The nation may see the benefits of hydropower expansion in Arizona, depending on President Joe Biden’s approval of an Arizona congressman’s bill.
That bill, HR 1607 from Congressman David Schweikert, transfers National Forest System land near the Salt River in Arizona to the Bureau of Reclamation for the purpose of additional hydropower generation within the Salt River Federal Reclamation Project.
In remarks before the House last year, Schweikert explained that pumped storage hydroelectricity supplements energy resources in the state.
“It’s environmentally sound, it actually allows us to take care of something that is somewhat unique for us in the desert southwest, and that is the solar power we produce,” said Schweikert.
Pumped storage hydroelectricity pumps water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir during low energy demand. During high energy demand, the upper reservoir releases downhill into the lower reservoir through hydropower turbines to generate around 10-12 hours of reliable energy.
In a press release, Schweikert said the legislation proved Arizona’s standing as a state leading on energy production and efficiency.
“Once again, Arizona has proven to lead the charge to deliver innovation and make life more efficient for Arizonans at a time when our state’s economy and population continue to explode,” said Schweikert. “The near unanimous support for this legislation proves that America is ready to embrace long-term energy storage technologies to expand the supply of affordable and reliable energy for our communities.”
Schweikert thanked his Democratic colleague, Congressman Greg Stanton, for his assistance in getting the bill passed with bipartisan support.
“I’m incredibly thankful for my friend and colleague, Rep. Stanton, who’s been crucial to this process of embracing innovation, and I’m looking forward to seeing this technology benefit Arizona,” said Schweikert in the press release.
Stanton contributed a statement to Schweikert’s press release, adding that the pumped storage hydroelectric expansion couldn’t come at a better time.
“Not only do pumped storage projects provide greater flexibility and improve reliability in our energy grid, but they also cut utility costs for Arizona families and businesses,” said Stanton. “This critical legislation passed the House with an overwhelming majority last year, and today it’s on its way to becoming law.”
It was a bipartisan coalition of elected leaders that ensured the passage of Schweikert’s bill. Both the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed the legislation unanimously.
Schweikert introduced the bill last March. The House passed the bill last November, where it awaited Senate review for over a year. The Senate approved the bill on Tuesday. Arizona Senators Mark Kelly (D) and Kyrsten Sinema (I) introduced companion legislation in March, SB 739, which has advanced to Biden’s desk.
Kelly said in the press release that the expansion would not only strengthen the state’s energy grid but result in lower energy costs for Arizonans.
“Expanding pumped-storage hydropower in Arizona will strengthen our energy grid and lower energy costs for families,” said Kelly. “This is about using technology to make our energy more reliable and affordable.”
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Democrat President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter, despite a very public vow not to, was met with condemnation from Arizona leaders in both parties. Two Arizona Republican congressmen and one congressman-elect were joined by a Democratic Representative in offering a stern rebuke of Biden’s blatant reversal and the clear preferential treatment given to his son.
In a statement released late on Sunday, Biden forwarded the claim that his son’s prosecution for violating federal gun laws and violations of the tax code were selective and that his son was “unfairly prosecuted” and “treated differently.”
He wrote:
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted. Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.
The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.
No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.
For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
Most controversially, the “Full and Unconditional Pardon” issued for the younger Biden is broad and sweeping. It covers “offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.” Notably, this period covers time when President Biden was still Vice President under the Obama administration, as well as Hunter’s appointment and tenure on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma according to Reuters. This would handily cover events and serious allegations of corruption probed by the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives in the past two years. It would also cover business dealings in China that have been heavily scrutinized as influence peddling and featured the cryptic mention in exposed emails of Hunter securing “10 held by H for the big guy,” as reported by the New York Post.
Appearing to refer to the implication of President Biden in the scandals, Republican Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) wrote in a post to X, “Proxy Pardon,” seeming to suggest Biden is de facto pardoning himself or his brother James Biden.
