Solar farm near Phoenix/Royalty free image
By Ryan Randazzo | The Arizona Republic
Arizona regulators on Wednesday killed carbon-free energy rules that were under consideration for years after Republicans watered down the proposals that would have boosted solar, energy efficiency and other clean power sources.
The changes that weakened the requirements for electric companies — making them “goals” rather than mandates — were too much for two Democrats on the Arizona Corporation Commission, who supported the plan to get 100% of the state’s electricity from carbon-free sources by 2050.
In the end, the Democrats voted against the measure, as did one Republican. The final vote sunk the entire proposal.
The commission had already given those rules an initial approval last fall. Two of the five commissioners had changed with the November election, but the rules looked likely to advance with a final vote Wednesday with support from at least three — if not four — of the regulators.
