Two Democrats Elected to Arizona Corporation Commission as Utility Rates and Clean Energy Plans Hang in Balance

Phoenix — Come January, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) will be bi-partisan as two Democrats, Clara Pratte and Jonathon Hill, have been elected to the ACC. They will be joining current Republican commissioners Lea Márquez Peterson, Rachel Walden, and René Lopez. The election comes as the Commission is considering rate increases for Arizona Public Service Company (APS) and Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP), and mechanisms that would allow both utilities to increase rates every year with less stakeholder input, and as the Commission begins to consider the utilities’ proposed long-term resource plans.

As a recent Sierra Club report makes clear, the ACC wields a tremendous amount of power over the future of Arizona’s energy landscape, public health, and utility bill increases, especially as the state experiences a fossil gas rush to power data centers. Arizonans experience some of the highest electric bills in the country, with some of the most planned gas in the country and with Arizona’s largest utility, APS, opting to run the dirty Four Corners coal plant for more than another decade. Yet, up until now, the Commission has made a habit of increasing ratepayer bills, opting for expensive fossil fuels and cutting programs that require utilities to utilize solar energy to generate electricity and to conserve energy, lower electric bills, and invest in energy efficiency.

In response, Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Director Sandy Bahr issued the following statement: 

“These election results should act as a wakeup call to the rest of the Arizona Corporation Commission. Arizonans are tired of being put on the backburner, bearing the burden for expensive fossil fuels that harm our neighbors and contribute to climate change. We share in the optimism of our fellow voters and will continue to carefully monitor the ACC as our work to promote clean air, clean water, and healthy communities and a healthy climate enters a new chapter.”