In a letter dated June 19, 2025, EZAZ.org Chair Merissa Hamilton presents a compelling argument against the approval of Karen Peters as the next Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). The letter, intended to formalize EZAZ.org’s viewpoint, is partly in response to the continuation of Peters’s approval hearing by Committee Chair Jake Hoffman. Initially set for June 18, 2025, Hoffman announced that the hearing was being postponed “Based on possible discrepancies with information related to items we had vetted…”

The hearing was rescheduled for Friday, June 20, 2025, and subsequently moved to Monday, June 23, 2025. Hamilton’s letter was a response to concerns over the additional time granted to Peters for the hearing and worries about the Republican-led Senate’s perceived “conservative squishiness,” which could result in Peters’s approval. In the letter, Hamilton addresses “Ms. Peters’ long career in public service is entirely disqualifying considering her radical ideological partisan track record.”

It’s unclear where the committee stands relative to Peters’s approval. While most Arizona pundits believe that the conservative coalition will hold and reject her, behind-the-scenes pressure from Governor Hobbs to give her the agency heads she prefers could prevail. EZAZ.org, and by extension, Hamilton, is mounting an intense grassroots effort to prevent what they believe would be a disastrous choice for ADEQ due to its impact on Arizona’s environmental regulations.

You can read Hamilton’s EZAZ.org letter in its entirety here. The Globe will be closely watching Monday’s hearing and will report on the news as it develops.