Arizona utility regulators advance new energy mandates plan
BOB CHRISTIE, Associated Press
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PHOENIX (AP) A 3-2 vote by the Arizona Corporation Commission moves the state toward boosting the renewable energy requirement for state-regulated utilities but under a slower timetable than a previous proposal that was rejected by the panel.
The commission s vote Wednesday restarts a rulemaking process to require that most of the state s electrical providers get 100% of their power from carbon-free sources to limit carbon emissions and address climate change.
But the new proposal is based on a bipartisan compromise that would set a 2070 deadline 20 years later than the 2050 target in the previous proposal rejected by the commission on May 5.
Arizona 100% carbon-free rules fail after last minute changes
After three years of back and forth, ACC kills rules to make Arizona carbon free.
and last updated 2021-05-07 00:40:59-04
Clean energy rules that would have required Arizona electric utilities to use 100% carbon-free power sources by the year 2050 failed in a 3-2 vote, Wednesday night.
The Arizona Corporation Commissioner, a five-member panel that regulates investor-owned utilities, came to the decision after significant amendments to the rules package were passed by the three Republican members.
One amendment, introduced by Commissioner Justin Olson, who has consistently opposed the rules, required that they be goals rather than required standards.
Power grab? Twin bills look to strip Arizona Corporation Commission of some authority
One Arizona corporation commissioner describes how a new bill would strip utility regulators of some of their authority to actually regulate utilities.
and last updated 2021-01-17 17:33:37-05
The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted 3-2 to officially take a neutral position on House legislation that would strip some authority from the stateâs elected board, which regulates Arizonaâs investor-owned electric utilities, on Friday.
If enacted, the bill would undo a large portion of the stateâs proposed clean energy rules that will require electric utilities to be 100% carbon-free by 2050. The rules are in the last stages of being finalized by the Commission.
Customers of Tucson Electric Power Co. will see their monthly home bills rise by an average of just over $5 per month, or about 6%, while business customers will see a decrease starting with the new year, after state regulators approved new rates for the utility late Tuesday.
The Arizona Corporation Commission rejected proposals to delay the rate increase to ease customersâ financial burden during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But more TEP customers will qualify for the companyâs low-income discount rates as the utility panel voted to increase the income threshold for such programs.
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