By Ryan Randazzo | The Republic
An Arizona lawmaker is proposing to change the state Constitution so that electric companies are required to offer customers a way to opt out of funding solar and wind power plants.
The measure is the latest in a long line of efforts to curb renewable energy in the state, and comes just a month after the state’s largest electric company pledged to get about half its energy from renewables by the end of the decade and go carbon free by 2050.
The legislation, proposed by state Sen. Sine Kerr, R-Buckeye, would seek approval from voters to change the state Constitution.
It would require that utilities offer rate plans that “do not include costs associated with any renewable energy standards, mandates, or voluntary goals set by the electricity supplier.” It proposes customers also be allowed to opt out of paying for electric-vehicle charging stations, which are a key element of many electric utilities’ business plans.
