ACC Waives Environmental Review of New Gas Plants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Autumn Johnson
(520) 240-4757
[email protected]

Phoenix, AZ - Today, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted 4-1 along party lines to overturn the 9-2 decision of their own Arizona Power Plant and Line Siting Committee. The ACC's vote will eliminate environmental review of new gas plants in Arizona going forward. It reverses 53 years of consistent application of Arizona law regarding the siting of new thermal power plants.

UNE Electric (UNSE), the sister company of Tucson Electric Power (TEP), plans to add 200 MW of new gas at Black Mountain Generating Station in Mohave County. Plants greater than 100 MW are required to obtain a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) from the Line Siting Committee. UNSE argued that A.R.S. 40-360(9) should be reinterpreted to only require a CEC for turbines that are greater than 100 MW, regardless of how many there are or the overall size of the plant. This loophole will now mean that no utilities in Arizona will need ACC review of any new gas (or nuclear) plants as long as the individual units are smaller than 100 MW.

"The ACC overturned their own Line Siting Committee and 53 years of legal precedent today to achieve the policy goal of making it as easy as possible to build more gas generation while simultaneously stating that the legislature should require additional regulation of renewables," said Autumn Johnson, Executive Director of the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA). "We had a 2 day hearing in front of an 11 member Committee and UNSE lost overwhelmingly because they did not prove their case. And yet, we can now expect that every utility in Arizona will start building new plants with no environmental review. This is a major setback for the clean energy transition."

The intervening parties have 20 days to ask for a rehearing before they can appeal to Superior Court. The full docket can be found here.

About AriSEIA

AriSEIA is the leading voice of the solar industry in Arizona, dedicated to advancing solar energy through advocacy, education, and collaboration. With a commitment to promoting sustainable energy solutions, AriSEIA serves as a catalyst for the growth and development of Arizona's solar industry.