HB2059 prohibits state and local entities from using state resources to enforce or cooperate with certain federal environmental regulations. Specifically, the bill targets federal programs under the Clean Air Act related to ozone and particulate matter (PM2.5) nonattainment areas and the Good Neighbor Plan rule. It also prohibits participation in federal actions concerning coal, oil, gas, timber, and other extractive resources if such actions would restrict Arizona's authority over its natural resources. The bill establishes civil penalties for violations and outlines a judicial standard of review for enforcement actions.
The Arizona State House of Representatives passed HB2059 on February 26, 2025 by a vote of 32 to 27. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because this bill is a proper exercise of state nullification, grounded in the U.S. Constitution under Article VI and the 10th Amendment, defending Arizona’s sovereign authority against unconstitutional federal overreach. HB2059 rightly blocks state cooperation with environmentalist federal policies, which promote globalist schemes such as the UN's Agenda 2030, and ensures that Arizona’s natural resources remain under local control. Under Article VI, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution, only laws made “in Pursuance” of the Constitution are the supreme law of the land—meaning unconstitutional federal acts are null and void. Article VI, Clause 3 further binds state officials by oath to uphold the Constitution. Arizona lawmakers therefore have both the right and the duty to resist and nullify federal usurpations. Nullification remains a vital constitutional remedy for reining in an out-of-control federal government.
