AriSEIA filed a response to Commissioner Tovar's letter in the Unisource Electric (UNSE) Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) matter. The letter inquired about the policy statement surrounding the Line Siting statutes and UNSE's interpretation. Read her letter here.
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A recent Arizona Republic article thoroughly discussed Mohave Electric Cooperative’s Mohave Energy Park and its local opposition. It also stated that “with a capacity of 98 megawatts – just shy of the 100 MW limit that requires approval under Arizona law by a committee that would provide a ‘forum for interested and affected individuals.'"
What folks in Mohave County may not know is that Unisource Electric (UNSE) is simultaneously planning a 200 MW expansion of Black Mountain Generating Station located in Golden Valley. Not only is the UNSE gas plant expansion twice as big as the Mohave Electric project, but UNSE is arguing that the Arizona law referenced above should be reinterpreted to exempt their project from review, too. UNSE has asked the Arizona Power Plant and Line Siting Committee to waive its jurisdiction over the Black Mountain Expansion Project because the individual turbines are less than 100 MW. UNSE argues that Arizona law considers the individual turbines “plants” instead of the entire project and since their turbines are 50 MW each for a total of 200 MW of new gas, they do not need review. Not only would this limit the ability of Mohave County residents to weigh in on the siting of this project, but it would pave the way for all utilities in Arizona to argue the same thing for their projects. If UNSE is successful, essentially all new gas plants in Arizona would be exempt from the law that intended to create a public process and protect the local environment from new power plants. Mohave County residents, like everyone in Arizona, would not have a voice at the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) before these plants are built. April 24 is the time to offer public comment on UNSE’s interpretation of Arizona law. The public can file comments online through the ACC’s website (use Docket No. L-00000F-24-0056-00230) or in person, via Zoom, or via the telephone at the time of the hearing (April 24 starting at 10 a.m.). The hearing will take place at the ACC at 1200 W. Washington Street in Phoenix. Unisource Electric (UNSE) the sister company of Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and subsidiary of Fortis Inc., an international energy company, has asked the Arizona Power Plant and Line Siting Committee (and the ACC) to waive its jurisdiction over new gas projects. UNSE is planning a 200 MW expansion of Black Mountain Generating Station located in Mohave County. UNSE is arguing that Arizona law should be reinterpreted to exempt their project from review because the individual turbines are less than 100 MW. The hearing is on April 24, 2024.
AriSEIA filed an objection to UNSE's motion to consolidate all intervenors in their Line Siting matter as one, which would deprive AriSEIA of its due process rights, violate the law, and leave industry with no representation in a proceeding that could change the way all new gas power plants in our state are regulated.
Mohave County Planning and Zoning Commission
Development Services Department P.O. Box 7000 Kingman, AZ 86402 RE: April 10th Planning and Zoning Meeting, Agenda Item 17, Evaluation of a Request to Amend the Mohave County Zoning Ordinance Section 12.2, Energy Overlay (E) Zone; Section 37.4, Special Uses, and Section 37.U, Energy Projects. Supervisors, Commissioners, and Staff, AriSEIA is the State’s nonprofit solar, storage, and electrification trade association. We are active at all levels of government in Arizona, working to advance renewables policy. We worked heavily on Eloy’s 2023 ordinance and are currently working with Yavapai County and Pinal County on similar processes. We spoke to the Mohave County Board of Supervisors when the Moratorium was passed last fall. We also presented an economic impact analysis completed by Elliott Pollack and have included that here as Attachment B for your convenience. We have also attached redlines of the proposed Ordinance here as Attachment A. We encourage you to make a few small modifications before submitting this to the Board of Supervisors for a vote. However, when the final version is voted on, we encourage you to replace the existing Moratorium with the new ordinance as soon as possible. Our two biggest concerns with the proposed Mohave Ordinance are the one mile buffer zone and the amount of time (12 months) that triggers decommissioning. We suggest a quarter mile buffer zone and a force majeure clause for decommissioning, as there are reasons why there may be a 12+ month delay that are not the result of abandonment. We would be happy to participate in any stakeholder process the County implements to finalize this Ordinance. Thank you for your time and consideration. Respectfully, /s/ Autumn T. Johnson Executive Director AriSEIA (520) 240-4757 autumn@ariseia.org AriSEIA filed a response to a filing by UNSE that opposed the scheduling continuance requested by another party. AriSEIA also asserted that there are factual issues, in addition to legal issues, that will need to be heard by the Line Siting committee before the issue of jurisdiction is resolved.
