♪ Music Playing ♪ >> Coming up next on "Arizona Horizon", a look at the impact of climate change and extreme heat on local workers and communities.

Also tonight, a state Supreme Court ruling gives voters more power over the rules of the road.

And we'll hear about a walking assist device designed to help older adults rehabbing from illness and injury.

Those stories and more next on "Arizona Horizon."

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>> Good evening, and welcome to "Arizona Horizon."

I am Ted Simons.

A recent meeting of environmental activists and leaders focused on the impacts of increased risks from extreme weather, amid fewer environmental protections.

Here to tell us more is Sandy Barr.

The director of the Sierra club's grand canyon chapter.

Always a pleasure, good to see you again.

>> Nice to see you.

>> These are environment the leaders, healthcare -- what was this all about, this meet something.

>> There have been a series of meet that goes we have been doing and they are with local communities to hear from people in those communities.

We were in west Phoenix, we were down in Tucson.

Yuma and Flagstaff here in central Phoenix as well.

And the meetings are focusing on the impacts of the roll backs to climate protections that we are seeing under the trump administration.

You know, they are trying to roll back the rule to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.

They are trying to get rid of something called the endangerment finding that under pins all climate action.

The list goes on.

And, of course, they are actively trying to keep coal plants open longer and so we talked about that, but also, you know, about what we are feeling right now.

And extreme heat is our extreme weather.

We don't get hurricanes here, but we get a lost extreme heat.

And it kills more people than, you know, hurricanes and other disasters.

>> Yeah, I know the focus was on the impact on Arizonans, our health, and livelihoods, because of the extreme weather.

And also, as a result of what we'll see increasingly, I would imagine, the fewer restrictions and regulations.

>> Exactly.

It's why we need to do more with local government and state government.

All the while still pushing back on the federal government against these repeals.

But, yeah, in Tucson, it was primarily outdoor workers.

They were telling their stories about, you know, having extreme heat emergencies, coming home, being nauseous, not being able to cool down.

They have stories of co-workers who died.

And, you know, we need better worker protections in addition toll addressing these issues related to climate.

And what I was particularly moved by is, even before, you know, I mentioned it or others mentioned it, be these folks were bringing up climate change.

And they were bringing up their concerns about what was going on.

They understood the connections The.

>> Yeah.

And, again, this is amid the roll back of so many things, including you mentioned carbon pollution standards for power plants.

Talk to us about those roll backs and what the impact here is now or will be in the future.

>> Well, the impact is that we will see more emissions from coal and gas plants.

We are already seeing Arizona public service announce that it is going to retire the four corners power plant, seven years later they were scheduled to retire in 2031.

Now they are pushing it out to 2038.

They have also abandoned any climate commitments that they have made.

And, you know, I think it has a lot to do with the fact that there are not those regulations, those protections, that are going to be in place to push them to do it, because these monopoly utilities need to be, you know, they need to be told that they have to do things or they'll just say, oh, never mind.

>> The endangerment find that go you mentioned also, we did a couple of segments on that and how important that is because it underpins so much.

Talk to us about that.

>> Yeah, I mean, basically the endangerment finding is that climate pollution endangers our health.

And it doesn't tack a climate scientist or health professional to see that.

We were talking about extreme heat.

Increased fires.

You know, poorer air quality, all of those things are feeding into endangering our health.

Ed that this ahead Flynn station is denying that climate change is bad for our health.

They are saying, oh, no, it's not that bad.

Sometimes you just have to shake your head.

All these other rules or protections, it would be very difficult for the Environmental Protection Agency to do them if that endangerment finding goes away.

>> Along with all of the other things we have talked about, there are budget does here, there, and everywhere.

The impact on this particular issue when the money is not there and the agencies are clawing back.

>> That's exactly right.

They want to cut even more, they want to cut the Environmental Protection Agency by 54%.

That has impacts right here on the ground and on our air quality.

