A Senate panel has rejected a measure that would have allowed electronic billboards to shine in two counties in the western part of the state where they have been banned under a 2012 agreement.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concern the deal would threaten Arizona's billion dollar Astronomy industry that uses the vast stretches of dark sky to gaze at stars and planets.
Rep. Sonny Borrelli sponsored the bill that would have exempted most of Mohave and La Paz Counties from the 2012 agreement that protects dark skies near the state's observatories.
Billboard makers said they didn't believe it will hurt the industry.
A Senate committee on Commerce rejected House Bill 2507 on a 6-3 vote Monday.
