A third initiative to ban the importation of hazardous wastes into Arizona was filed Tuesday with the secretary of state's office.
A group known as Friends of the Hydrogen Association, headed by Stephen M. Brittle of Phoenix, will have to obtain the signatures of 86,699 registered voters by July 5 to qualify the measure for the November general election ballot.The initiatives are the result of a controversy over the construction of a hazardous waste disposal plant near Mobile, south of Phoenix. The plant is being built and will be operated by an Arkansas company under a contract with the state of Arizona.
Environmentalists recently have stepped up their attack against the facility and some legislators have called for a study of the facility. Much of the criticism has been aimed at the fact that most of the hazardous wastes to be handled at the plant will come from out of state, at least in the early years of operation.