Stars or billboards? Arizona got it wrong

It’s a conservative mantra: Government shouldn’t pick winners and losers. But the conservatives running Arizona just picked the outdoor advertising industry over the state’s internationally famous, billion-dollar astronomy industry. Sen. Sonny Borrelli’s Senate Bill 1114, signed into law May 1 by Gov. Doug Ducey, opens up parts of Mohave County to electronic billboards, which create light pollution and represent a threat to our world-renowned observatories.

It is one more example of grabbing for instant gratification instead of remembering our duty to future generations.

Arizona’s astronomers acquiesced to chipping away at dark-sky protections. The scientists say it was because they prefer cooperation to confrontation — plus they were brought in early to the discussions instead of being blindsided.

Tactful and careful. But it suggests Arizona scientists who pursue secrets of the universe already understand the dark heart of Arizona politics. This was damage control. Consider a bit of history: In 2012, the outdoor advertising industry got the Legislature to lift a ban on electronic billboards.

Arizona’s astronomy community rose in protest and they had the public with them. Even the Mount Graham red squirrels cried foul.

Former Gov. Jan Brewer pulled out her veto pen and wrote:

“The astronomy industry has invested $1.2 billion in Arizona, represents more than 3,300 jobs and has an estimated economic impact of $250 million each year. I simply refuse to place all of this in jeopardy.”

But she also called for the two industries — outdoor advertising and astronomy — to work out a bill she could sign.

It was a forced negotiation and only one party could win. After all, electronic billboards were already illegal.

The 2012 compromise made electronic billboards legal in certain urban areas and created buffer zones for observatories.

It also created an odd and false equivalency.

I have nothing against the outdoor advertising industry. B

ut it doesn’t belong on the same level as astronomy, which is more than just a way to find the next fast-food restaurant on your way to Kingman.

Astronomy expands human knowledge. It is an elevated enterprise for which Arizona has earned an international reputation for excellence.

That can’t continue unless Arizona is scrupulous about maintaining its dark skies.

Last year, astronomers were blindsided by a similar move to allow electronic billboards in Mohave County. They successfully fought the expansion.

This year, the effort to erode Arizona’s dark-sky protections returned. But this time, the astronomers were brought into the discussion, says Jeffrey Hall, director of Lowell Observatory.

They decided to stay neutral rather than fight the bill largely because of language about the “legislative intent,” says Hall.

“Once we agreed,” he said, “we had no trouble remaining neutral.” Too bad. The bill was first amended to say the legislative intent was that “additional areas will not contribute to a collective net increase of artificial sky glow in this state,” and required ”commercially reasonable efforts” to replace existing electronic billboards with those using “new and advanced technology to decrease the artificial sky glow.” That language was scrapped. The bill Ducey signed into law says it is the Legislature’s intent to “encourage the advertising industry to minimize the impact of artificial sky glow that occurs from outdoor advertising and impacts Arizona observatories; and implement state-of-the-art technology to further mitigate the impact of artificial sky glow.”

“The tone is very definitely changed from demanding something from the industry to simply suggesting they use best practices,” says John Barentine of the International Dark-Sky Association.

Next year, a lawmaker from another part of the state may decide his or her area can’t live without electronic billboards.

Barentine says this could be the “beginning of the end of the compromise law” that protected Arizona’s dark skies and our state’s amazing astronomy complex.

It would be rude to say the astronomers got sucker punched by state leaders who picked the outdoor advertising industry as the winner in our state.

Rude. But accurate.