Arizona and time change??

Question

Why doesn't Arizona observe daylight savings time?
Also, does Arizona refrain from daylight savings every year? Or is this a new thing?

Thanks

Answer 1

Ducking daylight-saving mandate was no-brainer for Arizona

By PAUL DAVENPORT
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

PHOENIX -- Arizona successfully fought the federal government three decades ago to be allowed to stay on standard time year-round, ultimately getting a last-minute exemption from a mandate to use daylight-saving time.

Arizonans regarded it as a no-brainer, having recently tried daylight-saving time and quickly deciding they wanted no part of it.

Daylight-saving time meant the sun was out longer during summer evenings when triple-digit temperatures are the norm in the populous desert cities of the state, located on the western edge of the Mountain time zone.

Back in 1973 when state officials applied for the exemption, memories were still fresh of what happened when Arizona tried out daylight-saving time in 1967 after the federal government tried to standardize time practices across the nation.

It didn't go well with most desert-dwellers.

"You had to wait until 10 o'clock to start a ball game. You go to the drive-in theater - they couldn't start the movie until 9:30 or 10 p.m.," recalled Bob Scott, a retired newsman for Phoenix radio stations from 1963 to 2006.


The state Legislature quickly changed course in 1968 when lawmakers reported for their annual session. They put the state back on standard time year-round.

The state has been there ever since, and when the other 48 states go to daylight-saving time at 2 a.m. Sunday, Arizonans - and Hawaii - won't.

Though stockbrokers and some other business interests complained about the resulting seasonal three-hour time difference from the East Coast when most of the country was on the daylight-saving time, those who wanted to dump the practice were loud and clear in making their views known to legislators.

"Folks that were here just didn't think they needed any more heat," Scott said.

The fact that most other Americans were on daylight-saving time didn't matter to some Arizonans.

"They probably don't enjoy enchiladas like we do either, so should we stop eating them?" A.C. Jones of Scottsdale asked rhetorically in a letter published by The Arizona Republic in 1969.

So when the federal government brought the issue up again in 1973 with a mandate intended to saving energy, Arizona asked Transportation Secretary Claude S. Brinegar to exempt Arizona.

Then-Gov. Jack Williams sent a telegram telling Brinegar that switching to daylight-saving time would trade an hour of low energy use in the morning for an hour of higher energy use in the evening.

"Arizona has gone down this dreary road before," Williams stated, citing the 1967-1968 flip-flop. "It's hard to understand until you go through it as we already have."

Legislators, including then-Senate Majority Leader Sandra Day O'Connor, also were on board. She was quoted in a newspaper story as agreeing that there'd be no fuel savings for Arizona under daylight-saving time.

The state's big-gun congressional delegation pitched in, and Brinegar approved the exemption on Jan. 4, 1974, two days before the mandate kicked in.

"Common sense has prevailed." state House Majority Whip Frank Kelley told the Republic.

There hasn't been a serious push since to put Arizona on daylight-saving time.

Answer 2

No More Sunlight in Arizona and Hawaii
Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii and the territories of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa are the only places in the U.S. that do not observe DST but instead stay on "standard time" all year long. And if you've spent any time in the sweltering summer sun in those regions you can understand why residents don't need another hour of sunlight.

As far as I know - Arizona has never observed daylight savings ( at least for the last 15 years I have been here )

Answer 3

Arizona has not had daylight savings time for quite awhile. They aren't the only state. Hawaii doesn't and for several years while I lived there parts of Indiana didn't observe it either though I think that changed last year (don't live there anymore)

For Arizona, the idea with daylight savings time is to help conserve energy. If we had an extra hour of sunlight, we'd be expending more energy with the heat that we have here. So, it defeats the purpose.

Answer 4

Arizona has always refrained from Daylight Savings Time.

If we did do Daylight Savings Time in the summer it would be daylight at 9PM and it would still be dark at 9AM. Since we don't do Daylight Savings Time the sun usually sets about 8PM in the summer and it rises about 8AM.

We aren't the only state that doesn't do it though. I believe Hawaii, Alaska, and parts of Indiana don't recognize it either.

Answer 5

To the wonderful of my awareness, each state and city around the u . s . a . strikes their clock a million hour forward interior the spring time, and a million hour back interior the autumn. i think of somebody had given you incorrect archives. in the event that they have been airing a stay television broadcast in manhattan and l. a., and the two cities had already moved their clocks, and that they announce "...would be shown at 7 PM eastern" ....or ....."...would be shown 8 PM western," then all and sundry in AZ will finally end up tuning their channels on the incorrect time. The time substitute is useful national of the u . s . a ..

Answer 6

Arizona is just smart! :0)

And what the guy above said - with all the history info.
(AZ has been doing it for a looooong time)

Answer 7

all us other staes don't recognize Arizona.