With litigation over the Colorado River looking increasingly likely, Arizona has hired a high-powered, New York City-based global law firm to defend its river water rights before the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary, Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office announced Monday.

Arizona utility regulators earlier March formally voted to repeal the state’s renewable energy standards. The Corporation Commission, though, had been taking steps for some time that signaled this was the direction it was headed.

The standards had been in effect since 2006. They required regulated utilities, like APS and Tucson Electric Power, to get at least 15% of their energy from renewable sources.

Mesa is taking steps to insulate the 18,000 residential and commercial customers in its 5.5-square-mile Electric Service Area, which includes the downtown, from spikes in their energy bill and eventually save them some money.

Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service will not shut off power to customers with delinquent accounts through Sunday as an extreme heat warning remains in effect across the Valley.

SRP officials said the utility will not shut off power anytime an extreme heat warning is issued this year. That policy is in addition to SRP’s existing practice of not shutting off power during the summer months. APS confirmed a similar suspension of shutoffs for the same period.

In Mesa, six Arizonans gathered to tell Gov. Katie Hobbs about how utility bill assistance programs have made it easier for them to pay their bills, keep their homes and provide food for their families.

One woman named Beverly told the governor that she received a $400 credit toward her Salt River Project utility bill with assistance from the Mesa Community Action Network. Without that credit, Beverly said she doesn’t know what she would do.

New data shows that Arizona installed a record amount of solar capacity last year.

Arizona added nearly 2-gigwatts of solar power, bringing the total amount statewide to about 11.5 gigawatts. To put that in perspective, APS’ peak demand last year was more than 8 and a half gigawatts.

Across tribal nations, hosting a convening with dinner and a tour of an ambitious new project is a familiar scene. But for David Harper, a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes and CEO of the newly created tribal energy financing organization Huurav, a recent gathering felt different.

Early voting is officially underway in the Salt River Project election, with ballots hitting mailboxes and an in‑person voting center now open at SRP’s Tempe headquarters.

The election, held every two years, may not draw big headlines, but the people elected will help decide something that affects a lot of people in the Valley: power and water rates.

Households and businesses served by investor-owned utilities pay billions of dollars in profits to utility investors each year. Until now, no one has put a precise number on how much of an electric bill is made up of that profit. Using publicly reported financial data, this report provides the first systematic look at how much of each dollar spent on electricity ultimately goes to investors.

Each summer in Arizona feels a little hotter than the last. By June, stepping outside can feel like walking into an oven. For many seniors, that heat brings not just discomfort but fear of the next electric bill.

After one too many summers worrying about our air conditioning costs, my husband and I decided to install solar panels in 2018, and it truly changed our lives.