Wick Communications Published: Wednesday, April 15, 2009

By Philip Franchine

TUCSON – Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said Southern Arizona will bounce back from the economic downturn faster than other parts of the country because of innovative businesses and research aimed at renewable energy.

Giffords, delivering her State of the District meeting Wednesday in Tucson, said 2009 won’t rise above being a bad year, economically, but said signs indicate solid steps toward recovery by the end of the year.

She also said she has made more than $103 million in earmark requests for next fiscal year that will help save and create jobs in the region.

Giffords, a Democrat, defended the use of earmarks – appropriations often labeled “pork” that are attached to unrelated bills – saying many provide critical funding for important projects. She said many of her requests are aimed at cutting-edge research, mass transportation and flood control.

For the Willcox area, her list of requests for Fiscal Year 2010 includes a Wastewater Treatment Plant for the City of Willcox ($1 million) and a Surgery Facility Addition for Northern Cochise Community Hospital ($500,000).

The requests were submitted last week to the House Appropriations Committee, which will review them in coming weeks. Giffords said not all earmark requests would be funded.

The request for the wastewater treatment plant for the City of Willcox stated, “Funding will be used to design and construct a new wastewater treatment plant that will restore compliance with Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations while providing sewer service to the citizens of Willcox. In December 2008, ADEQ issued the City of Willcox Notices of Violation for the operation, maintenance, and water quality for the wastewater treatment plant. The major violations include failing or inadequate equipment, exceeding testing parameters, and possible human contact with virtually untreated wastewater. Due to the seriousness of the violations, ADEQ considers this a very high priority.

“This is an important use of taxpayer funds because the treatment plant needs to undergo extensive renovations or be replaced in order to comply with ADEQ and EPA water quality standards, ensure high quality water for citizens of the City of Willcox, and preserve the natural habitat of Cochise Lake.”

In the request for the surgery facility addition at the Northern Cochise Community Hospital, Giffords said, “Funding will be used to purchase a turn-key modular surgery facility. Northern Cochise Community Hospital is a 24-bed, critical access hospital that provides medical services for approximately 16,000 people throughout the rural areas of Cochise County.

“This project is an important use of taxpayer funds because it will save lives, reduce the cost of transporting emergency patients, wait times and medical expenses for the patient and insurance carriers. There are currently no surgical procedures performed in the Northern Cochise Community Hospital’s service area.”

Giffords said Pima County is home to businesses that could take advantage of a national effort to convert to renewable energy and that can provide scientific advances that will weather a rough economy.

Tucson exports more than $3 billion in goods each year, she said, one-third of that electronic products. The University of Arizona receives 40 percent of its research funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, more than any other publicly funded university.

Giffords assessed the district economy as being in rough shape, reflecting the national economy. She said one Arizona economist summed up 2009 by saying, “If everything goes well, it will be a bad year.” If things don’t go well, 2009 would be “terrible.”

The numbers support that difficult view of the economy: 7.4 percent of Arizonans are unemployed; 3,000 foreclosure notices were issued in Pima County in the first quarter of 2009; more than 0.5 percent of all homes in Arizona were foreclosed upon in 2008, meaning 25 a day in Pima County; and the state budget deficit is $2.9 billion.

Giffords said the economy will start to improve this year but that unemployment will lag behind other indicators.

The federal stimulus bill will save or create 70,000 jobs statewide, including 7,000 in Pima County, Giffords said. The new focus on solar energy will mean the nation can double its capacity to generate renewable energy, enough to power 6 million homes.

See the full list of earmark requests at www.giffords.house.gov/legislation/appropriations/index.shtml.

Arizona Range News Managing Edtitor Ainslee Wittig contributed to this article.