By Ryan Randazzo | Arizona Republic
Wording that the Arizona Attorney General’s Office used for the explanation of a clean-energy ballot initiative to be seen by voters may make the measure less likely to pass, according to initiative backers.
The language used by the state’s attorney deals with potential costs to consumers. It is also now a prominent part of the campaign backed by the parent company of Arizona Public Service Co. to defeat the measure.
An official with the Secretary of State’s Office called the added language “eyebrow raising” in an email exchange with the Attorney General’s Office obtained by The Arizona Republic.
If voters approve the ballot measure, Proposition 127, regulated electric companies will need to get half of their power from renewable sources like solar and wind by 2030. The measure would change the Arizona Constitution to include the requirement.
The Attorney General’s Office added language that said utilities would need to meet the clean-energy requirements “irrespective of cost.” It also mentioned that power from nuclear plants would not count toward the renewable requirements.
