Arizona’s Democratic governor has retained her authority to adopt climate-related regulations after state voters narrowly rejected a Republican-sponsored ballot question to restrict gubernatorial power.
Proposition 315 would have let the Arizona Legislature block any state regulation that would impose more than $500,000 in costs over five years. Regulations imposing more than $100,000 in costs over five years would have faced review by the state Office of Economic Opportunity.
The measure failed, according to the Associated Press, with unofficial results showing about 53 percent of voters rejecting it.
The result preserves the regulatory powers of Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has clashed repeatedly with the Republican-controlled Legislature, issuing a record-breaking number of vetoes, including over climate bills. Republican lawmakers sidestepped Hobbs’ veto pen on regulatory review by sending Proposition 315 and several other measures directly to the ballot.
