Senator Kyrsten Sinema
333 E. Camelback Road, Suite 200
Phoenix, AZ 85018
 
RE: Support for the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
 
Dear Senator Sinema,
​
The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association’s (AriSEIA) mission is to develop and support policies that create opportunities to advance Arizona’s economy through solar energy and storage. AriSEIA advocates for sustainable job creation in deployment of solar and complementary technologies and collaborates with stakeholders to encourage utilization of Arizona’s greatest natural resource: the sun.

We write to encourage you to vote “yes” on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This legislation will provide much needed funding and incentives to advance our transition to a clean energy economy. Renewables are a critical component in that energy transition. In addition to supporting a robust solar supply chain, the IRA will bring new jobs to Arizona, as well as the potential for significant dollars of additional economic development and investment in our state. Princeton’s REPEAT Project estimates that the IRA will create 65,000 new jobs in Arizona in the renewables sector by 2035. It will also save Arizona consumers approximately $360 per household on energy expenses by 2030.

AriSEIA represents approximately sixty companies already doing business in Arizona that are ready and willing to ramp up their operations and increase their investment. Solar already provides more than 8,000 jobs in Arizona and we look forward to that continuing to grow. Our members engage in every aspect of the solar supply chain, and they are eager to get to work doing even more to promote our economy, our environment, and our residents with the passage of this historic legislation. Additional renewables deployment also means Arizona’s electric system will use less water, which is critical as we face unprecedented water shortages, because solar uses considerably less water than thermal electricity generation.

Voting “yes” on the IRA is a vote for the clean energy transition and the companies and workers in Arizona that make it happen. Please support the Inflation Reduction Act.

Sincerely,
/s/ Autumn T. Johnson
Executive Director
AriSEIA 
(520) 240-4757
autumn@ariseia.org

Salt River Project
1500 N. Mill Avenue
Tempe, AZ 85288
 
RE: Integrated System Plan and Stakeholder Engagement
 
Salt River Project and Board,

The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA) requests inclusion in Salt River Project’s (SRP) Integrated System Plan (ISP) Advisory Group. AriSEIA has previously requested inclusion in the ISP Advisory Group on more than one occasion beginning in January of 2022. We have been told that we cannot participate in the Advisory Group because SRP seeks to “have focused engagement from a diverse, but small group of SRP customers and community stakeholders.” However, as you can see from the list of stakeholders [above], there are zero participants that represent the renewables sector; no companies or nonprofit organizations.[1] Further, the Advisory Group size is not unwieldy or even on the larger size of stakeholder groups run by other utilities. AriSEIA has been included in the Arizona Public Service (APS) and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) resource planning processes. And other utilities, such as Idaho Power, keep their meetings open to anyone interested and have not found it to be burdensome. Many of the entities on the current Advisory Group are not actively engaged, thereby further reducing the burden the inclusion of AriSEIA may hypothetically pose.

AriSEIA has also not been included in the Sustainability 2035 Advisory Council. Renewables play a key role in the clean energy transition and the lack of inclusion of any renewables stakeholders is inadequate. We request inclusion in the ISP Advisory Group, as well as the Sustainability Advisory Council. Participation in the very infrequent, public meetings is insufficient, as it does not provide ample opportunity to participate in any of the modeling discussions, where key decisions are made.

Sincerely,
 
/s/ Autumn T. Johnson
Executive Director
AriSEIA 
(520) 240-4757
autumn@ariseia.org

[1] SRP Meeting 3 Presentation, 1.19.2022, available here https://www.srpnet.com/assets/srpnet/pdf/grid-water-management/grid-management/isp/ISP-Advisory-Group-Meeting-3-Presentation.pdf.