Unisource Electric, the sister company to Tucson Electric Power (TEP), has filed an application for a 200 MW gas plant in Mohave County and has asked the Power Plant and Line Siting Committee of the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) to waive its jurisdiction. This is problematic, because if granted, utilities would essentially stop getting ACC approval to build any new gas plants. Review would essentially be limited to transmission lines.
ACC Staff issued questions to "interested parties" regarding the export rate (Resource Comparison Proxy (RCP)). AriSEIA has opposed reopening the Value of Solar decision. You can read our full responses above.
AriSEIA filed a motion to the ACC to reconsider the APS rate case, specifically the higher charge to solar customers. The basis of our argument is that the fee is arbitrary and capricious, discriminatory, and a violation of our due process.
Most people know who their electric utility is, but even if they are Salt River Project (SRP) customers, they do not know there is a huge election coming up on April 2nd. They also very rarely know that SRP is not regulated by anyone, including the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), which regulates Arizona Public Service (APS). SRP is almost as big as APS with more than 1 million customers and is one of the largest public power utilities in the United States. It is also a monopoly like APS, but it gets to govern itself. The only check on its activities is its board of directors. For years the board of directors has been so friendly to the utilities’ management, there is effectively zero oversight of this unregulated monopoly.
I have been out knocking on doors for the last couple of weeks to increase voter turnout and despite talking to dozens of ratepayers, I have only met 2 people that knew there was an upcoming election. I also have not knocked on a single door that has had rooftop solar, despite living in the sunniest state in the country, and over 260,000 homes in Arizona have rooftop solar. Both facts are due to SRP policies. The board of directors is elected by SRP ratepayers. There are 14 board members and about half of them are up for election every other year in even numbered years. Only about half of SRP customers are eligible to vote and of those, less than 1% do so. The low voter turnout is largely due to very few people know about the election, and SRP makes it hard to vote. They do not just mail ballots out to eligible voters. Eligible voters have to request a ballot in advance. They also do not allow renters to vote. The board is the only oversight for the utility. The board oversees your rates, the types of power SRP uses to provide electricity like coal or renewables, and the board sets policy. For years, SRP has had some of the worst policies in the state. SRP has the weakest clean energy goals of any major utility in Arizona. SRP is the only major utility in the state without a date to exit all coal. SRP has the worst solar policy of any major utility in the state. It takes years longer for your rooftop solar to pay for itself than if you had APS. SRP raised rates last year due to higher fossil fuel costs and announced this month they are collecting $243.1 million more than budgeted. About half of Arizona’s carbon emissions are attributable to utilities. Therefore, whether you care about the environment, air quality, public health, energy independence, or just want to save money on your bills, there is reason to participate in the upcoming SRP board election. You must request your ballot by March 22nd. Even if you think you are on the early voting list, sign up again to confirm. SRP will begin to mail ballots on March 6th. You need to complete both ballots and return them in the correct envelopes. You must mail your ballots back in advance, because ballots must be received on or before election day, April 2nd. You can also vote in person at SRP (1500 N Mill Avenue in Tempe) on April 2nd. Several candidates are committed to advancing clean energy. But no matter who you vote for, make sure to vote. Request your early ballot today. With such a small voter turnout, your vote can dramatically impact the outcome of the election. |
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