A tribe in Arizona planned to connect 600 homes to electricity. Then the funding was cut
For as long as 55-year-old Hopi Chairman Tim Nuvangyaoma has been alive, high-voltage power lines have cut across Hopi lands in northeast Arizona, carrying vast amounts of power long distances throughout the Southwest. But residents of the Hopi Reservation have never been connected to that grid. Instead, tribal members have relied on a single power […]
Data centers to blame? We asked APS & SRP for ‘peak demand’ contributors.
It may be the most common metric that power companies use when making their case to raise rates: Peak demand. Utilities also use this crucial data to forecast future energy needs. But only one of Arizona’s three largest utilities provided to 12News data reflecting how each customer class contributes to peak demand records. Consumer advocates […]
Arizona regulators begin process to repeal utility energy efficiency rules
Arizona regulators have started the process to repeal efficiency rules requiring the state’s largest utilities to achieve annual energy savings. The energy efficiency rules, first adopted by the Arizona Corporation Commission in 2010, require utilities like Arizona Public Service and Tucson Electric Power to “achieve 22% cumulative energy savings” by 2020. In order to meet […]
AZ utility regulators want to repeal energy efficiency rules. What it means for your bill
Arizona utility regulators are initiating the repeal of the state’s energy efficiency rules, which require large power providers to implement smart thermostat programs, incentivize eco-friendly appliances and more to achieve energy savings. The Corporation Commission voted unanimously on Sept. 17 to start a rulemaking process that would cut the longstanding regulations. That move won’t immediately […]
Arizona Corporation Commission Votes to Proceed with Repeal of Energy Efficiency Standards
Today, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted 5-0 to proceed with repealing Arizona’s Energy Efficiency Standards despite strong opposition from health organizations, clean energy advocates, and community groups. The Energy Efficiency standards were approved in 2010 to require utilities to host customer programs that encourage lower consumption practices and ensure new technology adoption. These standards […]
House Republicans renew energy efficiency fight
House Energy and Commerce Republicans are reviving their fight against Biden-era Department of Energy efficiency standards this week, charging that federal rulemaking has driven up consumer costs and limited choice in the marketplace. The Energy Subcommittee hearing comes as lawmakers in both parties trade blame for rising housing and utility prices. “During the Biden-Harris Administration, […]
Groups Protest APS Flip Flop on Clean Energy and Coal
Today, representatives from Sierra Club – Grand Canyon Chapter, Chispa Arizona,Mi Familia en Acción, Vote Solar, AZ AANHPI Advocates, Rural Arizona Engagement, PoderLatinx, Arizona Interfaith Power and Light, Arizona Youth Climate Coalition, Arizona Associationof Retired Americans, and other clean energy advocates, protested outside the Arizona PublicService (APS) headquarters. The focus was on the recent APS […]
Groceries or AC? For far too many APS customers, this is their choice | Opinion
Across Arizona, families are facing impossible choices: paying for groceries or paying the light bill, covering prescriptions or keeping the AC running in 110-degree heat. These are not hypothetical scenarios. They are a daily reality for too many Arizonans. Now, Arizona Public Service wants to make survival even harder. The utility is proposing a 14% rate […]
Arizona regulators to vote Aug. 14 to begin repeal of renewable energy requirements
Arizona regulators will vote this week on whether to officially begin the process to repeal renewable energy standards for many of the state’s electric utilities that were first adopted 19 years ago. Last year, the Arizona Corporation Commission took the first steps to repeal the Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff, or REST, rules. The rules […]
Tucson leaders unanimously vote to shut down massive data center proposal known as Project Blue
Local leaders in Tucson have voted not to allow a proposed data center with ties to Amazon known as Project Blue to move forward. The massive 290-acre data center would have been built southeast of downtown. Mayor Regina Romero and the Tucson City Council were set to vote on the matter next week. But during […]
