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A high-profile bill in Arizona to abolish sustainability effortsdied last week, yet its defeat isn't deterring lawmakers in threeother states from still trying to pass related policies into law. The legislation seeks to outlaw states and their cities fromendorsing or implementing the United Nations Agenda 21 principles of sustainable development . The list of 27 nonbinding principles, adopted by countries at theEarth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, is meant to guide policiesto eradicate poverty and combat climate change, among otherenvironmental threats. In late March, the Arizona state Senate approved anti-Agenda 21bill SB 1507 , but the measure died on May 3, after House lawmakers failed tobring the legislation to a vote before the legislative sessionconcluded that night. In total, five states have tried and failed to pass such rules thisyear, with Arizona's battle being the most well known. Efforts inAlabama, Kansas and Louisiana are still alive. Tennessee passed a resolution condemning though notabolishing the principles last month. Proponents of anti-Agenda 21 legislation say it would protectAmerican citizens from a UN-led conspiracy to encroach on theirprivate property rights. Arizona state Sen. Judy Burges, whosponsored SB 1507, has called Agenda 21 "a direct attack on the middle class and working poor"through "social engineering of our citizens." The bills in Arizona and other states mirror language used in model legislation by the John Birch Society , a 50-year-old conservative group based in Wisconsin. The societyis dedicated to fighting what it calls an international plot by global forces "to abolish U.S.independence, build a world government or otherwise undermine ourpersonal liberties." It has long attacked both the UN andenvironmentalism. The group told InsideClimate News it is largely funded bymembership fees and donations but would not disclose names, numbersor financial details. One of its founding members in 1958 was Fred Koch, founder ofenergy conglomerate Koch Industries and father to billionaire oilexecutives Charles and David Koch. In his 1960 anti-communistscreed called A Businessman Looks at Communism , Fred Koch describes the UN as a "a rotten core of subversion" andblames UNESCO the United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization for spewing "World Government propaganda into our schools foryears." Clean Economy in the Crosshairs Opponents in Arizona said the bill would harm the state's cleanenergy economy by scaring off private investors in its burgeoningsolar industry and other sectors. Arizona houses 980 solar partsmanufacturers, installers and vendors and ranks no. 3 in the nationin solar energy jobs, says a recent study . "Just even having this bill in the legislature basically sent amessage that Arizona doesn't support sustainability, and that's notaccurate," Sarah Muench, communications director for Phoenix MayorGreg Stanton, said in an interview. Last month the mayor penned an op-ed in the Arizona Republic warning that the measure "has the power to possibly hurt ourcity's economic future." Muench said the mayor was concerned about how the one-page bill'sambiguous language might be interpreted. "It was so sweeping thatwe didn't know what it could impact, because it didn't specificallysay.". I am an expert from infraredinteractivewhiteboard.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Universal Projector Mount , Infrared Touch Frame Manufacturer, Whiteboard Marker Ink,and more.
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