Congressman-elect Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) wrote, “Joe Biden is leaving his presidency even more disgraced. A two-tiered justice system has no place in America. No more lies. No more special treatment. It’s time to restore law and order.”
Joe Biden is leaving his presidency even more disgraced. A two-tiered justice system has no place in America.
Democratic Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) reposted the Associated Press coverage of the pardon and wrote, “I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers,” adding a bipartisan character to the Congressional blowback from the pardon of Hunter Biden.
I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong.
This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers. https://t.co/P31d4ILL1P
Democrat leaders from across the country gathered Tuesday to lavish praise on former-Phoenix Mayor-turned-Congressman Greg Stanton at a celebration naming the new downtown Phoenix transit hub after him. The new hub, under construction at Central Avenue and Van Buren, is slated to open in 2025. The station is part of a slate of transit projects pushed through by Stanton during his mayoral tenure. It was rolled into a 2015 ballot measure that replaced a sunsetting 0.4 percent sales tax with a 0.7 percent sales tax to spend a projected $17.3 billion in taxpayer dollars on transportation and public works.
Democrats, including House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, assistant minority leader Joe Neguse, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke, and Tempe Mayor Corey Woods were all on hand for the ceremony according to Axios. They publicly lauded Stanton, who was present for the festivities and called the hub a “true game-changer” for the city.
Jeffries joked, “Most will never achieve this honor. Some just hope to have a broom closet named after them. But Greg Stanton has earned this incredible designation for all that he has done.”
Co-Host of the Breaking Battlegrounds radio show & podcast Sam Stone, chief of staff to former Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio and 2022 candidate for City Council, had other ideas to memorialize Stanton’s term as mayor. He wrote in a post to X, “If govt naming conventions were honest we’d call it the Greg Stanton Federal Waste Transfer Station…”
If govt naming conventions were honest we’d call it the Greg Stanton Federal Waste Transfer Station… https://t.co/VDNQuvVfPI
Stone has publicly opposed the controversial move to name the station for Stanton since at least May when he denounced the effort to choose Stanton over the late Rep. Ed Pastor, as a “Blatant Election-year stunt.”
Four days later, Stone urged “civic action” and called upon Phoenicians to attend the City Council meeting to protest. He wrote, “Mayor Kate Gallego is trying to name the new downtown transportation hub after Greg Stanton. This is clearly an election year stunt. It was supposed to be named after Ed Pastor. We need people to go or call into the Phoenix Council meeting tonight to stop this nonsense.”
The initial vote to begin the process passed 7-2 with Councilmembers Betty Guardado and Laura Pastor, daughter of the late- Rep. Pastor, dissenting per KJZZ.
On June 26th, the City Council passed the final measure naming the station in Stanton’s honor. Mayor Kate Gallego told reporters, “I am thrilled that one of our newest additions to the Phoenix skyline—the soon-to-be-completed Central Station Transit Hub—will officially be named after one of Phoenix’s most effective champions for accessible public transportation: former Mayor and Congressman Greg Stanton.” She continued, “Without his leadership, Phoenix would not have achieved the incredible growth of our light rail and bus systems, which move and connect tens of thousands of residents and visitors each and every day. We are building a bright future for Phoenix on the foundations that he worked hard to lay, and he is deserving of this honor.”
The 2024 Arizona Primary Election for Southern Arizona’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives involved races that were mostly uncontested or lightly contested with the notable exception of District 6. That race, between incumbent Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani and challenger Kathleen Winn, was more energetic, and will now be followed by what could be a staunch challenge from Democrat Kirsten Engel.
While the results are not finalized in many of the races, according to state and county officials, the unofficial results stand thusly as of noon on July 31 according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.
Jeff Zink won the Arizona Congressional Primary for District 3, vacated by Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego, against Jesus David Mendoza, 65.6%-34.4%, by a margin of 3,720 votes.
Zink is expected to face off against Yassamin Ansari who defeated Raquel Terán to win the Democratic nomination in a close 46.1%-42.7% race by a margin of 1,185.
