Some Arizona business organizations are applauding the recently ended legislative session for producing business-friendly bills that, after Gov Jan Brewer signs them, could boost economic development in the state.

They also cheered the end of the session because it meant the demise of some bills that they believed would stifle business development if they became law.

Although the two main bills that worried them died due to inaction or were rejected outright, business leaders in Phoenix believe Senate Bill 1507 and House Bill 2789 left an impact anyway.

SB 1507 opposed government-led efforts to reduce pollution and eradicate poverty, while HB 2789 opposed regulation by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Among the groups fighting the measures was the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which led quiet opposition to SB 1507 through position statements sent to legislators, instead of through public press conferences. The organization's spokesman, Garrick Taylor, said it was concerned about potential harm to commerce.

Business executives say such bills can leave a lasting impression, warning that, nationally, the state is becoming defined by extreme political ideologies that many outsiders view as rigid and unfriendly to commerce and tourism.

Michael Grossman, board chairman for the Green Chamber in Phoenix, said a state's reputation is fragile.

"That's the danger of bills like this (SB 1507). Arizona becomes a cocktail-party punch line. And it's such a difficult yoke to get off yourself once you've got it."

Grossman said the Green Chamber opposed SB 1507 but abstained from commenting because it feared doing so would feed a growing national perception that Arizona's brand is "backwards" politics.

Critics said SB 1507, sponsored by Sen. Judy Burges, R-Sun City West, would have quashed sustainability efforts statewide.

Burges' bill took aim at the 1992 United Nations Del Rio Declaration and echoed theories by the John Birch Society that say global warming is a myth contrived to restrict citizens' choices, such as whether they drive a gas or electric car.

The bill died before a final vote on the Arizona House floor.

Burges said the bill's goal was "awareness."

"We have three branches of government, and when one branch pre-empts the process through executive orders, the balance of power is lost," Burges said.

The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association and other industry groups found themselves in the unfamiliar position of defending the state business regulator, the Arizona Corporation Commission, when Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Glendale, proposed HB 2789 to strip the commission of its regulatory authority.

Lesko said she led the bill because "many citizens and legislators believe the Legislature, not the Corporation Commission, should be setting energy policy."

Her bill was amended to attack the state's renewable-energy standard that requires utilities to increase the state's use of solar and other renewable resources. Economic reports show solar is now a $2 billion industry in the state, with 16,000 workers.

Lesko said the solar industry would seek to increase the mandated renewable-energy production, and customers would bear the burden through utility rate hikes.

"It's kind of sad that bills like this are introduced because it really does send a bad message to those that would like to set up a business in Arizona in solar energy," said the association's executive director, Michael Neary.

The legislation was halted in Senate caucus.

Rep. Cecil Ash, R-Mesa, who opposed SB 1507, said the Legislature wasted a lot of time this year on bills rooted in radical political ideology, instead of on cost-cutting and job creation.

"I think sometimes we don't spend as much time as we could on issues that help the economy and bring jobs to the state," said Ash, who considers himself a social conservative.

The hospitality and tourism industry still suffers from the aftershocks of Brewer signing into law the state's controversial immigration law, SB 1070, two years ago. Four major national associations canceled plans to hold meetings in Phoenix, and other groups opted not to consider Arizona convention sites, economists have said.

Ben Bethel, general manager for Clarendon Hotel in Phoenix, said he wishes lawmakers could boost tourism and business.

"I wish there were some sort of oath that they (legislators) could take before going into session every day, something like 'I'll do everything I can to promote the state,' " Bethel said.