Back Better Act,” said Camilla Simon, Executive Director, Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO).

Press Releases/Statements, Oil & GasGuest UserNovember 26, 2021Statement, Deb Haaland, Public Lands, Oil and Gas, Leasing Reform, Build Back BetterComment

Statement: House Passes Build Back Better Act, Largest Climate Investment in U.S. History

Press Releases/StatementsGuest UserNovember 19, 2021Statement, Build Back Better, Build Back Better Act, Public Lands, Climate Change, Renewable EnergyComment

Op-ed: It’s time to invest in our Arizona communities and the environment

When I was 10 years old, I witnessed my grandfather, Cesar Chavez, fasting to demand a ban for pesticide use on table grapes. The pesticides poisoned the soil and posed serious health impacts to the farmworkers who tended the land.
At this early age it ignited in me a passion to ensure that our communities and our environment are protected and have access to clean air and fresh water.

Today this connection has led me to advocate for legislation that will mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis that my community is experiencing first hand. From frequent heavy pollution days and increasing concern over access to clean drinking water, it’s high time for comprehensive legislation that will address these important issues.

Press Release: Build Back Better Act and Nature-Based Infrastructure Could Protect, Restore, and Rebuild Arizona’s Natural Landscapes

Contact: Amy Dominguez, Communications Coordinator, Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO); 801-928-9157, amy@hechoonline.org

Flagstaff — In Arizona, where unprecedented weather events, such as devastating wildfires, drought, record heatwaves and flashfloods dominated headlines in 2021, nature-based infrastructure solutions in President Biden’s Build Back Better Act present an opportunity to keep communities and natural landscapes safe from the climate-driven impacts that are sweeping the nation today.

Blog: Arizonans Deserve Bold Legislation to Mitigate Climate Crisis

The United States has been experiencing unprecedented times – from the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the health of Americans and leaving thousands without jobs, to extreme weather events amplified by climate change like wildfires, our livelihoods are on the line. During this tumultuous time, it is critical that our communities are protected from climate change impacts, that our economy is fortified via the introduction of jobs that would help to mitigate the effects of climate change, and that our existing infrastructure system is improved.

Oil & GasGuest BloggerSeptember 28, 2021Blog, Climate Change, Environmental Justice (EJ), Build Back Better, The HillComment

Op-ed: Congress should fund new Civilian Climate Corps

This piece originally appeared as an op-ed in the Tucson Sentinel on September 22, 2021.

By Arizona State Representative Alma Hernandez | 09/22/2021, 1:37 p.m. MST

Rep. Alma Hernandez is a Democrat from LD 3 in the Arizona House of Representatives.

41,000 jobs for Arizonans, more than $58 million in investments for the state, and improvements to the Grand Canyon, Tucson Mountain Park, Coronado National Forest, and communities statewide: the impact of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the early 20th century was long-lasting for our state. The work of the original CCC provided economic benefits during the Great Depression while building long-lasting and crucial upgrades to improve our access to nature.

Blog: A High-Level Overview of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan

What is the American Jobs Plan?

The American Jobs Plan (AJP) is the second part of President Biden’s Build Back Better initiative. Divided into three parts that include a COVID-19 package, the American Jobs Plan, and the American Families Plan, it seeks to close the gap on economic insecurity at several levels.

Introduced in March 2020, the American Jobs Plan focuses on enhancing and repairing our nation’s outdated infrastructure system that includes provisions to upgrade transportation infrastructure, broadband infrastructure, resilient infrastructure, and affordable housing. It also lays the groundwork for investments to modernize clean drinking water supplies, improve on renewable energy, and job development.

Guest UserJuly 30, 2021Blog, Build Back Better, American Jobs Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure PackageComment

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