According to Cook Political, District 3 leans heavily Democrat D+24
Republican Kelly Cooper defeated Dr. Zuhdi Jasser in a six-point race, 32.2%-26.8%, with a margin of 2,692 in Democrat-held District 4.
Cooper will challenge incumbent Congressman Greg Stanton who ran unopposed.
According to Cook Political, District 2 is solidly Democrat but only holds a D+2 rating, indicating a possible vulnerability for House Democrats. Cooper was previously defeated by Stanton in 2022 in a 12-point race by a margin of 32,420 votes, a massive decrease from Stanton’s 2020 23-point, six-figure margin prior to redistricting.
Dr. Jasser posted to X Thursday acknowledging his defeat in the race and issued a full statement. He wrote, “A humble thank you to all our supporters after a hard fought primary election battle for Arizona’s 4th Congressional District. I congratulate @KellyCooperAZ and wish him and his family the best in retiring the empty suited Biden rubber stamper @RepGregStanton from office.”
Cooper replied, “It was honor to run against you, I know we have the same goals, make Arizona better. I look forward to bringing unity to the Republican Party and winning in November!”
A humble thank you to all our supporters after a hard fought primary election battle for Arizona’s 4th Congressional District. I congratulate @KellyCooperAZ and wish him and his family the best in retiring the empty suited Biden rubber stamper @RepGregStanton from office.
Reps. Andy Biggs, a Republican, and Katrina Schaffner, a Democrat, won their respective nominations in unopposed District 5 primaries and will face off in the general election.
According to Cook Political, District 5 is solidly Republican R+11
Incumbent Congressman Juan Ciscomani defeated challenger Kathleen Winn in a 59.4%-40.6% race by a margin of 16,344.
Ciscomani will be challenged by Democrat Kirsten Engel in November who won the Democratic nomination unopposed.
Cook Political, considers District 6 to be a Republican Toss-up R+3
Forecasting from The Hill gives Ciscomani a 71% chance of retaining his seat.
Republican Daniel Butierez, Sr., and incumbent Democrat Congressman Raúl Grijalva, were unopposed in their District 7 primaries and will face each other in the general election.
Cook Political, has District 7 projected as solidly Democratic at D+15
A Democratic Arizona congressman waved a Ukrainian flag on the House floor after the approval of additional Ukraine aid, though the Grand Canyon state is facing a crisis of its own.
Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Phoenix, waved a Ukrainian flag on the floor of the U.S. House on Saturday as members of his Democratic Party chanted “Ukraine.” Stanton joined a minority of Republicans in approving $60 billion in additional military aid for the Ukrainian government.
Phoenix radio personality, James T. Harris, raised questions about Stanton’s priorities. Arizona is currently the number one hotspot for illegal border crossings.
“Why [is] Congressman Greg Stanton from AZ waving a Ukrainian flag? What about the invasion on his Southern border?,” Harris said on Twitter.
Why Congressman Greg Stanton from AZ waving a Ukrainian flag? What about the invasion on his Southern border? pic.twitter.com/jzB1l1mUE2
During the first four months of fiscal year 2024, Border Patrol recorded more than 250,000 migrant apprehensions in the Tucson sector, the most of any region patrolled by the agency, according to federal government statistics.
Even House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who pushed the aid bill, denounced the flag waving.
“These are not normal times here in the House or around the world, as we all know and we saw a disturbance on the House floor just a bit ago,” Johnson said of the demonstration. “I just want to say simply that I think most people around the country understand and agree we should only wave one flag on the House floor, and I think we know which flag that is.”
The bill, tying military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan with humanitarian assistance for Gaza, was a victory for Johnson after he brought the proposals to the floor despite objections from his party. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is leading a movement to oust the speaker.
The aid package passed on a 311 to 112 vote, with Arizona Republicans Juan Ciscomani and David Schweikert joining Ruben Gallego and Stanton in approving the measure. Gallego reportedly held a Ukraine flag but did not wave it.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