There's fewer dollars to do implementation of air quality protection, there are obviously less money to address any kind of climate protections that remain, so, yes, it's huge.

>> And yet the administration says the changes are needed to achieve I think the phrase is energy dominance.

We need to roll back, we need to ease up to achieve energy dominance in an increasingly nasty world.

Is there a point there?

>> No.

That is, to me, that is rhetoric.

You know, tough guy rhetoric.

But it doesn't address the reality of what we see here in Arizona.

If Arizona wants to have energy dominance, we should be investing in what we have a lot of, and that's sunshine.

And it's been good for business, it's created a lot of jobs in our communities.

And in helping to address a changing climate, we can begin to help cool things down in the meantime mitigating impacts.

>> But is there a ceiling, as it were, on the sun and on the fact that you can only store so much when you don't you don't have the sun out when it's night time or storms come rolling through, or whatever the case may be?

Are we at that point with storage where it is feasible.

>> We are not even close.

We don't -- you know, we still don't even have enough solar on our grid.

There is a lot more opportunities to storage.

There are different types of storage.

We can invest in wind elsewhere Working with our neighboring states.

We can also rely more on winds generation.

You have to have an integrated grid.

There are also things like micro grids that we could be using, community solar.

We haven't even begun to get there.

And these types of policy erect road blocks.

Me block clean energy on climate change.

>> Real quickly, we are running short on time.

When the trump administration says expanding fossil fuels is necessary, it's necessary right now to lower energy costs.

Help business, help job production, help growth.

You say until.

>> No.

Solar is way cheaper than coal generation.

Again, you don't have to take my road for it.

You can look at A.P.S.

's own numbers on the four corners power plant it's a dirty plant, expensive plants and uses a lot of waters.

All of the things that we don't neat here in the southwest.

With he need generation that's clean that doesn't put car bore into the atmosphere and doesn't use water that.

Wheeze we should invest more in water.

>> Sierra club grand canyon, that's a mouth burner there, good to see you again, thanks for joining us.

>> Nice to see you as well.

Thank you.

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>> A recent state supreme court ruling found that voter initiatives can be used to sent local laws to the balance U giving vote airs direct say on how roads are managed by way of traffic laws and regulations to learn more we welcome in Emily ward and you filed an amicus brief on the idea that the residents and citizens should be allowed.

To talk to us this is the winning side, by watt I, so Congratulations, congratulations I guess.

Talk to us about why this case came up and why it is a good thing.

In me and my fellow residents to decide where a stop side should being.

>> I think what you are referring to is policy-based decisions.

That's exactly what the drafters in the city of page wanted to do is they wanted to make a change to what the city Council had already done.

With respect to a large thorough fiar.

I like to use the analogy of camel back road.

A large thorough fair.

The city wanted to reduce the size of the thoroughfare sewed they could revitalize the downtown, make people stop, get out of their cars, shop, et cetera.

But the drafters disagreed with the policy decision and drafted an initiative and the city clerk would not put it on the ballot because the city clerk found that traffic laws like that, the size of the streets, that's really an administrative thing.

So the Arizona Supreme Court clarified, no, it's not.

>> Talk about what the Supreme Court ruled here.

And the difference between administrative and legislative.

>> Sure.

So with what the Supreme Court was doing is giving a wake-up call to city clerks.

Here the Court agreed am overwhelmingly, right, that I think they said something to the evening of of course, this is legislative, right?

The size of this main Thursday fair throughout the city.

The Court gave an example of something that's a administrative versus legislative.

The Court says, for example, if the citizens wanted to propose firing the city manager.

Something like that.

That's administrative.

That's one person, that's very distinct.

And it's not prospective looking, right?

But when you are talking about the qualifications for a city manager, right, maybe they need to have a four-year degree or they need to come from one of our three great institutions here, you know, state institutions, whatever the case may be.

They can enact that.

And that would be legislative.

So the court is really kind of giving that framework for these city clerks to go forward and as they valuate the initiatives.

