President Trump’s historic victory in the November election gave him a clear mandate from the American people. And so far, he hasn’t wasted any time getting to work. In his first month back in office, Trump signed 45 Executive Orders (EO) in an effort to put America first and undo much of the damage created by the Biden administration. And that’s especially true with his executive actions to unleash American energy.
Ending the Net Zero Climate Cult Fantasy
For four years under President Biden, the American people were forced to endure an administration that was hellbent on pursuing a net zero agenda. Across the country, they pushed these radical and costly climate action plans to fundamentally transform and restrict the energy options available to consumers. Along with this came calls from the Left to ban gas stoves, gas cars, gas-powered lawn equipment, and hundreds of other draconian ideas to limit the freedom of the American people.
If the high cost of these plans wasn’t enough, they have also proven to be unreliable. States and countries that have committed to energy sources like solar and wind as part of this net zero fantasy have experienced rolling blackouts, continually demand that their customers use less, and eventually have to make haste to open reliable sources of generation they had closed down. Isn’t that right, California?
But Trump’s Executive Order 14154 unleashes fossil fuel production and use in America while unwinding much of the damage caused by the Biden administration…
The town of Gilbert is offering up to $800 to residents and up to $3,000 to non-residential customers who swap their lawns for desert landscaping that uses less water.
The financial incentive in the Grass Removal Rebate programs isn’t cash: it’s applied as credit on the recipient’s water bills, and may take up to two bill cycles to appear. A Gilbert spokesperson told AZ Free News that they have a total of $120,000 per year to issue on their rebate programs, and that the allocated funding within that budget may change from year to year based on the popularity of each program.
Those who don’t qualify include those who have removed or are currently removing their lawns, those living in non-single family residential properties, and those with grass areas watered by flood or well water.
The grass must also be healthy and growing at 50 percent density, as well as routinely and permanently irrigated by a landscape irrigation system.
Gilbert residents may now be eligible to receive up to $800 for replacing their lawns with low-water-use landscaping.
The rebate requires an inspection of the resident’s grass landscape. The amount received by residents for the lawn removal also depends on the lawn’s size. On the low end, properties with 200 to 399 square feet of grass are worth $100; on the high end, those with over 1,000 square feet of grass are worth $500.
The additional $300 from the town comes as a reward for planting new shade trees or low water-use plants. Residents with a rebate area with at least 50 percent low-water-use or drought-tolerate plant coverage may receive an additional $200. Residents may also receive up to a $100 rebate for planting two trees from the Arizona Department of Water Resources’ Low-Water-Use/Drought-Tolerant Plant List.
As for non-residential customers, like HOAs and businesses, grass removal comes at $1 per square footage of grass, with a $3,000 cap.
Anyone who receives $600 or more in water bill credits must complete a W9 for the Gilbert Water Conservation, as per the Biden administration IRS reporting requirement enacted last year.
Those aren’t the only water conservation financial incentives that Gilbert has offered. The town introduced rebates up to $250 for residential, $400 for non-residential properties to install smart irrigation controllers.
Another municipality, Tucson, opted for involuntary compliance with water conservation. Last month, the city of Tucson prohibited new builds from installing lawns and reduced their water flow; in May, they increased water rates by reclassifying several winter months — billed at a lower rate — into summer months. The city of Phoenix cut water allowance, as well as raised its water usage fees.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Earlier this month, Tucson outlawed lawns and reduced water flow in new constructions.
The Tucson City Council approved the changes through two action items presented during a regular meeting. Both measures were proposed to increase water conservation.
The lawn ban, Ordinance 12005, targets “ornamental turf” — that is, grass intended only for aesthetic, not functional or practical purposes. Functional turf would be considered grassy areas such as school playgrounds, parks, sports fields, dog parks, or golf courses. Other drought-hit states like California have imposed similar bans on ornamental turf. In 2021, Nevada became the first state to ban ornamental turf, which goes into effect in 2027.
The council explained in a public statement that they originally wanted to ban ornamental turf in new developments only. However, stakeholders and the public expressed concern that the ban wouldn’t result in meaningful water conservation since new developments already have minimal allowance for ornamental turf.
Tom Prezelski with Rural Arizona Action spoke in favor of the issue. Prezelski was formerly a state representative, tribal planner for the Tohono O’odham Nation and Pascua Yaqui Tribe, coordinator for the Stop Corruption Now Arizona campaign, quality control specialist with CHISPA, and coordinator with the Arizona Democratic Party.
The water flow reduction, Ordinance 12009, requires new constructions to use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense certified fixtures. WaterSense, a voluntary EPA partnership, products and services use at least 20 percent less water, seeking to cut into the national average of 82 gallons used by Americans daily at home.
WaterSense began through talks in 2004 with stakeholders prior to launching in 2006 in San Antonio, Texas at the American Water Works Association’s Annual Conference & Exposition.
The city approved the ordinance unanimously; no citizens issued public comment on the subject.
Councilman Steve Kozachik asked whether there would be leeway for builders who run into supply chain issues — something that has plagued the country throughout the last few years. City officials said that builders could apply for a waiver through their building official.
Watch the council discussion of the two water conservation items here:
Tucson, along with the city of Phoenix and the state, also traded away its Colorado River water rights in exchange for federal infrastructure funding. The city received $44 million for the deal; Phoenix received $60 million.
The funds come from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Those two laws set aside a combined $15.4 billion to combat drought.
Gov. Katie Hobbs forfeited three million acre-feet of Colorado River water rights over the next three years. That plan, the Lower Basin Plan, equates to $1.2 billion in federal funding altogether. Hobbs splits the funding with the two governors who signed onto the plan: California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo.
#Tucson is setting the standard in water conservation. Under my leadership and the Council, the City of Tucson has signed an agreement with @usbr to voluntarily reduce our #water allocation from the #ColoradoRiver. https://t.co/WWgYY8PeMP
