AriSEIA Pens Op-Ed on the Upcoming SRP Election

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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.