State lawmakers look to block Corporation Commission from setting renewable energy standards
The Arizona Corporation Commission and energy companies are maintaining a “business as usual” strategy in the pursuit of clean energy and energy reliability in Arizona, despite twin bills looking to strip the ACC’s power.
House Bill 2248, sponsored by Rep. Gail Griffin (R-Sierra Vista), would bar the Arizona Corporation Commission’s from adopting or enforcing policy that regulates electrical generation resources acquired by public service corporations (PSCs) without specific legislative authority. The bill passed the House on a vote of 31-28, with one “no vote” and will go to vote in Senate Appropriations.
The twin bill in the Senate (SB 1175), sponsored by Sen. Sine Kerr, is waiting for a vote from the full Senate.
The bills emerged this year following a ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court in July 2020 confirming the authority of the commission to regulate utilities for public health and safety, but also negating the commission’s authority to set clean energy rules under their ratemaking authority.
Read more: https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/state-lawmakers-look-to-block-corporation-commission-from-setting-renewable-energy-standards/Content?oid=30544627