By Ryan Randazzo | Arizona Republic
Three Republican utility regulators have voted down a proposal for 100% carbon-free energy in Arizona that was considered, debated, workshopped and offered for public comment for more than five years.
The rules appeared on the verge of passage last year when Jim O’Connor, a Republican member of the Arizona Corporation Commission, and Anna Tovar, a Democratic member, reached a compromise.
But O’Connor backtracked Wednesday and voted against that deal, saying state rules were not necessary.
It was the second time a Republican commissioner changed their mind after giving the rules initial support. Chairwoman Lea Marquez Peterson initially voted for clean-energy rules in 2020, but opposed the same rules months later when they came up for final approval.
The new rules would have updated the Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff that an all-Republican commission passed in 2006 and that requires utilities to get 15% of their power from renewables by 2025, as well as the 2010 energy-efficiency requirements for utilities to use efficiency measures to meet 22% of their energy demand by 2020.
“Unfortunately, all of Arizona will suffer from this misguided decision. Investments are being made in states that support clean energy. The largest employers on earth are demanding that their factories buildings and offices be powered entirely by clean energy. The energy rules were a sign that Arizona was forward thinking and in addition to the big ticket items around clean energy, there were some extremely innovative proposals around battery energy storage they got thrown out as well. Very disappointing result for the state.”
~ Court Rich, Rose Law Group Co-Founder, Senior Partner and Director of Renewable Energy Law
