What You Can Do

Hello to all,

I hope you had a chance to recover from the Super Bowl (if you're a Giants fan) and have read the update about this year's run at the Rail Road issues.

We have broken our e-mail list into three groups to target specific legislators with the message to get the bill out of committee. I can't stress how important your help is! You have the ability to make it clear to these specific legislators that real people are very interested in this bill and are watching very, very carefully how legislators handle it.

Here is what I am asking: Please send a short e-mail to the following two legislators, Adam Driggs and Theresa Ulmer, and Cc the House leadership, the committee chair and vice chair so they appreciate the interest the public has in passing HB 2156.

Adam Driggs adriggs@azleg.gov (R-Phoenix - Dist 11) ... will care most about private property rights and business ... voted no last year

Theresa Ulmer tulmer@azleg.gov (D-Yuma - Dist. 24) should respond to all from Yuma, voted yes last year, was fairly solid at the end...does not appear as solid right now

Those to Cc

Chairman of the Committee, John Nelson: jnelson@azleg.gov (R-Litchfield

Vice Chair Jerry Weiers: jpweiers@azleg.gov (R-Glendale - Dist. 12),

House Majority Leader Tom Boone: tboone@azleg.gov (R-Peoria - Dist. 4)

With the focus noted above, here is some sample /general language to borrow from and work with in putting your messages together. Please take a moment and make your message count!

"Arizona needs railroads and the railroads need to be here...but they need to respect the rights of property and business owners and the natural assets in our growing state. The real question we need answered is: Are Arizona's legislators going to stand with Arizona citizens and businesses and defend private property rights, the state's water and natural resources, and well-planned major infrastructure, or just stand by and watch the railroads continue to use their power and their federal protection to plan to take private land, site and build tracks and major facilities wherever they choose -- leaving our families, taxpayers and policymakers to deal with the fallout?

HB 2156 is the opportunity to take these rail projects out from behind closed doors, make the railroads accountable to explain and examine what they are doing. We care about HB 2156 and are counting on the elected members who swore their oath to Arizona to care about it, too."

Thank you,

Dave Mansheim

President, Arizona Common Sense, Inc.