APS just got a nice return on its investment in Arizona’s leaders | Opinion
Watch your wallets, Arizona, and especially you customers of Arizona Public Service. Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed a bill that critics predict will allow the powerhouse, for-profit utility — and all other electric utilities — to reach more deeply into your pocket. This, in the very week when we learn about yet another six-figure contribution […]
The Arizona Corporation Commission’s duty is to us, not utilities
Arizonans know extreme heat can be deadly, so it was incomprehensible this week when Arizona Corporation Commissioner Nick Myers blamed an elderly woman’s heat-related death last May on her and her family, not the power shutoff that left her without air conditioning during a brutal heatwave. Instead of demanding answers about why her electricity was […]
Critics of utility measure urge veto if it lands on Hobbs’ desk
Democratic lawmakers, former members of the Arizona Corporation Commission and other advocates continue to sound alarm bells over a bill that would allow public utility companies to securitize assets as the possibility of significant amendments or a veto remains uncertain. At a press conference on April 29, Democratic Sens. Priya Sundareshan and Lauren Kuby were […]
Utility CEOs get raises as companies roll back diversity, environmental pay incentives and rates increase
In 2024, investor-owned utilities paid their chief executive officers a total of over $530 million, according to an analysis by the Energy and Policy Institute based on the latest proxy statements released by the companies. Of the 54 utilities examined, most increased the total executive compensation paid out in 2024 over the previous year’s levels. […]
Opinion | Arizona utilities want free access to your wallet. And they just might get it
Arizona Public Service has spent the last decade reshaping Arizona’s energy policies in its favor. This legislative session, APS and other utilities are making one of their boldest moves yet — pushing lawmakers to approve sweeping changes in how and what they can charge their captive electricity ratepayers.
American Lung Association: State of the Air Report
The American Lung Association released its 26th Annual “State of the Air” Report. The report finds that nearly half of all people in the U.S. (more than 156 million) live in an area that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution, and 42.5 million people live in areas with failing […]
AZ HB 2679: Utility Securitization | JUST TRANSITION NAVAJO
Tó Nizhóní Ání joined a host of local community advocates, community groups, and organizations to provide public comments on AZ House Bill 2679: Utility Securitization at the Arizona Legislature. AZ House Bill 2679 (HB2679) is supported by Arizona Public Service (APS), which wants to take advantage of a financial tool called securitization to setup permanent […]
Utility financing bill is unconstitutional, foes say, and could protect dirty power plants
A bill in final stages of consideration in the Arizona Legislature that would allow utilities more flexibility in financing — but make ratepayers liable for bad investments — has been called “unconstitutional,” “polluting,” “overly broad,” and “the largest change to utility financing ever contemplated in the state of Arizona.”
Electric vehicles: Jobs, savings, and federal tax credits in the Southwest
In late February 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted an outline for the federal budget, aiming to extend $4.5 trillion worth of tax cuts while cutting at least $1.5 trillion in federal spending over the next 10 years. Where is all of that money going to come from? Your guess is as good as […]
Electric utilities falling behind on emission reduction targets
Many of the nation’s largest electric utilities are not on track to achieve their interim emission reduction goals or the “net-zero” targets they have communicated to customers and investors, according to industry data reviewed and analyzed by the Energy and Policy Institute. Progress is stalling at a critical juncture, as the Trump administration has targeted Clean Air […]
