Arizona regulators want to eliminate mandates and financial incentives for power companies that are intended to save money for all consumers and promote renewables. Public meetings about Arizona’s energy efficiency (EE) standards and solar “REST” rules are scheduled for November and December as the Arizona Corporation Commission considers scrapping the mandates.

With Arizona's access to Colorado River water as precarious as a fictional crack in the Glen Canyon Dam that retains less of it each year, tensions over water supplies in the state are rising while actual storage levels drop.

As communities around the world prepare to observe Show Your Stripes Day on June 20, climate scientists and advocates are encouraging people to share a powerful visual representation of climate change: warming stripes.

The Arizona Corporation Commission is supposed to protect customers from monopoly utilities, but a blistering new Arizona Court of Appeals decision shows the opposite happened in a major APS rate case. The commission’s hearing process helped create, defend and preserve a utility-friendly solar charge that APS itself had not requested. That is a troubling sign of regulatory capture reaching into the commission’s own courtroom.

The Arizona Corporation Commission, the state’s utility regulatory body, began its first evidentiary hearing on May 18 on Arizona Public Service’s request to raise customer rates by roughly 14%. The hearings are scheduled to end on Tuesday, June 30 and, if approved, would increase customer’s monthly bills by at least $20.

Some Arizona families may qualify for up to $800 in utility assistance to help cover rising electric bills. Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) recently hosted an event at Tempe Envision Center (1310 E. Apache Blvd.), helping eligible households apply for Salt River Project (SRP) Crisis Bill Assistance. The program gives priority to seniors, single-parent families, and residents facing disconnection notices.

A new quarterly report finds solar and battery storage accounted for over 90% of all new energy buildout nationwide. That’s despite federal changes from the Trump administration rolling back incentives for solar expansion. The Solar Energy Industries Association says Arizona was among the top 10 states with the most solar energy buildout in the first quarter of the year by adding about 340 megawatts.

In a unanimous ruling, the Arizona Court of Appeals overturned a controversial fee on Arizona Public Service customers who have solar panels on their homes. When the the Arizona Corporation Commission approved an APS rate hike in 2024, it also allowed the utility to charge solar customers an extra $2-$3 per month to cover what it characterized as “extra costs” it incurs to provide power to those residents if their panels fail or don’t generate enough electricity.