>> It sounded like the Court said you need public poll and I and you need a way to enforce that policy.

>> That's true.

>> * for something this be put on the ballot and enforce first degree the waiters gave the yea sign.

>> Correct.

The decision with the city of page it did that.

Because it said we don't want anymore public money to be spent on reducing the size of the Lake Powell Boulevard.

The Court said that's exactly what they did.

They gave direction, this is exactly what you need to do.

And it is a policy decision.

The size of this main artery throughout the city that's absolutely a policy did he again, this case, as you mentioned involves page and the main artery there.

Why has something like this not come up in the past?

>> Sure, I think that, to be -- you know, to be fair to the city clerk in the city of page, I think that people just thought, traffic decisions, that's something that, you know, the city engineer does, or the city manager does, right?

But that's where the court was clarifying here, and I think that the city, you know, they vigorously argued that this really was, you know, the size of roads, or like you said earlier, where a stop sign should be, people do traditionally think of that as administrative.

But the Court clarified, no, it actually is a policy-based decision, right, of how you want this road it, where you want the character of the city of page to be through this main artery.

>> So Arizona directs then can make and change traffic laws.

By virtue of this decision.

Does that mean then the local governments have to administer these new laws?

>> Well, that is what is so important about what the initiative says, right?

In the city of page case the initiative said no public moneys will be spent.

I think if you were to draft let's say an initiative to remove the reversible lanes on seventh avenue and seventh street.

>> Yes.

Yes.

>> That initiative would need to make exactly clear how you effectuate that.

Right?

It's not enough to say we don't like them.

You are going to need to actually provide that guidance and really explain, right, how that can be accomplished.

>> Yeah.

And enforcement obviously is the key there.

When you talked about the lanes on seventh avenue, seventh street, holy smokes that goes on forever.

You know what else goes on forever.

Speed cameras and traffic cameras.

>> Yes, it does.

>> Could this apply to those?

>> In fact it already has, the city of Tucson did an initiative and they removed the speed cameras in that city back in 2015.

>> Speed limit, say thing.

>> I think, yes.

I think that that is absolutely right for that.

Now, let me make clear, it's difficult to get initiatives on the ballot.

>> Right.

>> It's not easy.

So you have to pick a topic that you will get a fair amount of buy in, because each city has their own qualifications for signatures are needed to get an initiative on the ballot.

The city of Phoenix is about 94,000 signatures.

So it's a tall order.

>> It is a tall order but I can go faster, fewer stop signs, I don't feel to worry about traffic cameras that brings me to my last question.

Is this a good thing in.

>> Absolutely.

And by the way, it's not something that's new.

The citizens have had in power in the Arizona constitution for a long time.

The Supreme Court was only just clarifying for something like traffic laws, right?

Something people don't traditionally think of that they have the power to do something about.

And the Court clarified, yes, you do.

And it is also helpful to the city clerk, right, telling them, yes, the citizens do have this power and they have had it all along.

>> And sits a unanimous decision do no quibbling there.

Thanks for being here.

>> Thank you so much, appreciate it.

♪ Music Playing ♪ ♪ Music Playing ♪ ♪ Music Playing ♪ ♪ Music Playing ♪ ♪ Music Playing ♪ >> Tonight on the news hour secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defend is his vaccine policy at a contention senate hearing.

That's coming up at 6:00 on Arizona PBS.

>> A new walking assist device aims to help improve rover I for rehabbing patients.

It won the national institute on aging start-up challenge and we learn more about it tonight as part of our monthly AARP sponsored segment that highlights issues important to older adults in Arizona.

Joining us now is actor Richard -- Dr. Richard Burns a chief science officer and his daughter Kira Burns.

Cofounder and CEO.

Thank you being a being here.

>> Thank you.

>> I am starting with you, it's a walking assist device.

That could be anything from a cane to a wheelchair.

What are we talking about here?

>> Well, we are working to make it more likely that someone who loses their ability to walk is able to regain it.

