APS’ parent company Pinnacle West purchased five domain names and created Websites aimed at getting the public to pressure all fives corporation commissioners members to side with its solar net metering proposal, but then took them down after only a couple of days.
Though they were registered anonymously, the sites all noted they were paid for by Pinnacle West.The sites echoed some of the arguments APS raised against the current solar net metering rates – that, essentially, the current scheme is not fair to all ratepayers.
Commissioner Bob Burns said he hasn’t seen the Websites but he said their creation highlighted what his problem has been all along about the spending by the energy company on net metering – it’s not clear to him whether it’s APS or Pinnacle West that’s picking up the tab. If it’s APS that is spending the money, then he would have a problem with it, Burns said.
“Who is paying for what? I mean, the bottom line is the ratepayers pay for it all, but I think there is a line that should be drawn between APS and Pinnacle West and what they do,” he told the Yellow Sheet.
Meanwhile, a report on the Arizona Business Coalition’s funding a 2012 independent expenditure effort supporting Republican commission candidates incorrectly declared the Arizona Realtors contributed $85,000 to the effort. In fact, the Realtors supplied $58,000 to the Taxpayers’ Voice Fund.