It started with my grandmother who a watched struggle to watch because of pain knee as yo arthritis and then my dad who was in a terrible car accident when a car crashed into a restaurant he was eating in.

>> Holy smokes.

>> And He went through the painstaking process of having to regain his ability to walk.

These are our story.

I say an opportunity no in a newer rolls and my brother developed.

We assembled a team to leverage this unique technology, to create a new rehabilitation device what makes it easier to safer to learn to walk again.

>> Dr. burns, talk about what is new about this and what is different than your walkers and other things, devices out there.

>> Okay.

It's an unwaiting system, taking up to 100 pounds off wait off your legs.

It's something that uses a complex it use says eight force generating mechanism to lift you up while you are walking it particulars the weight off your legs and the weight burdens to the muscles of the legs, it also takes the physical stress off your joints and your bone.

>> How does it do that?

>> Well, it makes walking easier and safer and for people with joint pain, it reduces and the pain and makes it less painful.

It's a very complex kind of mechanical system.

That my son and I dreamed up in a way and patented and it does not use a motor, it does not use a battery.

And it maintains the support throughout the period that you are walking.

>> So Kira, we saw the video there, and the shots and everything of you demonstrate this is as well.

>> Yes.

>> Is it what you are wearing on your legs?

Is it how you are holding on to the device?

>> So think of it like a piece of exercise equipment for somebody who is going through rehabilitation.

Where you are actually inside a walker.

And you have thigh sleeves that are attached to the device, so these are quick and comfortable to put on.

And you are actually attached to the device, we developed this hand in hand with physical therapists who have the need because of the technology gap from the very advanced rehabilitation that's in in-patient rehab facilities, between that and just holding a patient up or just using a walker to rehab.

>> You mentioned the thigh sleeves that helps with this slighter that air kind of a thing.

>> So it's actually unique mechanical system inside the device that generates the constant lifting force.

The thigh sleeves or an attachment to the disease itself.

>> If you had had this when you had the accident, how would that have changed your rehab?

>> Well, it would have made practice walking easier.

I ended up using a walker, but unlike a number of people who are more seriously injured, a walker is not safe for them.

And, you know, I am a physician, so I have taken care of patients over several years and observed them.

I then became the patient.

And had the experience on the other side.

Now, the irony of it is my problem was difficulty walking.

So even when I was designing and prototyping a device, I ended up with the very problem.

But usually a walker and a wheelchair, if a walker is not really adequate for you, where it's not safe, you end up -- you are kind of rendered to the use of the wheelchair.

And the problem becomes if you are not safe with the walker it takes two therapists holding you to a gait belt to help you.

>> And I was going to ask about that, it seems like this is something that you don't need to to go to maybe a clinic necessarily, could this be done at home?

>> Exactly.

That's the vision for the future.

So today we are launching a version, even the versions that you have seen here, we are launching first a version for in clinics, is but the device will be smaller eventually, so that it can go in to home and community settings to enable mobility for a wider group of the population and being connect sewed physical therapists can support patients remotely.

And so that is the vision for the future.

And that's what physical therapists want is that scalable, accessible technology.

>> We should talk, doctor, real quickly before we go, the importance because of the prevalence of falling on wrong older adults.

>> Correct.

One of the unique kind of things this is, there are only two devices that can follow you from the hospital rehab center to a skilled nursing home to home.

One is a walker and one is a wheelchair.

This device could carry kind of a higher level of care in terms of treatment for walking difficulties, both to the skilled nursing facility and ultimately to the home.

Those two transition periods are where people stall and they drop off in terms of their progression of the recovery, and that's its importance really.

>> Right, it's called gravitrex Dr. Richard burns and Kira burns, condition on all of this we'll see how far it goes, continued success.

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> And can we also add that we have leveraged resources in Arizona and especially through the wear tech center to take it from our prototype from our garage to physical therapists' hands.

>> You just did.

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you.

That's it for now.

I am Ted Simons, thank you so much for joining us, you have a great evening.

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